A GROUP of Italian furnishings and accessories companies have joined forces to draw the Middle Eastern market closer to its competitive products.

The recently-formed Mandelli Design Group hopes to build on the foundation laid by its 25-member team to strengthen relations with the Middle East while changing the perception in the market that the ‘Made in Italy’ tag is beyond the budget of the local market.
“The expert team will aim to penetrate deeper into the market by promoting the group’s highly-competitive and wide product-line to architects, contractors and designers,” says a spokesman for the group.
The products, ranging from windows and doors to all elements of residential interior furnishings such as kitchens and wardrobes, will find a wide exposure at The Big 5, where the ‘Made in Italy’ concept will hope to reach out to the Middle Eastern customer.
According to the company, the show will help support the group’s mission to dispel misconceptions especially in the UAE where concepts such as ‘Made in Italy’ and ‘Italian Design’ referring to mostly interior furnishings, are perceived as something exclusive and accessible to only a small circle of wealthy people.
“Local distributors of Italian brands generally use the ‘Made in Italy’ tag to take advantage of the image and apply a product mark-up that is greater than for similar articles made in other nations such as China, and the Far Eastern countries like India,” says the spokesman.
“There are not a lot of Italian products available in the sector where Mandelli Design Group does business – that of doors, kitchens and furnishing contracts – as business has been held up over reasons such as the ‘beyond the budget’ for the local market,” he says.
But now the Mandelli Design Group has been created to dispel this misconception.
“The Italian industry is a frontrunner and for this reason it is highly competitive not only in terms of quality but also prices, given the advanced technology used in production for achieving total automation of industrial processes and high output capacities that can meet any type of requirement,” the spokesman says.
The Mandelli group comprises Mandelli, a leading manufacturer of door handles and accessories for doors and windows; AGB, a manufacturer of door and window hardware; Ipea Porte, a specialist in interior doors; Sanco, a leader in fire-rated doors; Meroni Serrature, a manufacturer locks for furniture, door knobs and accessories for fire-rated doors; and Colombini, a world leader in home furnishings for kitchens, bedrooms, and living rooms.
The group was set up in early 2008 in the UAE and is run on-site by an Italian management specialised in residential and civil contract business.
Despite its recent inception, the Mandelli Design Group has already secured important contracts such as the Yas Island Formula One race circuit, and Masdar City, the world’s first zero emissions city, both in Abu Dhabi.
“The expertise of our team, constantly backed and trained by our companies, is gaining an excellent reputation in the Emirates and is laying the foundations for an extremely satisfying future,” the spokesman concludes.
At The Big 5, the group will be present at Hall 6, Stand C271.