Doha, QATAR — Virtually every big retail launch in Qatar has been planned around the FIFA World Cup kick-off on Nov. 20. Even the opening of the Qatari branch of Parisian department store Printemps was timed for this month’s tournament.
Though some fashion insiders have questioned football’s relevance to a 157-year-old luxury business, others are asking something more fundamental: why has the retailer chosen Doha over Dubai, the fashion…