Ajmal Perfume says the UAE fragrance market is growing at the rate of 12 per cent annually due to the rapidly expanding retail sector and the growing number of young population.

Ajmal Perfume, a leading player in the regional perfumery market, is also registering a reasonably strong growth rate. Last year, its revenues totalled $120 million, up 10 per cent from 2004.
“We anticipate this growth to continue for the next five years at the same pace because the home segment is growing in numbers and we are also expanding globally,” says assistant general manager Abdulla A Ajmal. “The Gulf has the largest young population in terms of percentage and our target segment is predominantly the age group 22 upwards and a good number of the young population will reach that age in another few years.
The company is also looking at expanding its export market.”
“We started exports three years ago and within a short span we have started supplying to 14 countries. We expect that number to increase to 20 by next year and in another few years time we are looking at 30 countries.”
It is targeting bigger markets, including China, India, Russia and South America.
Ajmal is a family business that got its start selling agar wood oil (oud). The company was established by Ajmal Ali in 1951 in Mumbai.
Within a little more than a decade, he emerged as the premier supplier of fragrances to the Middle East. In 1976, the company opened its first Gulf outlet in Dubai and in 1984 it set up a factory and research and development facility in the emirate.
In 2004, it opened a new state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in the Al Quoz Industrial Area to keep up with the Gulf’s increasing demand for fragrances. Simultaneously the company started pushing for more retail expansion believing this would be the key to its success. Today, Ajmal has 94 retail outlets across the Gulf, including 33 in the UAE, 24 in Saudi, two in Oman, 13 in Kuwait, and seven each in Qatar and Bahrain.
Ajmal says he hopes to have 100 stores by the end of the year.
“We see a lot of potential in the Saudi market and for the next five years, our main focus in retail will be in Saudi Arabia where we have only 24 stores,” he adds.
By employing state-of-the-art technology, the company produces an expansive product range to cater to the varying demands of its regional and international clientele. Through decades of continuous research and experience in the art and technique of extracting pure oils from natural substances, Ajmal has developed a wide range of fragrances.
Combining tradition with modernity, the company continues to introduce new-age products in attractive packaging that keep pace with ever-changing trends in international markets.
Its manufacturing facility can produce up to 50,000 bottles of scent daily. The two-building centre includes a research and development division and the production division in one building, and a quality control division, packaging division and administration division in another building.
For the future, the company plans a third building, which will house expanding divisions, as well as a warehouse division.
Its staff strength is around 250 people, apart from executives. Talking about the research and development facility Ajmal says, “We have made a lot of investments in our research and development facility. It was initially set up with a $10 million investment and thereafter each year we spend around $1 million.”
Ajmal says years of research have gone into developing new products and that the company recently launched two new products after three years of research.
“Our products are a fusion of the East and the West. With more than 50 years of experience in creating fragrances, we have mastered the art of perfume making and occupy a unique niche in the world of perfumery in the Middle East,” he continues. “Today, the company offers a vast portfolio of the finest and most captivating fragrances available in the region. We have around 3,000 fragrances. At any given time we have about 50 brands at our stores.”
This year the company plans to introduce 14 brands to the market with 12 on line for 2007.
“Industrial efficiency is at its peak, our efficiency is increasing and we are coming up with better products. Raw materials are sourced from all over the world,” he says. “Packaging also plays an important role in our business. We are increasingly designing our own bottles to give us the differentiation from the market. A majority of our brand packaging is procured from Europe.”
On future plans, he says, “After being a regional player for multiple decades we now want to be an international player. Our vision for next five years is that our brands should be available at major retail outlets around the world.”