Premium building material company Danube recently made a spectacular foray into the real estate market in Dubai with its new venture ‘Danube Properties’(www.danubeproperties.ae). At a press conference organised at the Grand Hyatt, Danube Properties announced its plan of making a gallant entry into the property market, and declared legendary Indian cricketer and Interim BCCI President Sunil Gavaskar as its brand ambassador. The company also took the majestic opportunity to unveil its first residential project ‘Dreams by Danube’, which Mr. Gavaskar inaugurated at the event.

The venture into Dubai’s booming realty market, in the form of establishing Danube Properties is the brainchild of Mr. Rizwan Sajan, Founder & Chairman, Danube Group; who after thorough research and careful planning with his team, combined with his personal entrepreneurial acumen, decided to take this step in the right direction. Speaking to distinguished guests and the media at the event, Mr. Sajan said, “We are proud of Danube’s progress over the last 20 years and it is heart-warming to see the brand celebrate yet another milestone.”

Danube, known for its supreme quality of construction material, equipment and home interior supplies, plans to successfully use its prestige and status as an industry leader to launch its first residential project. ‘Dreams by Danube’ will provide affordable yet superior-quality town houses, and the company is particularly trying to attract the mid-income section to be its buyers. “Till now we were focussing on expanding our reach and presence in GCC and the MENA regions by providing ample range of building materials and home products. From this year, we will also focus on our vertical integration, from our current business. Danube Properties, a mid-tier residential venture, will be tasked with spearheading corporate innovation and growth, with a clear responsibility to oversee urban and infrastructure planning,” Mr. Sajan said.

‘Dreams by Danube’ is a premium residential project being constructed in Al Furjan area of Dubai. Expected to be completed by 2016, the massive project will comprise of 175 attractive town houses. The project is conveniently located at a distance of 10 minutes from the Ibn Battuta mall and also near to the EXPO 2020 site. The community is expected to house Dubai’s growing urban populace, who would be drawn to the project due to the fact that the area consists of excellent infrastructure and transportation facilities that include elegant road services.

Beginning from a reasonable price of Dhs2.5 million, the town houses will be an awe-inspiring blend of contemporary architecture and innovative designs. The town houses will be offered in three and four bedroom categories and will showcase elegance and finesse with Italian marble, modular kitchen, luxurious bathrooms with classic sanitary ware and Jacuzzis; all from Danube’s acclaimed array of products. Living in the upcoming community will be ideal for those seeking peace, comfort and a healthy lifestyle amidst Dubai’s metropolitan hustle and bustle.

Speaking highly of Danube’s new venture and project, Mr. Gavaskar said, “I have been associated with Danube in the past. It gives me immense happiness and pleasure to join hands with them all over again, in a new direction.”

Danube Properties’ investment comes at a time when Dubai’s real estate market is galloping with its growth and the atmosphere is conducive for builders to pool in their money. The dark days of the financial crisis of 2008 are now over and the property market has bounced back fantastically; so much so that residential property prices leapt by as much as 35% and demand by about 30% last year, according to an independent estimate. The positive trend, market analysts and financial research houses believe, is only going to continue in the future, with banks and NBFCs doling out more loans to builders for their projects. Authorities and realtors have also learnt a hard lesson from the recession, and experts believe the government and central bank are adequately regulating the property market and safeguarding it from unwanted bubbles.

With the entry of Danube Properties as a strong player in the market, the healthy competition will not only intensify, but will also go a long way in reducing monopoly of the bigger builders and boost fair pricing and quality service. Dubai’s urban landscape is mushrooming with residential projects, which are fast getting purchased by customers. In the light of this market scenario, ‘Dreams by Danube’ will most certainly be an immensely successful project, and in turn help the company pursue its other plans. The company is however firm in remaining committed to its core business of being a premier and famed building materials supplier and has industrious expansion plans. The company maintains a prominent presence in the GCC and India and has established strong footholds in China; Danube Properties will only help the company grow leaps and bounds.

“With Danube Properties, a thorough market study and understanding of the group’s strengths along with the current opportunities in the market were behind the new strategy. We are confident that this strategy and their respect and position in the market will give Danube the flexibility to take advantage of the market opportunities, while maintaining its focus on being a leading provider of building materials and home interior products across the region,” Mr. Gavaskar stated at the function.

