Jeddah-based interior decoration specialist AlArabi Decoration and Construction Company – which has to its credit some of the most luxurious and prominent projects in Saudi Arabia as well as abroad – is gearing up for an upsurge in business, given the current construction boom in the kingdom.

“Construction has now started booming in Saudi Arabia, with low and high?rise buildings and villas now under construction in every city. It is a just of matter of time – probably a year from now – as these buildings enter their finishing stage, that their contractors will require our services,” says Renato Zimmerman, general manager of the company.
“Thus, during this year, we are focusing on consolidating our share of the market, further streamlining the processes within our organisation and enhancing the quality of our services – in preparation to handle an increased level of demand for our services,” he adds.
AlArabi has undertaken decorative gypsum works, special painting and various artistic decorations works for various projects across the Middle East, including most of the royal palaces in Jeddah, Riyadh and Makkah.
It is currently involved in numerous decoration contracts across Makkah including the highly prestigious King Abdul Aziz Endowment project, where it is involved in the supply and installation of decorative gypsum suspended ceiling works. This development is not the only landmark project in Makkah which is utilising its extensive skills and experience: AlArabi is also involved in the supply and installation of about 93,000 sq m of gypsum ceiling and cornices at Le Meridien Hotel and Towers as well as the Zam Zam Sofitel Suites, for which it is supplying furniture under a SR7 million ($1.86 million) contract.
Among other projects in hand is the decoration works of the prestigious Tanagra shops in Jeddah, Riyadh and Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia as well as the decoration subcontract works for a private palace complex, which is nearing completion in Riyadh, for the contractor Haif Company.
AlArabi has recently completed some interesting projects in the kingdom including the 4,000 sq m Official Reception Building in Riyadh, and the renovation of royal palaces in Obhor, Jeddah.
“We have also completed the decorative work on the highly prestigious Phase 2 of the Jeddah Hilton, the Jeddah Hilton Royal Palace – considered to be the largest and most luxurious hotel in the Kingdom – as well as the Al Corniche five-star hotel,” says Zimmerman.
From its modest beginnings as a small establishment in Jeddah in 1982, the company has grown into a significant enterprise in the Middle East. AlArabi, which converted into a limited liability company in 2004, has recently opened an office in Abu Dhabi this year.
The new venture – the AlArabi Decoration in Abu Dhabi – is already involved in the multi?million-dollar refurbishment of Abu Dhabi Intercontinental Hotel, in co?operation with Kocache Enterprises.
The company also has an office in Kuwait – Arabi International for Decoration – which started operation in March 2004 and continues to capture a growing market share of the decoration business every year.
The company is staffed by a large team of professionals including several architects, artists, a dozen engineers and about 800 craftsmen. It has a 2,000 sq m workshop at its Jeddah headquarters and a 1,500 sq m workshop at its branch office in Riyadh.
Commenting on business levels, Zimmerman says: “Last year was another period of growth for AlArabi, when we continued to win customer acceptance to our services and products. We have seen a growth in our turnover and with the tremendous development taking place in the kingdom, we feel that this trend will continue over the coming years.”