Forget the franchise, international expansion is the keyword of the Bob Iger regime. The latest nation to receive the Disney-brand upon its shores is Qatar. The Lulu Hypermarket at Al Gharaffa will now be stocked with Disney branded merchandise. I have a hard time believing that Disney merchandise wasn’t sold somewhere in Qatar before now, but the story makes it sound like this is a bigger deal.
It’s only a very tiny foothold in that region, but you have to wonder what is coming next. With FIFA deciding to hold the 2022 World Cup there, it’s obviously a nation on the move. But with the Arab Spring, I have to wonder about Disney getting in bed with a monarchy. Of course, given where Disney manufacturers most of its merchandise, maybe they have larger things to worry about first.
Previously: Bob Iger makes stealth visit to India.
“Of course, given where Disney manufacturers most of its merchandise, maybe they have larger things to worry about first.”
Hmm. Does this have anything to do with sweatshops? I like to think they’d be working on improving the lives of those workers (if the sweatshops claim is true) or getting rid of them alltogether. :/
To their credit, Disney does a good job selecting manufacturing partners who pledge to treat their employees well. But inevitably some of that work is farmed out or management policies change. There’s nothing Disney can really do about that except act when trouble is reported.
Pingback: The Disney Blog
Pingback: Alltop Disney
Comments are closed.