Leading German stone producer eyes Mid East market

Bavarian-headquartered JUMA Natursteinwerke GmbH & Co. KG projects the Middle East will account for five per cent of its global revenues by 2010 - up from its current 0.1%.

"With major development projects now underway in the UAE, Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, these have become very hot markets that provide excellent opportunities for future expansion," said Alois Schoepfel, the company's President.

JUMA, who currently produces 10,000 cubic metres of stone annually from their quarries in Altmuehltal, Germany, is looking to spearhead its drive into the region with first-time participation in the specialised carpets and floor coverings show DOMOTEX Middle East, which runs at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) this June.

"Our products are exclusively sold by specialist suppliers and we hope to meet a number of these at DOMOTEX to build a cross-regional sales network," said Schoepfel. "New business links generated at DOMOTEX will directly influence our decision to open new offices across the GCC."

"DOMOTEX Middle East 2007 is maintaining the pace which saw it enter the Dubai World Trade Centre record books as the venue's largest show ever launched in its 27 year history,"

said Angela Schaschen, Managing Director, Deutsche Messe Dubai Branch, the regional office of Deutsche Messe, one of the world's top three trade show organisers which is behind the DOMOTEX brand. Founded in 1932, Deutsche Messe organises the flooring industry's leading events in Germany and China.

"Our success has resulted from a massive rebooking by last year's exhibitors and from significant new business from international companies, like JUMA, who recognise that the show is the best gateway to establish a foothold in the Middle East, one of the world's fastest growing floor coverings markets.

"Many of this year's first time exhibitors attended the launch show in 2006 as visitors and realized that DOMOTEX Middle East is an order taking show. With a clearly defined focus on flooring, coupled with an accelerated demand for floor coverings of all types across the region driven by large scale construction projects, DOMOTEX Middle East is witnessing exponential growth," added Schaschen. "The successful DOMOTEX brand has been firmly established in the Middle East."

As the region's only dedicated flooring show, DOMOTEX Middle East has attracted a host of first time exhibitors including: Lazy Express, representing Norway's Alloc, the company that has revolutionised the flooring industry with the introduction of mechanical locking systems for glue free installation and whose main product is high pressure laminate flooring; the UK's commercial flooring provider, Polyflor Ltd.; Canada's largest manufacturer of high quality hardwood products, Foresbec; and the UAE's largest manufacturer, of tufted wall-to-wall carpets, Standard Carpets.

DOMOTEX Middle East has the official support of the UAE Contractors' Association, the Association of Professional Designers, the Government of Dubai, the Department of Economic Development and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry. It is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President, Department of Civil Aviation, Government of Dubai, and Chairman of the Emirates Group.