Saint-Honoré, a prominent Franco-Swiss luxury goods manufacturer, operating from Dubai Airport Free Zone is working towards achieving 30 per cent of its global volume of business from the Middle East region by 2012.

“We have witnessed a plethora of luxury goods manufacturers making a beeline for Dubai Airport Free Zone to reach out to the affluent and high net worth individuals in the region,” said Ibrahim Ahli, marketing director, Dubai Airport Free Zone.

He stated that a recently published world wealth report indicates that the Middle East has the highest concentration of financial wealth in the world. “The number of high net worth individuals (HNWIs) in the Middle East grew by 9.5 per cent in 2006-2007.”

The buoyant economies of the region combined with the Middle East consumers’ inherent passion for luxury brands has created a regional luxury market on the cusp of exponential growth.

“We have seen strong demand for our high end rose gold and diamond watches as well as cufflinks and writing instruments,” stated general manager of Saint-Honoré Middle East, Olivier Birault.

Saint-Honoré Middle East established a base in Dubai Airport Free Zone in 2005 and are in charge of supporting their Arab distributors and cover 14 countries from Dubai.  Saint-Honoré the brand has been present in the Middle East since the 1990s.

Established in 1996, the Dubai Airport Free Zone is home to more than 1,500 multinational companies from various sectors.

Leading companies located at the zone include Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Airbus, Isuzu, HTC, Benq, Victoria’s Secret, Boeing and LaCie.-TradeArabia News Service