The success story that is Danube Building Materials is truly one that bears inspiration and reflects the strong dedication of its owners and staff that helped reach the top position it enjoys today. From its humble beginnings as a small trading shop located along the busy merchant-laden streets of Naif in Dubai to a wide-reaching presence across the Middle East region and India, Danube today is the brand name that is recognized as the leader in construction, building materials, shop fitting industries and home interior products. Over the years, Danube has remained fully committed to its set objective of reaching out to key locations in the region and beyond. The testament to this is the continuous move to open more Danube Building Materials retail showrooms and Buildmart branches. Over the last 19 years, Danube has coursed a path that transformed one shop with only three employees to over 40 locations in nine countries with employee strength of over 2,000 people. The company provides more than 25,000 products in stock and in-house value added services in all of its multiple set of showrooms across the MENA region and India. It offers a wide portfolio of products in building materials like MDF, plywood, boards, exotic timber, veneer, laminates, aluminum cladding, steel, hardware, ceramic tiles, wall panel, chandeliers, sanitary ware, kitchen, glass, acrylic, electrical, doors, flooring, ceiling, paints, fire solutions and much more. Danube is the No. 1 building materials company with presence worldwide, especially in the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and India, in addition to procurement offices in China and Canada. Keeping pace with emerging markets, we have recently entered the African region with showrooms in Kenya and Libya. We also plan to expand to Ethiopia and Tunisia soon. Founder and Chairman Rizwan Sajan has always been at the forefront of the company's key moves and strategies like expanding its market presence, branching out to different locations and adding newer products to Danube's already diverse portfolio. When he established Danube in 1993, Rizwan envisioned a retail franchise that could serve all the wants and needs of their customers — a total “one-stop-shop” that offered everything from building materials to interior design services. This came to life in 2008 with the launch of their retail arm called Danube Buildmart. The outlets target a diverse retail segment ranging from developers to architects, interior designers to homeowners. Danube also opened a modern and highly equipped state-of-the-art warehousing facility inside the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA). Danube is also one of the biggest tenants in JAFZA owning a space of 5 million sq ft. The Industrial Complex facility was also recently inaugurated in Techno Park, JAFZA, which comprises several units for melamine pressing, steel cut and bend, décor (veneer pressing), development, ceiling tiles manufacturing and distribution in addition to a warehouse unit. As a part of the group's long-standing commitment to preserve biodiversity, Danube is the first building material company to be FSC certified in the GCC that provides customers with greener products through responsible forest management. These certifications confirm that Danube's line of products such as wood, MDF, plywood, boards, door core, etc., which has been manufactured using raw materials harvested from certified sources, controlled wood sources or post-consumer reclaimed sources. Danube is the only company to have the highest range of products under the FSC certification in the GCC. Additionally, Danube also offers products like sanitary ware, gypsum products, cement fiberboards, etc., which can be used for LEED certified projects. The scale of Danube's commitment to green building standards demonstrates the company's commitment to a greener and cleaner society for now and generations to come. Danube is one of the region's most forward moving companies, achieving a 20 percent yearly growth over the past few years and is on course to achieve its targeted revenue of over $1 billion and presence through over 75 showrooms by 2015. Danube's success and standing in the building materials industry was complemented with the start of Danube Buildmart, the Home Interior Retail arm of Danube Group. Danube Buildmart showrooms are present in major shopping malls and as standalone outlets. The product portfolio of Buildmart includes luxury sanitary ware, ceramic wall and floor tiles, parquet flooring, elegant curtains, wallpapers, window blinds, chandeliers, carpets, home decors, hardware tools, decorative paints, wall panels, garden and outdoor furniture and accessories, modular kitchens and many more building materials and home interior products. One of the key features in Buildmart showrooms is that the company offers free interior design consultancy services in all its showrooms. This concept has been a major hit with customers and today Danube Buildmart is the choice when it comes to home interiors and décor. The advantage of knowing what customers demand has helped propel Danube to become the leader in the building materials and home interior segment — even performing excellently during the economic downturn without sacrificing on the quality and standards of its products. Because of its commitment to provide only world class high quality products to the market, Danube has earned accolades and distinctions from various international bodies. The company has also been lauded for the significant contributions made toward the development of UAE. The group has received prestigious awards for its excellent leadership, strategic concepts and initiatives. These awards include the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Business Excellence Award; Dubai Quality Award; Dubai Customs Award, the Dubai Logistics and Supply Chain Award and UAE's Top 20 Performers. Danube is the first building material company in the UAE to be awarded the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum (MRM) Business Award for two consecutive years. Danube Group is involved in Dubai Metro's Naming Rights Project launched by the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), by securing naming rights for the Jebel Ali Industrial Station, which is now renamed as Danube. Danube is the only expatriate-owned company to own a metro station in Dubai. Constantly seeking to improve its services, Danube is at best, one of the Middle East's customer focused retailers, aiming to improve the lifestyle of its customers by providing innovative products and services. In fact, when you think of building materials and home interior products, you don't have to think of any other brand but Danube.
