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RIYADH: A campaign by Saudi women to win the right to sell lingerie has resulted in shop owners not taking notice and thus forcing women to begin a boycott later this month. “We sent letters to leading lingerie shop owners stating the importance of complying with the Labor Ministry’s guidelines to employ saleswomen, along with the signatures we collected online over the last four months ... But we haven’t received any response,” said Reem Asaad, head of the campaign “Ban Men from Selling Lingerie.”
The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) gave organizers of the campaign the green light to put pressure on shops to hire women.
The JCCI also provided the campaign’s organizers with lists of the heads of the Kingdom’s top five lingerie stores so that they can persuade them to comply with a labor law that requires them to employ women in jobs related to advertising and sale of lingerie. Asaad, a lecturer in finance and investment at Dar Al-Hekmah College in Jeddah, said letters have been sent to the companies threatening a boycott. “Even that wasn’t enough for them to understand our feelings when we buy lingerie from men,” she said.
Hiring saleswomen is difficult despite the Ministry of Labor’s approval. This is due to conflicting views on the subject between the ministry and the religious establishment. Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh recently said, “Women are entrusted to us, we should not involve them in matters far from their nature.” However, the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice announced that it was not against the idea of saleswomen in lingerie shops as long as they work in women-only malls and do not come into contact with men.
Asaad said hiring women in lingerie shops is a social issue, not a religious one. “How can we call ourselves a conservative society while we force our women to discuss their lingerie with men,” she said, adding that the boycott would start soon.
“Although the campaign started 16 weeks ago, its impact on people across the Kingdom is significant,” she said. “So far, more than 1,200 people have signed up through the campaign website and other online forums, such as Facebook,” she said, adding that more than 500 people signed the petition.
Asaad said replacing men at the counters is not the campaign’s only aim. “We also want to help lingerie stores find skilled saleswomen to replace men. In order to put more pressure on store managers, we’ve decided to address this issue as well,” she said.
As a result, a number of colleges and training institutes are supporting the initiative by offering specialized courses on sales and marketing to women.
Dean of Dar Al-Hekma Suhair Al-Guraishy spoke to Arab News about an upcoming project that would train 200 girls in advertising and promotion skills. “We are coordinating with businessmen to cover these girls’ fees,” she said.
Saudi society is divided over the issue of salesgirls. Some stores have no issue with hiring women, especially as it is required under law. Jeddah has five stores that follow the law and allow women to sell lingerie.
Humaid Diab, sales manger of Nawomy lingerie shop, says recruiting saleswomen is not something new. “Eleven years ago, much before the regulation that restricts men from selling lingerie to women was passed in 2006, we had a women-only lingerie shop called Donya,” he said.
Diab said his main concern was creating job opportunities for women and engaging them in the development process — something he believes cannot be questioned.
He added that his clothing chain has 14 women-only branches across the Kingdom. “They attract a lot of women even in cities, such as Madinah, Abha and Najran, which are considered conservative,” he said. “Women prefer to shop from our branches because they are run by women.”
Following Donya’s success, other stores followed suit. Naomy opened a lingerie store at Al-Basateen shopping mall two months ago. Adorned in black abayas, three saleswomen sell women’s clothing there.
Sarah Sahel, regional recruiting manager at Naomy, talked about the impact of hiring women. “Shops that have women staff attract more buyers,” she said, adding that customers are not offended when they see women selling lingerie. “It’s the opposite! It’s even more comfortable for men who take their wives or daughters shopping,” she said.
Sahel said such shops are successful in business terms. “Lingerie is a women-only matter and only women can really give advice on the issue,” she said.
“Hiring saleswomen make it more comfortable for women to try clothes on inside the shop or even leave their telephone numbers in case of a sale or the arrival of new stocks ... they are also willing to participate in questionnaires,” she said, adding that “this rarely happens when the sales representatives are men.”
Khadijah bint Khuwailid Center for Businesswomen in Jeddah certified 22 women two months ago in sales, marketing techniques and customer communication. Norah Al-Turki, director of development projects at the center, said the training was given at the request of H&M to set up women-only stores in the Arabia Mall. “A Swedish team provided the training on the H&M brand, retailing and management,” she said, adding that the center was ready to hold more training courses.
“This depends on whether lingerie shop owners across the Kingdom agree to hire women as the matter depends on the principle of supply and demand,” she said.
Dena Abu Doh, recruitment administrator at H&M, said the company — after its experience in recruiting women in sales — is planning to open a new lingerie branch staffed by women. “We have 16 women working with us in our women-only shop,” she said.
Although Abu Doh supports the idea of replacing salesmen with saleswomen, but opening lingerie stores for families is another matter. “It could be better for sales because many couples prefer to shop together. But it may be hard to open such shops in some conservative parts of the country,” she said.