Danube opens new AED 40 million warehousing facility in Jafza South

New 550,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art warehouse to complement company’s strategic initiatives to meet Middle East region’s increased demand for building materials
May 05, 2011
Danube Building Materials, a leader in construction, building materials and shop fitting industries, has announced today (05 May 2011) the opening of its new AED 40 million, state-of-the-art warehouse in Jafza South. The new warehousing facility, which stretches out to 550,000 square feet, is part of the leading company’s continuing efforts to meet the Middle East region’s increase in business. The inauguration ceremony of the new warehouse was led by Ibrahim Mohammed Al Janahi, Deputy CEO, Jafza and Chief Commercial Officer, who was also joined by Rizwan Sajan, Chairman, Danube Building Materials; Anis Sajan, Managing Director, Danube Building Materials; Adel Sajan, Director; Thamimul Hussain, Group General Manager, Danube Building Materials. Jafza Senior Officials and representatives from key partner companies of Danube were also present at the event.
Ibrahim Al Janahi on the occasion said:”We commend Danube for tapping into local opportunities in the building materials industry and for its ambitious development and growth over the years. The home-gown UAE Company has made strategic investments in Jafza that have helped it expand its market share nation-wide and region-wide. The company’s consistent growth in the retail space is a testimony of its robustness and strength and we are delighted to have played a role in enabling Danube’s growth. Jafza has a long-standing relationship with the company that dates back to over a decade and we look forward to facilitating the company’s business and helping it achieve its future ambitions.”
The new facility is just one of the recent expansion initiatives that Danube has implemented to help keep up with the region’s increased demand for world class, high quality building materials. Expansion has also gone beyond the region with the opening of key retail facilities in India, which is one of the world’s fastest growing economies. The warehouse also has 10 Loading / Unloading bays with hydraulic dock levelers. Danube has incorporated a sophisticated and integrated Warehouse Management System (WMS), which deploys wireless hand-held scanners and the latest technology to support Intelligent Operations, used for real time update of data and inventory management.
“The opening of the new warehouse facility signals a good time to invest in strategic expansion efforts as costs are lowered as a result of the downturn. We acknowledge the constant support that we have received from Jafza and the UAE government, who have become strategic partners in our move towards driving in growth and development,” said Rizwan Sajan. “Danube remains committed in its efforts to expand through 2012, targeting the opening of 15 more branches. With our plans to create stronger market presence in Qatar, India, and KSA, the new warehouse in Jafza will act as a key back up facility to house and store all our products.”
Danube has also revealed its investment in a new manufacturing facility worth over AED 50 million and is spread out across 1.3 million square feet in Dubai Techno Park. The company carries the Quality Management Standard ISO 9001:2000 & EHS certification that assures customers of better access and faster turnaround of cargo due to the existence of its own trailer fleet. Products are delivered on time with improved accuracy from the use of the latest bar coding & RFID systems. The WMS utilized by Danube for its delivery operations offers full integrity of data while the presence of key wireless solutions in Danube’s various storage facilities ensures more efficiency and produces effective results like less cargo handling hassles and the availability of more flexible warehousing solutions.
“The region’s increased demand for business has allowed Danube’s operations to grow rapidly; equally spreading out across our 26 key locations and with the vision of setting up 15 more in the pipeline. This buzz in activity has generated a need for a large warehousing facility that can not only store and stock up on key building materials, but also ease up the pressure on our other warehouses in the country. The new warehouse in Jebel Ali maintains a strategic location that is central to the entire region. Aside from its proximity to major cities in the region, the easy procedures and wide cooperation that we have received from the Jebel Ali Customs and Government offices have resulted in the smooth entry and exit of Danube products,” concluded Anis Sajan.

