LONDON — Elaph, an Arabic news service based in London, has signed an agreement with the Financial Times (FT) to produce the FT’s luxury magazine “How To Spend It” (HTSI) in Arabic.

The move opens the door for the FT's award-winning luxury lifestyle magazine to a new audience across the Middle East and North Africa.

HTSI Arabic will be distributed in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. It will also be available in an online edition.

Under the editorship of Jo Ellison, HTSI features stories about the most exclusive and unique fashion, travel, interior design, food and other experiences imaginable. The weekly magazine is renowned for its compelling visual aesthetics.

London-based Elaph Media Publications intends to launch HTSI’s Arabic edition in September 2021. The Arabic edition will contain HTS’s original content translated from English and will also feature exclusive content from Elaph’s extensive network of Middle Eastern journalists.

Financial Times CEO John Ridding said: “As a global brand with global reach, we are always excited to bring the FT’s quality journalism to new regions. This association with Elaph allows us to bring one of our flagship publications to a very substantial audience.”

Jo Ellison, Editor of HTSI, said: “This launch aligns with the FT’s wider strategy of growing its brand reach through enhanced reader engagement. The Arabic-speaking world represents an important readership for the magazine and the combination of the FT's HTSI editorial with original content from Elaph represents a bespoke offering for those readers who seek out unique lifestyle features and themes.”

Elaph founder and editor-in-chief Othman Al-Omeir said: “Elaph’s role in producing original content for the HTSI Arabic publication, both digitally and in print, will focus on stories that celebrate the best of Arabic culture, talent, fashion and lifestyle. We will combine our local knowledge with quality editorial to complement the strength of content being produced by the FT’s HTSI.”

Nicholas Claxton, COO of Elaph and Director of Elaph Media Publications, said: “This is a game-changing proposition both editorially and commercially, particularly now as the Middle East has one of the fastest growth rates in ultra high-net-worth people and digital presence."

"Our investment into How To Spend It Arabic reflects Elaph’s commitment to a region where emerging luxury and lifestyle markets are really taking off and where we can uphold the values and appeal of the HTSI brand.” — SG