DUBAI, 7 May 2007 — The Dubai-based Al-Madani Group — celebrating its tenth year of operations this year — announced that it has embarked on a major retail rollout as part of its expansion strategy in the UAE and across the region that will see the group’s retail business grow to 100,000 square feet by 2010 from the present 60,000 square feet.
Mohammad A. Al-Madani, chairman and CEO of the group, said that 2007 will be a year of accelerated growth for the group, adding that the portfolio of Al-Madani Group will grow further.
Senior officials of the group, owned by UAE nationals, said the aggressive expansion plans were driven by the group’s desire to spread its wings across the region and to capitalize on the boom in the regional economies that has fuelled unprecedented expansion in the retail sector.
“We are adding one of the world’s leading aristocratic coffee and tea retailer to our portfolio — Whittard of Chelsea — which is coming to the region for the first time. The first of the Whittard of Chelsea outlet will open in Dubai in June this year,” Al-Madani added.
Elaborating on the expansion, Preeta Menon, group sales & marketing manager, said: “We are targeting to expand our retail business to 100,000 square feet by 2010 from the present 60,000 square feet to capitalize on the increasing opportunities. As part of our diversification, we are looking at increasing our footprints across the regional geography with focus on developing partnerships in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Bahrain.”
She said the group is also planning to expand its food division further and is constantly on the lookout for adding global brands to its portfolio.
The portfolio of the group consists of an eclectic of brands, including world famous Levi’s, Dockers, Gas, Chevignon, Blush, etc. Charley’s, Whittard of Chelsea is the new addition made by the group as part of food retail division’s expansion.