Majeed bin Mohsen Al Alawi, Minister of Labour of Bahrain, inaugurated today (March 26, 2009) ‘BUILDMART’ – an AED 50 million state-of-the-art retail complex, located in Salmabad, which offers over 15,000 different products from Danube Building Materials, the leader in construction, building materials and shop fitting industries. The first-of-its-kind customer-friendly retail complex has been set-up to cater to a diverse target audience including interior designers, consultants and homeowners in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, all the products in the retail complex are installed in an actual home set-up, thereby allowing customers a more convenient way to shop for building materials, fixtures and other household items.
Spanning a total of 300,000 sq. ft., ‘BUILDMART’ offers individual shoppers with the benefit of shopping in a single location that houses the widest range of products they might require. Comprised of a 50,000 sq. ft. covered warehouse and a 25,000 sq. ft. showroom, the retail complex features building materials that cater to every budget and make a host of design options possible. Products offered are classified under 20 sections, including kitchens, bathrooms, tiles, shower rooms, jacuzzis, flooring for ceramic and wood, ceilings, doors, wallpapers, designed glasses, marble, granite, wall panelling, different finishes of laminates, veneers, mouldings, paints and luxury paints. In addition, the complex also features a ‘Design Centre’, where customers can get expert advice on the best products and other design-related inquires.
Speaking at the inauguration, Rizwan Sajan, Chairman, Danube, said, “I would like to acknowledge the presence of H. E. Majeed bin Mohsen Al Alawi, distinguished guests and everyone who have come here today to commemorate the realisation of another vision – one that underlines our progressive movement towards unprecedented growth in the region. I believe that the continued success of Danube stems from our capacity to identify markets with the biggest potential, which makes us strategically positioned to take pioneering initiatives that in turn drive our continued success. We have high hopes that we will be able to reach the ambitious targets we have set for ‘BUILDMART’ in Bahrain."
Danube has previously announced that it is expecting turnover of AED 50 million in the first year of operations of ‘BUILDMART’, and subsequently a growth of 50 per cent in the second year and another 50 per cent rise in the third year. The company’s bullish expectations are based on the current status of Bahrain’s construction market as it sees a steady rise in construction of individual residential units, which is spurring the need for a retail complex such as ‘BUILDMART’.
“Amidst the excellent prospects within the Bahrain economy that result in the influx of more foreign nationals settling into the country, our goal is to support the rising demand for high quality built building materials to address the needs of customers. Through the launch of ‘BUILDMART’, we are confident that we will be able to address all our local clients’ needs and more,” concluded Sajan.
The business-friendly atmosphere in Bahrain has been attracting investors from across the globe to open their operations in the country, thereby driving the construction of more commercial as well as residential developments locally. The excellent opportunity created by Bahrain’s strong economic standing and its proximity to another construction hub such as Dammam, Saudi Arabia prompted the company to bring ‘BUILDMART’ to the country, which form part of its AED 150 million multi-phase expansion plan to construct branches of the retail complex across the GCC region.
Prior to the inauguration of ‘BUILDMART’ Bahrain, Danube has opened the first ever ‘BUILDMART’ in Ras Al Khaimah, as well as two new state-of-the-art facilities in Ajman and Al Quoz, wherein the company invested a total of AED 55 million. The inaugural AED 75 million retail complex in RAK stands on a 150,000 sq. ft. plot across the Cove Rotana Resort and incorporates a 20,000 sq. feet showroom, a 40,000 sq. ft. warehousing section, and a huge open area for additional shops and parking. The AED 30 million facility in Ajman has a total area of 58,000 square feet and carries Danube’s most popular products, including wood, steel, aluminium, glass, and flooring. Furthermore, the manufacturer has made a decision to invest in a new factory in Al Quoz, which spans a total of 30,000 square feet.
