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THE House of Samsonite was officially launched at City Centre Bahrain with a ribbon and cake-cutting ceremony.
In attendence were US ambassador Justin Siberell and executives from Al Hawaj Group including Jawad Y. Al Hawaj, Abdul Wahab Y. Al Hawaj, Hussein Y. Al Hawaj, Col Majeed Al Hawaj, Dr Abdulla Al Hawaj and Ahmed Al Hawaj.
As well as Samsonite, the American luggage manufacturer and retailer, with products ranging from large suitcases to small toiletries bags, backpacks and briefcases, has American Tourister, High Sierra and Lipault in its portfolio.
The 1,470sqft mall store in the first in the kingdom and the largest in the region. The opening event coincided with Discover America Week 2018 which has seen the new ambassador racing around the kingdom promoting US commerce and culture including food, leisure, shopping, sport and tourism.
Samsonite was founded in Denver, Colorado, in 1910 by luggage salesman Jesse Shwayder as the Shwayder Trunk Manufacturing Company. A religious man, he named one of his initial cases Samson, after the Biblical strongman, and began using the trademark Samsonite in 1941 for its tapered vulcanised fibre suitcase, introduced in 1939. In 1965, after the suitcase became its best-selling product, the company changed its name to Samsonite.
