Assouline Opens Flagship in Riyadh, Replete With Restaurant, Piano Bar

MILAN — The Assouline experience has landed in Riyadh. 

The publishing house has opened a flagship replete with a restaurant and piano bar at Bujairi Terrace, one of the Diriyah district’s most vibrant cultural hubs known for its blend of traditional Saudi architecture and contemporary design. 

The unit builds on the celebrations of the company’s 30th anniversary this year, which was also marked by a signature red-hued Pantone color and a surge of product development, in addition to a retail expansion that already saw seven openings across freestanding boutiques, temporary pop-ups and corners inside department stores in 2024.

“The idea of opening Maison Assouline Riyadh first came up as part of our vision for Assouline’s next chapter,” said cofounder Prosper Assouline. After the success of the company’s first Maison Assouline format unveiled in London in 2014, “we wanted to create something equally exceptional but tailored to the Middle Eastern market,” he said. “It was important to us that this new location reflects the unique essence of the brand while offering a more immersive experience for our customers.”

Assouline defined Riyadh as “a dynamic city that is rapidly evolving and becoming a hub for luxury and culture, making it the perfect place to introduce this spectacular concept.” Like in London, the unit flanks the retail aspect with a hospitality component. 

The 10,764-square-foot space spanning more than three floors features a warm ochre-hued facade, outdoor seating and greenery that integrates into the existing landscape.

Inside, interiors featuring wooden elements, modern furniture and details nodding to local culture dominate the ground floor. This is split into different areas, such as a design bar lined with leather stools and serving a selection of beverages and food options, as well as a lounge where visitors are invited to relax among Assouline’s “Ultimate Collection” of special editions and handcrafted books as well as titles including the “Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” series. Library objects are displayed throughout the store and on two antique library tables.

Moving upstairs, an intimate experience is offered via dark wainscoting, red-hued plush seating, dim lighting and live music in a piano lounge and a restaurant that specializes in Mediterranean cuisine. A private event space and a cigar lounge will be installed at a later date, when a service offering customized private libraries will be also available at the location. Meanwhile, another key asset of the store is a terrace overlooking the UNESCO World Heritage site of At Turaif.

“The space is both local and international, reflecting a fusion of cultures and influences,” said Assouline, who supervised the design of the project. As examples, he pointed to the large tables on the ground floor, which are from the British National Library in the 1920s, and the restaurant and piano bar drawing inspiration from the Islamic art section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The unit is strategic to Assouline’s wider retail plan, as it serves as a flagship for the Middle East, helping the company to cover the broader regional market.

“Our mission with the opening of Maison Assouline Riyadh is to establish our presence in a dynamic market where we already have many strong partners. Saudi Arabia represents an exciting opportunity for Assouline, as it is an up-and-coming market with strong growth potential,” Assouline said. “We are honored to celebrate the country’s rich heritage and contribute to its cultural landscape through this new location, as well as through our selection of books that highlight its history and traditions.”

Going forward, Assouline’s ambition is to establish other flagships in key locations around the world, with each opening “carefully designed to elevate the brand’s presence and provide a unique, immersive experience tailored to each market.”

For one, the Assouline scion revealed plans to expand the existing Paris store in Saint-Germain-des-Prés in March, which is dedicated to showcasing the “Ultimate Collection” and vintage objets d’art. Another goal is to open a Maison Assouline in New York to strengthen the firm’s presence in the American market, but Assouline said there are no concrete plans as of yet. 

Assouline currently has a store on Madison Avenue, part of its 15 doors around the world. The company also counts 35 international corners at the likes of Rinascente in Rome and Milan and Bloomingdale’s Home Dubai.

The overarching plan for next year is to expand direct control over distribution. “We aim to strengthen our direct relationships with customers, ensuring that we maintain the highest standards of brand integrity and consistency across all markets, while also introducing new product categories to our offering,” Assouline said.

These include the introduction in spring of the Assouline Library Collection, comprising library objects and new home fragrances. As reported in September, the publishing house — which has redefined itself as a luxury brand — also launched the “Culture Lounge” project. Part podcast, part digital magazine, this new platform is meant to engage with Assouline’s audience in fresh and innovative ways beyond books.

While product development and the retail expansion are of growing importance, producing sophisticated content remains central to the company, which publishes around 100 titles each year.

To be sure, founding couple Prosper and Martine Assouline turned their publishing house into the gold standard for luxury books. Their business — which is still family-owned and -operated, though LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has a minority stake and serves as adviser — is renowned for its well designed, oversize coffee table books chronicling the history of everything from fashion, art and architecture to photography, sports, travel and culinary arts. 

Bestselling titles include “James Bond Destinations,” “Chanel 3-Book Slipcase,” “Paris Chic,” “Capri Dolce Vita,” “Barbie” and “Formula 1: The Impossible Collection.” A book on legendary heroes of the Olympics was also released prior to the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, while other recent launches spanned from the “Master of Fibres” book marking Loro Piana’s centenary to a tome celebrating the 200-year history of the Marchesi 1824 pastry shop in Milan and the limited-edition photo book dedicated to the 125th anniversary of the city’s A.C. Milan soccer team.

Releases in early 2025 will include “Paris by Paris,” intended as the French answer to bestselling title “New York by New York,” as well as a travel book on Rio de Janeiro, teased Assouline.