DUBAI — Danube Building Materials, a leader in construction, building materials and shop fitting industries, has opened its first building materials showroom in Salalah, Oman.
The B2B retail unit, which is the leading company’s 31st showroom in the region and its third in Oman, was inaugurated by Sheikh Abdullah Salim Al Rawas, Chairman, Salalah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), in the presence of Danube senior officials led by Rizwan Sajan, Founder and Chairman, Danube; Anis Sajan, Managing Director; Adel Sajan, Director and other key officials and representatives from Danube’s partner companies.
The opening is part of Danube’s move to create a stronger presence in the Sultanate of Oman and involves the opening of more showrooms and warehousing facilities in the country, thereby adding to the two showrooms currently located in Muscat. The company is also looking to recruit more Omani nationals in support of the government’s initiative to provide more employment opportunities for locals.
“We extend our congratulations to the Danube Group on the successful opening of its new retail showroom in Salalah,” said Sheikh Al Rawas. “We are currently witnessing significant growth developments that include the awarding of numerous contracts and tender releases. Having a Danube Building Materials at the heart of all this economic activity assures us that these projects will be integrated with top of the line high quality building essentials to help complete the projects,” he added.
“These are exciting times for Oman’s construction industry, with the emergence of major projects worth over Dh30 billion over the next few months,” said Rizwan Sajan, Founder & Chairman, Danube Building Materials. “We are confident that the opening of our new B2B showroom will play a major part in this development by providing these projects with world class high quality building materials,” Sajan added.
The new Salalah branch is just one of the 15 new planned showrooms to be opened across the region as part of the company’s strategic move to mark a stronger market presence and also address the needs of our rapidly growing customer base here, he said, adding: “We are also looking towards hiring more Omani nationals as part of our support towards the government’s initiative to provide more employment opportunities to Omani locals.”
The new showroom is located in the heart of Salalah and measures 12,000 square feet. According to Danube officials, the opening demonstrates the company’s eagerness to play a major part in the current influx of construction projects in Oman. In fact, the Sultanate has already announced the development of key gateways to the country like the Dukham port, the Dukham International Airport and the Salalah Free Zone. Danube’s massive expansion initiative for the region involves the goal of opening 15 new showrooms over the next 2 years. The company has maintained a key presence in the country for 11 years and its wide experience and knowledge of the Oman market will add more value to its newly-opened showroom.

DUBAI — Danube Building Materials — a leader in construction, building materials and shop fitting industries — has inaugurated a Dh50 million showroom in Saudi Arabia.

The Dubai-based firm also plans eight more outlets by the end of 2012 worth over Dh200 million, its top official said on Tuesday.

“We see strong demand for building materials in Saudi Arabia so Danube will continue its investment and our target is total 10 showrooms [in Saudi Arabia] by the end of next year. Total investment in the Kingdom is expected to cross Dh300 million,” Danube Group Chairman Rizwan Sajan told Khaleej Times.

The company now has a total of over 26 global retail facilities — 17 in the UAE, three in India, two in Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

The company has also invested Dh50 million in a new manufacturing plant in Dubai. The new facility, which is spread over 1.3 million square feet in Dubai TechnoPark will open in mid-2011.

Ahmad Hamza Awadh, Director, Jeddah Municipality, led the opening of the new integrated showroom and warehouse facility. Located in the heart of the Jeddah Industrial Area, the new showroom is part of Danube’s strategic move towards creating a strong market presence in the Middle East construction industry and meeting its goal of achieving $1 billion in revenue by the year 2015, the company said in a statement.

“Opening our new KSA showroom proves to be strategic and reflects perfect timing as recent reports have shown that Saudi Arabia currently has a 38 per cent share of the total construction projects in the region and has over $624 billion in current and planned projects, “ Sajan said.

“The strategic location of the new facility combined with our comprehensive product portfolio of essential building materials gives us the opportunity to reach out to new target customers. The move is also part of our continuing efforts to consolidate our presence in the Middle East region’s thriving construction industry,” Sajan said. Danube’s new showroom measures in at 5,000 square feet while the warehouse, which is also the company’s first completely covered storage facility, measures in at 150,000 square feet. Danube’s move to open new showrooms across the region follows the impressive 25 per cent rise in its revenues in 2010. With the healthy show of activity across various construction projects in the region, the company is expecting to post in similar growth for 2011 and increasing its revenues to Dh1.6 billion.

“Danube remains steadfast in its key efforts to become a major part of the development and progress that the region is currently experiencing. The opening of new showrooms across the region is not only part of our move to reach a target revenue of about $1 billion by the year 2015 but also reflects our long term commitment to leverage our world class high quality building materials across the various construction and development projects in the region,” Sajan said.