Aïshti
Lebanese department store chain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aïshti is an upmarket Lebanese department store chain founded in 1989. The company operates both Aïshti and Aïzone brands across Lebanon and Jordan. In 2016 the company recorded an annual revenue of $250 million.[3]
| Founded | 1989 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Tony Salamé |
Area served | Lebanon, Jordan |
Number of employees | 900 (2020) |
| Parent | Tony Salamé Group |
| Website | aishti |
| Footnotes / references [1][2] | |
History
Aïshti was founded in 1989 by Tony Salamé.[4] It began as a small store selling Italian jeans and clothing in Jal el Dib.[2][3]
In September 2020 the new Aïshti store designed by Zaha Hadid under construction in Beirut Souks caught on fire.[5][6]
Store locations and timeline
As of 2026, Aïshti operates four stores in Lebanon, along with one international branch in Amman, Jordan. Aïshti also operates Aïshti Minis a children's clothing store in Beirut (Achrafieh and Downtown) and Antelias (By The Sea).[7]
| Aïshti stores permanently closed | |
| Aïshti stores currently in operation | |
| Aïshti stores planned to open |
Lebanon
| Metropolitan area
("metro") |
Suburb or Neighborhood | Name/Location/Notes | Size | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beirut | Rue Verdun | Aïshti Verdun
Dunes Center. Store relocated to ABC Verdun. |
1997[8] | 2024[8] | |
| Beirut | Downtown | Aïshti Downtown
Flagship location: 71 El-Moutrane Street. |
1999[9] | open | |
| Matn | Antelias | Aïshti By The Sea
Seaside Road. Designed by Adjaye Associates.[10] |
35,000 m2 (376,737 sq ft) | 2015[11] | open |
| Kfardebian | Faqra | Aïshti Faqra
Faqra Club. Open on a seasonal schedule. Includes an Aïshti Spa.[12] |
2020[13] | open | |
| Beirut | Rue Verdun | Aïshti Verdun
ABC Verdun, relocated from Dunes Center. |
2024[8] | open | |
| Beirut | Beirut Souks | Aïshti Beirut Souks
Surrounded by Mir Majid Arslan Avenue, Rue Patriarch Hoyek, and Rue Fakhry Bey. Designed by Zaha Hadid. |
TBA |
International
| Metropolitan area
("metro") |
Suburb or Neighborhood | Name/Location/Notes | Size | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kuwait City, Kuwait  |
Rai | Aïshti Kuwait
Located at The Avenues. |
2009[14] | ||
Amman, Jordan  |
Abdoun | Aïshti Amman
Located at TAJ Lifestyle Center. |
2023[15] | open |
Aïzone
Stores
Operating
Closed
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Opened in 2005 at the Mall of the Emirates.[14]
Other operations
Aïshti Foundation
The Aïshti Foundation is a 350,000-square-foot mixed art gallery and retail space located north of Beirut in Jal el Dib, Lebanon. The Aishti Foundation was constructed on behalf of Aishti CEO Tony Salamé, and designed by architect David Adjaye and interiors by Christian Lahoude Studio.[16][17] It opened in 2015 and houses over 2,000 works from Tony and Elham Salamé's personal collection.[3] Construction took three years to complete and the cost of construction is estimated to be over $100 million.[18][19][20][21]
The inaugural exhibition, entitled “New Skin,” was curated by Massimiliano Gioni and features work from notable artists such as Alice Channer, Sterling Ruby and Danh Voh, as well as figures from the Arte Povera movement such as Giuseppe Penone.[3]
In 2024 the foundation presented the Day for Night: New American Realism exhibition at the Gallerie Nazionali d'Arte Antica in Rome, Italy curated by Massimiliano Gioni and Flaminia Gennari Santori.[22]
Magazines
In 2009 through the Tony Salamé Group,[23] L'Officiel Levant was launched as the local edition of L'Officiel for Lebanon and Syria, it was published in French.[24] It was distributed in bookstores, luxury hotels and Aïshti stores.[24] The magazines editor-in-chief from 2009 to 2019 was Fifi Abou Dib (who previously worked for L'Orient-Le Jour).[25] In 2019 the magazine ceased publication after ten years.
They also operated A Magazine an English-language publication about fashion which closed in 2019 and Gossip which ceased publication in 2012.[26][9]
Other stores
They also operate boutiques in Beirut for Bulgari, Burberry, Cartier, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Gucci, Loro Piana, Roberto Cavalli, Valentino and Zegna.[27][2]
Tony Salamé
Tony Salamé is a Lebanese-Italian businessman and art collector,[16] as well as the founder, CEO and chairman of Aishti.[9] In 1995, he built Aishti into Lebanon's foremost luxury department store with a flagship store in Beirut's Downtown Souks.
Art collection
Salamé owns around 2,500 works by over 150 artists. He works closely with New York art dealer Jeffrey Deitch, and began buying art in 2003, first acquiring Arte Povera works by Penone, Lucio Fontana and others.
According to Gioni, the associate director and director of exhibitions at the New Museum in New York, there has been “a sudden acceleration of the [Salamé] collection in the past ten years."[28] The main focus of his collection is 21st century art.[19]
Italian Order of Merit
In March 2015 Salamé was awarded the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, Italy's highest honor, by the Italian Embassy in Beirut at an event attended by diplomats, business partners and family.[29]
Personal life
He is married to Elham Salamé; they have four children: Tasha, Giorgio, Sandro and Mateo. He speaks fluent French, English, Arabic and Italian.[16]