FITCH acquires a majority stake in gscs

gscs, based in Dubai Media City, was established in 2001 by Gregg Sedgwick and offers a range of brand consultancy services that includes graphic design and packaging, together with identity development, signage and way-finding design. The agency has 51 employees working for a range of blue chip clients that include Dubai Holding, Abyaar Real Estate, Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts, Kerzner International and the Burj Dubai. gscs is to be renamed gsFITCH.

Rodney Fitch CBE, who was recently speaking in Dubai at the International Design Forum as a member of the Advisory Board, founded FITCH in London 35 years ago. FITCH today is a multi disciplinary business and is particularly well known internationally for its retail design, as a result of which millions of people have come into contact with the environments, products, packaging, digital media, brand identity and branded experiences created by the agency. Operating from 17 offices across Europe, North America, the Far East and the Middle East, Fitch's client list includes Tesco, Harrods, Nokia, Boeing, British Airways, Vodafone, HSBC and Microsoft. Fitch already has a strong presence in the Middle East region with studios in Qatar and Kuwait working with clients including Qatari Diar, Mubadala Development, Al Jazeera Children's Channel, Al Bahith and Kharafi National.

gsFITCH CEO, Gregg Sedgwick described the new partnership as an opportunity to offer clients a broader range of design capabilities, particularly three dimensional design for both product and environments. The experience and reputation of Fitch combined with the regional knowledge and expertise of gscs make this partnership a very exciting offer in the region.

Of this new partnership Rodney Fitch says:

"We at FITCH are delighted to welcome gscs into our network. This will provide an excellent opportunity to further expand our capabilities in a region of enormous growth. We recognised gscs as a market leader in the region with a reputation and portfolio of great strength - a natural fit for our expanding network. With gsFITCH working in partnership with our existing studios in Qatar and Kuwait, FITCH is now the leading design network in the region."

gsFITCH intends to rapidly expand its activities in branded environments. The company has recruited a number of senior personnel to establish the division and is already engaged on several large projects in Dubai and Morocco. The agency will shortly be relocating to larger premises in Dubai Media City and plans to establish a presence in Abu Dhabi in the near future.