Search Results for: UAE

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Beirut
Saudi Arabia is the Middle East’s largest economy and, as a result, the biggest market for cosmetics, toiletries and perfumes, estimated at US$1.2 billion last year, according to the Saudi-American Business Council. With the birth rate at 3% growth a year, one of the highest in the world, and the population doubling every 25 years, companies expect significant growth in the near future as this young population ages.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Beirut
The cosmetics and personal care market in the UAE was worth more than US$414 million in retail sales last year, according to market data group Euromonitor. Demand is being driven in the UAE by an estimated 6.2 million tourists a year, a 23.5% rise in GDP in nominal terms in 2006, and by radical changes in the UAE’s population- from 2.4 million in 1995 to 4.3 million this year.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Dubai
THE CLOTHING market in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is experiencing stellar growth on the back of rising consumer spending, a surge in tourists, and 145% growth in retail space as new malls and shopping centers spring up.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Beirut
Bahrain has a population of less than 800,000 and is not a major market for the international players, but with a growing economy sales are consistent and should increase as the retail environment develops. No soaps or cosmetics are made in Bahrain, imported from plants in neighbouring Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as from Asia, Europe and North America.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Abu Dhabi
HOW to better regulate the popular Middle East and south Asian alternate remittance system (ARS) known as hawala, which has been linked to money laundering, organised crime and terrorist financing, was the focus of the recent Fourth International Conference on Hawala at the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Abu Dhabi.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Beirut
SALES of cosmetics, perfumes and toiletries are surging in the Middle East, with sales reaching US$2.1 billion last year according to official statistics.

German cosmetics and toiletries manufacturing giant Beiersdorf estimated regional growth at 10% percent last year.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Dubai and Manama, Bahrain
THE CAR market in the Arab Gulf, particularly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is experiencing stellar growth across the board, fuelled by a surge in population and strong economic growth.

In the last five years, the UAE market has grown by over 300% to reach 2.5 million cars on the road, said Guy Edmunds, General Manager of Honda.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Dubai
THE UNITED Arab Emirates’ (UAE) US$310 million tobacco market is set to grow by 8% this year on the back of population growth, tourism and a strong economy, but the sector faces sizeable problems with illicit trade that accounts for as much as 33% of the market.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE, in Dubai
CURBING the counterfeiting and smuggling of established companies’ goods has become a pressing concern for international businesses wanting to protect their brands in the growing economies of the Middle East.

Although certain sectors are suffering more than others, the issue has been deemed serious enough for leading multinationals to team together last year to create a Brand Owners’ Protection Group (BPG) in the Middle East to tackle the region’s part in generating the US$500 billion global counterfeit trade.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED States Trade Representative office has released intelligence reports showing global hotspots for sophisticated fake packaging. One bulletin, from the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition has cited Paraguay and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as problem countries. “Counterfeit exporters in Paraguay…use sophisticated methods to produce accurate forgeries of labels and packaging that are difficult for both consumers and law enforcement to distinguish from genuine products,” it says, adding UAE free zones Jebel Ali and Fujairah are major entry points for fakes into legitimate distribution channels.…