The Story of SquatWolf: From an Apartment to Dubai Mall

In 2016, Pakistani couple Anam Khalid and Wajdan Gul invested AED250,000 of their own money to launch SquatWolf, a fitness apparel brand, from their Jumeirah Beach Residence apartment in Dubai.

Nine years later, the brand is available in 120 countries and has three outlets in Dubai, including one in the world-renowned Dubai Mall.

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How It All Began

The couple's journey to Dubai started when Khalid was offered a job with Majid Al Futtaim in 2013.

Initially planned as a temporary move for global experience, she quickly fell in love with the city's safety and career opportunities. She told her fiancé, Gul, "I’m not coming back." Gul soon followed her to Dubai.

While successful in their respective jobs, they felt a sense of emptiness. "That’s when Anam pushed us into starting something of our own," Gul recalls.

They noticed a gap in the market for fitness apparel specifically for gym-goers, a niche that large brands like Nike and Adidas weren't targeting directly.

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"Everywhere you looked in Dubai, people were only wearing Nike and Adidas," Khalid said. They saw an opportunity to create a homegrown brand for the dedicated gym community. Their motto became: ‘Born in Dubai, engineered for the gym.’

Instead of competing with major brands, they collaborated with personal trainers and local fitness enthusiasts. "That was one of the biggest reasons for our success," Khalid explained.

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Overcoming Challenges

The couple poured every penny they had into the business for the first year. By 2017, they needed more funds to invest in stock.

Friends in Pakistan became their seed investors, and Gul quit his day job to focus entirely on SquatWolf.

The brand expanded into Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait in 2018. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and gyms closed, they thought it might be the end.

However, they adapted by sending products to their community of over 400 athletes, asking them to create videos on how to stay active at home.

"That became globally viral," Khalid said. By 2022, SquatWolf was shipping to 120 countries, and Khalid joined the business full-time.

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The Road to Dubai Mall

The couple credits their success to a "magic formula" of high-quality products and a community-focused mindset.

"Big brands tend to get disconnected from local consumers," Gul explained. "For us, the UAE was our primary market, so we would do activities and events here."

Their success led to being stocked in major retailers like Go Sports. Still, they dreamed of their own outlet in Dubai Mall.

While other malls approached them, Dubai Mall remained their goal. As luck would have it, a loyal customer introduced them to the CEO of Emaar, the mall's owner.

Thirty minutes after their presentation, they received a call that their location was ready. "We are the first brand to have their first outlet in Dubai Mall," Gul said proudly.

For other entrepreneurs, the couple emphasizes the importance of building the right team. "If you are the smarter person in a meeting room," Gul remarked, "then you are in the wrong room."

Source: brecorder

The opinions shared in the GymNation blog articles are solely those of the respective authors and may not represent the perspectives of GymNation or any member of the GymNation team.