Zubair Furnishing is targeting new markets in its ambitious plans to expand its global presence further.
The Muscat-based manufacturer, a pioneer in the hotel furniture industry and a leading contract furnisher in the Gulf, has during the last two years also branched into standard ranges of furniture for furnished accommodations and household furniture for individual customers. Currently Zubair exports almost 90 per cent of its output: 40 per cent to the GCC states, 40 per cent to Europe and 10 per cent to the rest of the world.
"While consolidating our existing markets, primarily in the GCC and Europe, we are also definitely looking at entering new markets such as the US, Africa and Russia over the next few years," says vice-president, sales and marketing, Pradheep Ramanathan.
The Zubair network presently spans across the GCC and Europe. It is claimed to be the only Gulf-based company in the industry with such a wide presence in two continents. In Europe, it focuses primarily on the UK, Benelux (Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg), France and Germany. The company has offices in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the UK, Benelux and Germany.
"We have not yet looked at other parts of Europe. These are the major potential areas of business for us.
Zubair produces two types of wooden furniture - melamine-faced and veneer-faced MDF furniture. The inner material or the core of the furniture is MDF (medium density fibreboard).
The company serves basically three market segments:
Zubair started as a hotel furnishing company in 1971 and diversified into the standard furniture range only two years ago.
One of the key strengths of the company is its excellent response time. "We have developed a sound reputation for on-time delivery through successful execution of projects carried out in the last 10 to 15 years.
This has led Zubair to become a preferred supplier to many of the important hotel chains worldwide such as the Hilton, Radisson, Sheraton and Marriott," continues Ramanathan. "In fact, we have received a contract for supply of furniture to all new-build Hilton hotels in the UK over the next three years.
Zubair's list of references include all the major chains such as Hilton, Sheraton, Radisson, Marriott and Holiday Inn - in the GCC, Europe and elsewhere.
Zubair is the only ISO9001-certified company in the furniture industry in Oman and is currently going in for further upgrades, he says.
