The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) is extending its ongoing “Furniture Weeks” campaign until December 15, 2010. The initiative has attracted numerous shoppers across the Emirate and has enjoyed the broad participation of local galleries, authorized distributors, shops, and specialized stores dealing in furniture and furniture-related accessories. Al Mazen General Trading Company is exclusively sponsoring the campaign in support of SCCI’s efforts to assist small and medium enterprises and to further develop the furniture industry as one of Sharjah’s top economic sectors.
The promotional campaign aligns with SCCI’s commitment to reinforcing the local private sector and boosting Sharjah’s stature within the regional furniture industry. The current strategy adopted by the Chamber is to catalyze commercial transactions through positive promotions such as these which expand the scope of activities of the local business community. SCCI aims to leverage this event to reaffirm its support for this industry, particularly by communicating closely with members, developing the role played by small and medium enterprises, and attracting the attention needed by this sector’s business owners to increase the loyalty of current shoppers. This, the Chamber explained, would help enhance commercial interaction and economic recovery and advance Sharjah’s stature in this sector at the national and regional levels.
Khalid Bin Butti Bin Obeid, SCCI’s Assistant Director General for Membership and Branch Affairs, said: “This campaign is in line with our focus on supporting the furniture sector and promoting it extensively, catalyzing marketing activity, and increasing the Emirate’s furniture sales. The beginning of the campaign witnessed a strong interest in the offers from participating shops and stores, especially as the organizing committee and the official sponsor allocated valuable prizes to shoppers. These are the result of the collaborative efforts among SCCI and industry representatives to ensure the success of this comprehensive promotional campaign.”
For his part, Mazen Anees Shaltaf, owner of the Al Mazen Group, said: “Our participation in this campaign reflects our commitment to enhancing partnerships between SCCI and the private sector in appreciation of the Chamber’s efforts to improve the performance of the furniture sector in particular and all other industrial and commercial sectors in general.”
“Based on the experiences of Al Mazen Furniture, one of the pioneers of this sector in Sharjah and across the UAE, we are optimistic about this growing sector. We look forward to the establishment of a major commercial center in Sharjah that will accommodate a large number of this sector’s businesses under one roof. The primary objective of the company through this campaign is to promote Sharjah as a regional and international furniture market leader capable of meeting the requirements of all its foreign clients and guests. Our success in turning Sharjah into a one-stop shop for the furniture industry would definitely benefit all industry players,” added Shaltaf.
Shaltaf further emphasized that Sharjah is a major destination for furniture products, as shown by the growing interest among prominent UAE and international furniture companies to open galleries in Sharjah given its growing commercial importance.
In this regard, Hamad Al Mahmood, Sharjah Weeks Project Manager, said: “The huge number of participants we received during the registration process previously conducted by our team reflects the eagerness of industry representatives to contribute to the success of this campaign which SCCI is using as a means to directly take the furniture sector to the next level. We have been noticing this sector’s need for such promotional campaigns due to various reasons.”
Sufian Saleh Nasrallah, Sales Manager at Al Bazzi Furniture, one of the participating establishments, noted: “The market is normally quiet during this time of the year, with minimal activity observed within the furniture sector. As a promotional concept, the campaign is a great idea that deepens our appreciation for the Chamber’s efforts to support our business. However, the impact of the international financial crisis is still suppressing overall progress and prosperity and continues to minimize sales potential.”
Khalid Al Khalid, Manager of Al Hazeem Furniture Gallery, said: “The local market has been deteriorating during the past two years in step with the recession being felt throughout the international markets. As a result, diverse economic sectors in UAE, including the furniture industry, have been considerably affected. I thus regard the organization of such campaigns as major contributors to the promotion of sales and the acceleration of recovery, especially as the campaign is being held within the winter months which commonly witness general promotional and price reduction campaigns from furniture shops and stores.”
Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been focused on strengthening the Emirate’s stature on all fronts through the launch of various initiatives aimed at protecting the private sector and the business community. SCCI also aims to maximize investment avenues in the Emirate while developing its competitiveness and promoting enhanced productivity, increased growth and eventually supporting local economic diversification.
