Pirelli Opens P Zero World in Dubai P Zero World

Dubai has become the fourth city in which Pirelli has opened a flagship store. After opening P Zero World showrooms in leading cities of the world like Los Angeles, Munich and Monte-Carlo, the renowned tire manufacturer chose to open its fourth such store in Dubai to reinforce its leading position in the Middle East market.

The opening of the P Zero World store in Dubai was marked by a parade of over 60 supercars obtained from fans and local collectors. The supercars first participated in a parade through the city before they were brought to the store. On the day after the opening of the store, over 200 cars participated in Pirelli’s take on a track day called the P Zero Experience at Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.

The P Zero World concept is that of a ‘boutique for tires’. P Zero World is positioned as a shop that offers customers the most exclusive products from Pirelli as well as exclusive services for luxury and sports cars. The P Zero World boutiques are the only retail stores where the complete range of Pirelli tires is available, like the P Zero Trofeo R – the road-homologated tire that offers the highest performance levels in the entire range. It also offers the Pirelli Collezione that is meant for collectors’ cars: the tires in this collection combine classic looks with modern performance.

At the P Zero World stores, the range of products on display include the complete range of Pirelli products, which include motorbike tires and Velo tires, as well as Pirelli Design accessories. The exclusive services that are available to customers of the new P Zero World in Dubai include car valeting and courtesy cars. The exclusive retail store also allows customers to immerse themselves in all things Pirelli ranging from exclusive Pirelli merchandise to the renowned Pirelli calendar and the range of multi-coloured F1 tires that are displayed at the showroom.

The new store in Dubai attests to Pirelli’s focus on premium and prestige products. This is an area that is displaying continual growth and is a segment in which Pirelli is recognized as a market leader by both customers and carmakers. In terms of numbers, Pirelli caters to the OE requirements of more than 50 percent of the prestige cars in the world. Hence, over half of the supercars in the world are equipped with Pirelli tires when they leave the factory. Pirelli also has 20 percent share of the premium market, attesting to its leadership position in the entire high value sector.

WHY DUBAI?

Pirelli chose Dubai as the location for its fourth retail store due to its position as an important commercial and transport hub throughout history. Dubai is a logistical hub in the entire Middle East region and is highly open to influences and trends from other parts of the world. In 2020, Dubai is all set to host Expo 2020, an event that is expected to attract 25 million tourists. Dubai is also a place where there is considerable demand for cars and is considered to be the second-most important car market in the GCC region, with Saudi Arabia being the most important market in terms of size. The United Arab Emirates are at the centre of the Middle Eastern car market, a region that expects a yearly growth of 4-5 percent in luxury cars over the next few years.

Dubai is the only country in which the police force has a fleet comprising several supercars like a Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari FF, Bentley Continental GT, McLaren 12C and Audi R8. Some of these cars from the police fleet participated in the parade of 60 supercars that marked the opening of Dubai’s P Zero World. W Motors, the first hypercar company in the Arab world, is active in the Dubai market, with its Pirelli-equipped Fenyr SuperSport serving as a highlight of the opening of P Zero World.

The CEO of W Motors, Ralph R. Debbas, was an honored guest at the opening of the P Zero World store. Another supercar on display was an Aston Martin Zagato to mark the start of centenary celebrations for Zagato, the renowned Italian coachbuilder.

In the UAE market, homologations and marked tires are very important as owners of supercars tend to buy marked tires whenever a change is needed. The marked tires are tires that have been designed specifically for the cars they are fitted to and the development of such tires is what Pirelli calls its ‘Perfect Fit’ strategy.

The markings on the tyres signify that they have been specifically made for a particular model of car, with different symbols indicating different constructors. These tyres are designed as a part of a shared development programme between Pirelli and the particular car manufacturers over a period of time that can extend for around 2-3 years. The outcome of such collaboration is tires that are precisely tailored to the cars they are destined for. This forms a fundamental guarantee for the owners of these cars that they will be able to obtain the maximum in terms of performance and handling, which characterise the fundamental design of the car.

CAFFÈ ITALIANO AND TRACK EXPERT

The P Zero World shop in Dubai comprises a building that covers 600 square meters. It includes the showroom and workshop and is staffed by 5 technicians, 2 salespeople and a receptionist. There are four ramps where tire maintenance can be carried out, using state of the art of machinery. The equipment includes the most modern lasers to align wheels, and completely automatic tire mounting equipment which need no human intervention and guarantees a perfect fit, thanks to technology that ensures no wheel rims are ever damaged.

P Zero World in Dubai also has one of the quickest balancing machines that has the capability to solve complex issues like vibrations through the steering wheel, that conventional systems cannot identify.

Customers can entertain themselves with a life-size Formula 1 simulator and enjoy a real Italian coffee, while they wait for work to be completed on their car. Every customer also has access to A ‘Track Expert’ to get advice about car set-up and tire management, as well as specific suggestions when it comes to track driving.

Gaetano Trezza, Pirelli’s Head of Trade & Operative Marketing, said: “Pirelli’s retail strategy is focussed on points of sale activation, in collaboration with partners who are already active on site.

This is certainly the case in Dubai with our distributor Al Hawai, which has worked exclusively with Pirelli for 32 years. Consequently, we can rely on a loyal customer base, but above all on the reliability and skill of companies with a passion for our job. P Zero World is the jewel in the crown of this strategy, where clients can discover our brand, exclusive products, and services at the highest level in a unique context. Furthermore, customers get the chance to find out more about our partner brands, which helps us to create an atmosphere that sets P Zero World apart from any other tyre facility. Next up is the opening of P Zero World in Melbourne, Australia.”