DANUBE Building Materials has unveiled strategic plans to consolidate its presence in Qatar in the next five months, in line with its goal of securing key opportunities afforded by the country’s successful bid for the 2022 football World Cup.

The regional leader in the construction, building materials and shop-fitting industries intends to invest more than Dh200 million ($54.5 million) in Qatar in an expansion initiative over the next two years. As part of these plans, Danube is set to open a Dh50-million ($13.6 million) retail facility in Doha in the middle of this year. Once opened, the new Qatar branch will be the company’s fifth destination in the Gulf.

“Qatar is currently investing billions of dollars in the development of key tourism-based infrastructure like new hotels, dining facilities and football stadiums for the month-long international tournament in 2022,” says a spokesman for the company. “In line with these developments, the UAE’s contractors have also expressed their interest in playing a major role in the growing number of Qatar projects. Danube has maintained strong relations with these key contractors and is expected to play a major role once contracts are secured and executed.”

More than 25,000 products at Buildmart ... meeting housing needs.

“These are exciting times for Qatar’s construction industry. The country’s hosting of one of the world’s most-watched sporting event means billions of dollars in new and existing construction projects,” says Rizwan Sajan, chairman of Danube Building Materials. “We are very upbeat about this forecasted growth and increase in projects, prompting us to create a stronger presence in the country by opening a new retail facility in mid-2011 and eyeing our participation in different project undertakings. Aside from Qatar, we are also moving to expand our presence in Saudi Arabia.”

Danube started as a building materials supplier 17 years ago. It later introduced its version of a one-stop-shop concept called ‘Danube Buildmart’ in 2009 to target a diverse retail segment. The company has recently added 10,000 new products in its portfolio for Buildmart to meet housing needs, bringing its total product portfolio to more than 25,000 products.

The company reported a D1.25 billion ($340 million) turnover in 2010 signifying a 25 per cent increase in profit from the year before.

“Danube is upbeat about the region’s continuous move towards development, a strong indicator that we are now recovering from the recent economic downturn that affected all industries. With the influx of infrastructure projects not only in Qatar but the rest of the region, we are looking to position ourselves as a reliable partner for developers, delivering essential world-class materials for world-class projects. Danube remains steadfast in its commitment to become a premier one-stop shop for building and construction materials and living up to our reputation of excellent customer service,” says Sajan.

Danube has a total of over 25 global retail facilities – 17 in the UAE, three in India, two in Oman and Bahrain and one in Saudi Arabia. It operates from its head office, a 285,000-sq-ft facility in Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) north and a 365,000 sq ft base in Jafza south, which houses its logistics centre, kiln drying facility, factory and warehouses.

The company has been and is currently involved in major projects across the UAE, Oman and Bahrain, including Emirates Hills, the Burj Al Arab, Shangri-La Hotel, Grand Hyatt, Motor City, Burj Dubai, Dubai Airport Terminal 3, Yas Island, Reem Island, Saadiyat Island, and Al Raha Beach Hotel, among others.