With many of the landmark developments now rising on the horizon in the booming kingdom, Jeddah-based interior decoration specialist AlArabi Decoration and Construction Company is optimistic of an even brighter year ahead.

It already has a healthy order book which includes some of the prestigious mall, hotel and leisure projects under construction in Saudi Arabia.
“We have recently secured orders to undertake the decorative gypsum works for the Mall of Arabia and the Equestrian Club, both in Jeddah, the extension to the Dhahran Mall in Dhahran, as well as various private villas in Jeddah and Riyadh,” says Renato Zimmerman, general manager of the company.
“In addition, we have been called upon to carry out various decorative works for the Sephora Rasheed Mall in Al Khobar. This apart, we have also been assigned the decorative painting works for the Red Sea Mall in Jeddah.”
Other ongoing projects include the supply and installation of gypsum suspended ceiling works at the Development of King Abdul Aziz Endowment project (Abraj Al Bait) and the supply and installation of about 93,000 sq m of gypsum ceiling and cornices at the five-tower Le Meridien Hotel and Towers, both in Makkah.
“AlArabi has continued to be one of the leading major subcontractors of Saudi Arabia and has worked on most of the royal palaces in Jeddah, Riyadh and Makkah,” he adds.
AlArabi has just completed modifications to various royal palaces under a subcontract from Saudi Oger as well the decoration works of the prestigious Tanagra outlets in Jeddah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.
Commenting on the Saudi market, Zimmerman says: “The construction industry continues to prosper and the boom is now apparent in Saudi Arabia. High-rise buildings are currently in their structural stages in most of the cities in the kingdom and it is a just of matter of time before these structures enter their finishing stages and their contractors require our services.
“Over the past year, we have seen increasing customer acceptance to our services and products and we have been keenly focused on maintaining our present grasp of the market, while further enhancing our organisational structure and capabilities, in anticipation of meeting the increased demands for our services.
“During the past year, we have been contacted by several consulting offices, contractors and businessmen in Saudi Arabia to provide quotations for interior and exterior finishing works. Our turnover has exceeded our targets, and with the tremendous development planning taking place in the kingdom, we feel that this trend will continue over the coming years.
“The construction sector in the region is now reaping the benefits from a strong economy, surging oil revenue, government incentives and relaxed laws in real estate which have led to a significant increase in buildings in the private sector. These include office and residential complexes, banks, shopping malls, schools, hospitals, hotels and resorts, among others. Besides the new buildings, there is also a constant requirement for upgrading, renovation and refurbishment of the existing ones. In addition, the standard of living has been rising rapidly, with consumers focusing on good quality products, exclusive designs and durability. All these factors are fuelling the demand for high-end interior and exterior decor companies such as ours.”
For the past 25 years, AlArabi has undertaken decorative gypsum works, special painting, tiling and marble and various artistic decorations works for various projects and clientele across the Middle East.
From its modest beginnings as a small establishment founded by Faisal K Adham in Jeddah in 1982, AlArabi Decoration and Construction has grown into one of the key companies in high-end interior and exterior decoration in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries. It converted into a limited liability company in 2004 and has opened an office in Abu Dhabi – Alarabi Decoration – in January last year. The Abu Dhabi venture has been involved in the multi-million-dollar deal for the refurbishment of InterContinental Hotel in Abu Dhabi in cooperation with Kocache Enterprises.
The company also has an office in Kuwait – Arabi International for Decoration – which started operations in March 2004 and continues to capture a growing market share of the decoration business every year.
AlArabi is currently staffed by a large team of qualified professionals that includes 800 craftsmen, several architects, artists and 12 engineers and has a 2,000 sq m workshop at its Jeddah headquarters and a 1,500 sq m workshop at its branch office in Riyadh.