Link February 2017 | Page 28

Manufacturing & Retail

News

In 2016 the interior contracting market in the GCC has grown by 25.62 percent to US $ 8.87 billion , whereas in 2015 it was estimated at US $ 7.06 billion , according to Retailspace . At the same time high end interior projects in UAE , Qatar and Kuwait exceeded US $ 25 million and are to grow by 13.7 percent in 2017 .
“ There is a new trend arising in the UAE and other GCC countries which require agile work spaces , especially with the increasing trend for shared commercial and open concept spaces as well as growing number of tech hubs and incubators . These are smaller offices in need of fully fitted solutions , a good example is the Index Tower at the DIFC which offers spaces between 50 to 300 square meters . In line with such demand , we have also launched the agile Swing Series filing cabinets to meet the ever-changing consumer needs .” added Kowalewska .
In 2016 the gross leasable area ( GLA ) in Dubai has experienced significant increase lead by master developments such as TECOM , Business Bay , Silicon Oasis and the Greens . This was lead by Q4 which received 152,000 square metres of GLA , up from 55,550 square metres in Q3 .
Teresa Fidor , Commercial Director of OFFICEO North America , said : “ Logistics play a key role in the furniture industry and with a distribution center we will be able to service the needs of our clients in a dedicated fashion . Similarly to the UAE , in Canada there has been a vast growth and investment in local production of furniture and
we are keen to capitalize on this developing trend . The industry changes very fast and we have to be agile and adjust our offering to exceed market needs , especially by combining innovative office furniture along with accessories and component .”
In addition to offering functional and customized office furniture solutions , OFFICEO caters to factories with dedicated range of ready-made systems for drawers , fabrication of frames for filing cabinets along with segregators and accessories . These products are utilized by some of the largest European producers of office furniture ,
28 February 2017