LONDON: Independent online newspaper Elaph and the Financial Times have launched the debut issue of How To Spend It Arabic magazine.
The new edition, that will also be available online, was unveiled at a special event held in London on Tuesday.
Othman Al-Omeir, founder and editor-in-chief of Elaph and publisher of HTSI Arabic, said: “I believe that this special journalistic enterprise will succeed because it is different from any other publication as it combines two languages.
“I am very much proud of the efforts made by the teams of the Financial Times, How To Spend It, and Elaph, to make this special project come into being.”
The English-language HTSI is an award-winning luxury magazine from FT Weekend that presents themed issues on fashion, interiors, art, travel, and lifestyle.
The Arabic-language version will bring top content related to these themes, geared toward Arab audiences. The result will be a mix of translated material from HTSI as well as exclusive original content.
HTSI editor, Jo Ellison, said that the fast-paced economic developments taking place in the Gulf region, “makes us reconsider our concepts about luxury markets and consumer markets, especially as the Gulf states have become key tourist destinations.”
She added: “This launch aligns with the FT’s wider strategy of growing its brand reach through enhanced reader engagement.
“The Arabic-speaking world represents an important readership for HTSI and the combination of the FT’s HTSI editorial with original content from Elaph represents a bespoke offering for those readers who seek out unique lifestyle features and themes.”
Samar Abdul Malik, editor of HTSI Arabic, said the magazine would offer unique content to readers and “shed light on the world of luxury, on everything related to luxurious lifestyle, in both the Middle East and North Africa and the rest of the world.”
HTSI Arabic’s first issue will be available in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar on Oct. 1, and later in Morocco, Kuwait, Egypt, Bahrain, and Jordan.
