UAE-based Easa Saleh Al Gurg Building Materials Division (BMD) says it is poised to take its unique offering of choice international brands in sanitary ware, infrastructure and building materials to customers beyond its home market with its sights now set firmly on Saudi Arabia. 

This move is being made in the wake of the company’s encouraging performance this year despite the challenges posed by the pandemic over the past two years, Rafat Al Fahoum, Chief Executive Officer, ESAG Building Materials Division, tells Gulf Construction.

BMD is part of the multifaceted conglomerate Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group (ESAG), with a varied portfolio of over 300 international brands and proven competencies in the building and construction, retail, industrial and real estate sectors besides its numerous joint ventures.

BMD’s office in Dubai.

The dedicated division for building materials was set up in November 1974 and has established itself as a leading address for building materials, enfolding Mac Al Gurg and Al Semsam and their six different divisions.

“Mac Al Gurg and Al Semsam are already in Oman and our big move for this year will be to Saudi Arabia, where we will commence operations shortly,” Al Fahoum reveals.

Al Fahoum says BMD also has plans to expand into the other GCC countries, while boosting both its building materials and sanitary ware portfolios as well as setting up a new showroom in the UAE.

“Mac Al Gurg and Al Semsam are expanding their product ranges, focusing more on their current portfolio and bringing in new sanitary ware products, thus offering the most reliable and quality brands under one roof and further enhancing the reputation of the division,” he elaborates.

Mac Al Gurg has some niche brands in its portfolio include Niagara Conservation Corporation from the US which offers water conservation solutions, faucets, accessories and toilet fittings, ranging from entry level to high-end lines; Armitage Shanks from the UK, which specialises in sanitary ware for schools, laboratories, hospitals and villas; Tristone acrylic solid surfaces from the UK; Delta faucets from the US; Brizo high-end faucets from the US; as well as many other exclusive brands such as Purus and Sanco.

Niagara Conservation Corporation was the latest addition to the portfolio of Mac Al Gurg’s sanitary ware division while OK Foundries of Lebanon was added to the company’s Infrastructure portfolio recently. 

Commenting on the company’s performance, he says: “The past two years have been very challenging for the industry due to the pandemic. Many projects were on hold and many of our competitors tried to liquidate their stock at low prices, which created a disruption in the market. However, we have had a very strong start to 2022 and are 47 per cent up in topline growth.”

Al Fahoum attributes the success of ESAG Building Materials Division to the fact that it has built on the heritage of the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group’s name and its portfolio of brands – which together with the company’s market expansion plans will ensure further growth.

ESAG Building Materials Division provides a two-pronged service approach to the market – either supply only or supply-and-apply, working alongside consultants, contractors and clients in both projects as well as the retail and distribution channels to achieve the best results for end-users, he says.

Al Fahoum is upbeat about the ample business opportunities that Dubai and the UAE offer for growth, which he says has enabled BMD to recover quickly from the impact of the Covid-19 crisis, as reflected in the company’s results in the first quarter of 2022.

The company has supplied to numerous projects in the region, the major recent ones include the Creek Edge by Emaar, Expo 2020, Sheikh Zayed Housing Project and Hatta Hospital expansion, all in the UAE; and Mall of Oman by Majid Al Futtaim in the Sultanate of Oman.