Home Centre Plans to Add 407,958 Sq Ft of Retail Space to Consolidate UAE Portfolio in 2011

·        15 Winners Provided AED10,000 Worth Room Makeover Each to Mark 15th Anniversary Celebrations

·        Commences GCC-wide Deployment of New Brand Identity

Dubai-UAE: 16 March, 2011 - Home Centre, the region’s leading home retailer which recently celebrated its 15th anniversary in the UAE, aims to add 17 new outlets to its global portfolio by end 2011.

Occupying over 2.89 million sq. ft. of retail space, Home Centre is currently present at 12 locations in the UAE and boasts 71 stores across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and the Indian subcontinent.

Marking the 15th anniversary celebrations in UAE, Home Centre organised a series of activities including a special ‘Room Makeover’ campaign during which 15 residents from various emirates in the UAE won the opportunity of a free room makeover worth AED10,000 each.

Home Centre, which revealed its revamped brand identity in March 2010 in the UAE, has commenced the process of deploying the new look across its retail network in the GCC. Progressing in a phased approach, its stores across Kuwait and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have recently been revamped to reflect the new brand aesthetics.

Jonathan Jagtiani, CEO, Home Centre, said: “Conceptualised in the UAE over 15 years ago, Home Centre aims to fill the gap that existed in the home furnishing and décor space. We created a product bearing in mind the region’s dynamics, which at one end imbibes strong Arabic aesthetics and at the other hosts a vibrant mix of expat population from all corners of the world.

“We continue our efforts towards maintaining the right product mix and a strong value-for-money proposition – factors essential for our growth.”

The ‘Room Makeover’ campaign attracted over 3,200 entries from across the UAE. A total of 15 winners were selected after careful scrutiny. Each of these winners received a free room makeover designed to make their space come alive, reflecting personal tastes and providing a solution for makeover challenges. The Home Centre design team offered all the products including furniture, painting and accessories.

Aarti Jagtiani, Head of Strategic Planning and Design, Home Centre, said: “We are grateful to our customers for reaffirming their loyalty to our brand over the past decade and more. The ‘Room Makeover’ campaign was a fitting opportunity to reward them for their support. We deliberately did not link the initiative to any minimum purchases as we wanted to maintain it as a purely customer-oriented exercise that would allow us to hear their stories and know them better. Picking 15 of the most touching stories was a tough but immensely fulfilling experience.”

The room makeovers were executed in three phases by a team of visual merchandisers from Home Centre during January 2011. The team focused on the challenges posed by each room, the purpose that it was intended to be used for and drew inspiration from the personality of the winner. The results, in each of the 15 cases, were dramatic transformations.

Voted a UAE 'Superbrand' in January 2011, Home Centre offers a mix of contemporary and traditional design across furniture, furnishings, home accessories, kitchenware and gift ideas priced competitively to suit every budget.