Danube opens six new retail facilities

Danube Building Materials has opened six new retail facilities in the Gulf and India as part of its expansion programme for 2015, part of the ongoing Dh200 million expansion initiative.The new facilities include Building Materials showrooms in Al Dibba and Sharjah, the company's first Building Materials showroom in Qatar and first B2B Building Materials showroom in Salalah, Oman, and its second Buildmart showroom in India. Abdullah Zayed Saqr Al Nahyan, president and CEO of Dolphin Air, inaugurated the newest Danube Buildmart showroom on Monday at the Mushrif Mall in Abu Dhabi. The new retail facility is the company's fifth showroom to be located in a shopping mall and complements the company's move to create a stronger market presence in the UAE. "The Middle East is going to go through lots of construction in the next five years," said Chairman Rizwan Sajan. "We have the pulse of the market." He, cited housing projects in Oman and the construction boom in Saudi Arabia. Abdullah Zayed Saqr Al Nahyan said, "These are exciting times for the UAE and for Abu Dhabi in particular, as we are seeing an influx of major projects sprouting all over the emirate. We laud the company's commitment to strengthen its market presence in the country and continue to play the important role of being a key provider of world class high quality home interiors and building essentials to a rapidly growing customer base." In the UAE, Sajan said although the industry had been slow recently, he fully expected that to change and stalled projects to be renewed. He also noted the many projects planned in Abu Dhabi in the next few years.Qatar's hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 2022 is driving infrastructure growth in that country, in which Danube's Building Materials showroom looks to play a key role. The 100,000 square foot facility comprises a showroom and warehouse. Oman's showroom measures 12,000 square feet, and the Al Dibba showroom is 30,000 square feet. Danube's Buildmart branch in India, located at the Multi Planet Mall in Pune, measures 10,000 square feet and focuses on sanitaryware and ceramic tiles. India is also looking at growth in the construction sector, Sajan said.The new facilities are part of the company's target to open 75 new outlets in the region by 2015. This year, Danube opened eight facilities, with four more due by the end of the year, Sajan said."[Danube is] playing a very important role in the industry by providing more than 25,000 products," said Sajan. Construction companies can purchase all their requirements, such as cement, glass, and aluminium from one place, making for a much easier life for everyone, he added.The company seeks to reach out to individual customers as well as companies by opening in malls and residential areas, making purchasing building materials easier and more accessible, said Sajan. From / Gulf News