The GCC’s first multi-category IQOS Boutique has officially opened in Dubai, highlighting the UAE’s role as a strategic hub in Philip Morris International’s (PMI) global move towards a smoke-free future. The launch reflects the country’s growing status as a centre for design, innovation, and enhanced consumer experiences for legal-age nicotine users.
The new boutique offers an immersive, multisensory journey that redefines the retail environment. Designed as a discovery-led destination, it enables adult consumers to explore PMI’s expanding portfolio of smoke-free alternatives in a personalised, engaging, and sustainable way.
In a regional first, the boutique also features an exclusive artwork created in partnership with acclaimed Dubai-based artist Kris Balerite, also known as Dozign. Entitled The Thread, the bespoke installation symbolises unity and connection. Taking the form of a giant friendship bracelet interwoven with sadu-inspired motifs, it draws on local cultural traditions while representing the hospitality and inclusiveness of the Emirates.
Beyond its aesthetic appeal, The Thread is a tribute to the UAE’s diverse social fabric. As Kris Balerite explained: “I often observe people in the UAE, different languages, different cultures, different stories, yet somehow moving in harmony.” This vision inspired the artwork’s theme of individual threads, each unique yet bound together to create something meaningful and whole.
Richa Rustagi, Managing Director of Lower Gulf & Iraq at PMI, said: “The UAE has established itself as a hub for innovation and forward-thinking experiences, making it a natural choice for the first multi-category boutique in the region operated by the authorised distributor. This opening underlines the UAE’s strategic importance in PMI’s global smoke-free journey and demonstrates the commitment to providing adult smokers, who would otherwise continue smoking, with smoke-free alternatives that while not risk free are less harmful than continued smoking.”
Saim Yasin, Director of Smoke-Free Products Middle East at PMI, added: “This new boutique marks an important milestone that reflects the scale of PMI’s investment in science and innovation. It builds on more than a decade of research, development, and design to deliver better alternatives for adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke.”
The Dubai boutique follows similar launches in other global cities and reinforces PMI’s ambition to transform retail into an experience-led platform that strengthens consumer engagement.
Now open at Dubai Mall, the store invites adult nicotine users and smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke to explore both the collaboration and PMI’s full range of smoke-free alternatives.