Jotun Paints eyes stronger presence within EGP1.6bn Egypt paint market in 2009

The leading paint manufacturer also revealed that it is targeting a 5 per cent increase in domestic market share, by leveraging the growing popularity of both its established and newly launched paint products among customers in the country.

Among Jotun's range of top quality products that are garnering strong presence within the Egyptian paint market include 'Lady Essentials', an eco-friendly emulsion paint developed exclusively for the Middle East market and launched after two years of intensive research.

In addition, environmentally safe exterior and interior paint ranges 'Jotashield' and' Fenomastic' have also been witnessing consistent growth as users identify the products' excellent aesthetic as well as practical features. Company officials also pointed to its extensive network of 327 Multicolour Centres in Egypt as one of the primary drivers of its growth in the country.

"With the economies in the Middle East stabilising and more realistic prices emerging within the real estate market, it is only a matter of time before we see recovery within the market. When this happens, we are anticipating a much higher growth in the DIY concept and thereby an increase in demand for both interior and exterior paints from end consumers,"

said Per Harald Engesaeth, General Manager, Jotun Paints Egypt.

"We intend to leverage this trend to further drive the growth of our products within Egypt and the rest of the emerging markets in the region."

In addition to the extensive investments into research and development, Jotun Paints has built a reputation by introducing innovative ideas that targets the specific needs of its target market.

The company follows a simple yet highly effective quality policy and objectives called 'PPPI', which corresponds to 'profitability', 'position', 'people' and 'innovation'. Jotun combines marketing ingenuity with its strong capacity to analyse feedback from their customers and translate these insights into innovative concepts for new products and services.

"Our commitment to the Egypt market is underlined by the extensive efforts we are exerting to address the growing need for high quality paints that incorporate specialised features and suit the unique requirements of customers within the country. Amidst the setbacks being witnessed by the regional economy, we have high expectations for our Egyptian operations, and we are confident that we will be among the companies at the forefront of Egypt's construction industry," concluded Engesaeth.

Jotun has been active in Egypt since 1987 and is a market leader in providing fully integrated protective and decorative paints, and marine coatings. Some of the renowned projects and landmarks in the country wherein Jotun Paints has been a part of include Sofiltel El Gezira, Emaar Prototypes Villas, Beach Club, Marssi, Streets of Dreams, Up Town Cairo, Nile Hilton - Down Town, Fairmont (Nile City) and HSBC Head Office in Cairo; in addition to Mena House Oberoi - Pyramids and Grand Museum in Giza.