Fit-out projects worth $9bln and eco-friendliness propels Gulf's furniture manufacturing sector

GCC’s growing furniture manufacturing sector is spurred by the robust number of hotels and residential units in the region’s construction pipeline, and according to market analyst Ventures, ‘fit-out projects in the Gulf are expected to be worth about $9 billion’.

Equipped with a distinct understanding of the region’s metamorphosing furniture manufacturing sector, the inaugural Furniture Interiors Manufacturing Show (FIM), taking place on 16th – 18th September, will showcase an extensive, and latest range of components, equipment and technology from around the world.

According to Dubai Corporation of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, ‘more than 50 five-star hotels are in planning or under construction with opening dates before 2020’. In their latest Real Estate Market Overview for Dubai, Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (JLL) reports, ‘34,000 residential units are scheduled to be completed during the second half of this year, with 50,000 units due next year and a further 36,000 scheduled for 2020’.

Sundar Rajan, CEO, Dubai Furniture Manufacturing Company LLC said, “The mattress manufacturing industry in the UAE is very competitive. With ongoing construction projects for hotels and residences, we are seeing a huge surge in demand for mattresses and the UAE’s total market potential is estimated to be around Dhs600 to Dhs800 million with the premium segment contributing to about 30%.

“At present, there is a growing demand for eco-friendly mattresses. As people worldwide become more environment-conscious, hoteliers want to contribute by choosing eco-friendly mattresses”.

“There definitely is a move towards sustainability in the region”, concurs Hasan Roomi, Co-founder of Dubai and London based design firm H2R Design that has seen an increase in manufacturing locally.

Jacqui Shaddock of H2R Design added, “From a design perspective, manufacturing locally gives us the opportunity to design to the market, and play a bigger role in the manufacturing process. We can push design boundaries further since the proximity allows us to prototype a few times without stressing a project’s timeline or budget constraints. This allows some freedom to be more daring with designs since there is time to fail and recover if it comes to that”.

“The sustainability trend can be attributed to the growing number of consumers in the region who are opting for furniture that is not harmful for health and environment”, observes FIM’s Event Manager, Alaa Al Ush.

Al Ush continued, “The exhibition aims to showcase the best and latest gamut in furniture manufacturing to designers, architects and all other decision makers in the region who may have found it difficult to scope out the entire range of components, equipment and expertise that is available to manufacture furniture locally. FIM will also present a knowledge-sharing and focused networking platform that plugs into furniture trends that steer demand”.

The show will coincide with INDEX, the Hotel Show, and the Leisure Show taking place at Dubai World Trade Center.

For more information about FIM, visit: www.futureinteriorsproducts.com