By Aaron Greenwood www.digitalproductionme.com
Internationally renowned fireworks specialist Groupe F will expand its operations in the Middle East this year, following its high-profile involvement in the Burj Khalifa launch in Dubai earlier this month.
The company, which has maintained a limited presence in the region since 2001, moved to establish a permanent base in Dubai in 2008, which is currently manned by four full-time staff.
Groupe F technical director Simon Ransom said the sheer volume of work the company had been responsible for to date combined with the Middle East’s growing commercial potential has prompted the company to more aggressively pursue opportunities in the region.
“Key to this is the launch of the Groupe F Middle East brand, which has been accompanied by our new Middle East website, located at www.groupef.ae,” he said.
“Despite the economic downturn, we haven’t witnessed a slowdown in demand at all. In fact, 2009 was a bigger year for us than 2008. Things may have slowed a little in Dubai, but the growth witnessed in other regional markets has more than compensated for this. Markets such as Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain are all doing well.
“It was a very good year for the fireworks business in the region and gladly we were at the forefront of many of these projects.”
