Dubai, United Arab Emeritus, May 16--Merinos Carpet has announced that it would be expanding its presence across the globe with the launch of a comprehensive international franchise program, choosing Dubai as the launch-pad for its trendsetting scheme.
Through the establishment of the network, Merinos Carpet is confident of capturing a large slice of the international carpet business and spreading the company’s operations beyond the Middle East. At the same time, the company announced the renewal of its exclusive endorsement agreement with popular star of Arab cinema, Hussein Fahmi. The new developments come at an exciting time for Merinos Carpet as the company is poised for rapid growth throughout the region and beyond.
Commanding over US$350 million in worldwide sales last year, Merinos Carpet has emerged as a leading brand name in the carpet industry. A top official of Merinos said that the new franchise program is expected to fetch the company an additional US$100 million, making it the world leader in its business.
Ibrahim Erdemoglu, chairman of Merinos Carpet, stated that the growing number of inquiries from dealers around the world was one of the main reasons for launching the franchise network in unrepresented areas. With the new development, Merinos Carpet is set to become the first carpet manufacturer in the world to introduce a store franchising program.
"With over 100 showrooms across the Middle East, Merinos Carpet enjoys a formidable reputation in the Arab world for its contemporary designs and attractive patterns," Erdemoglu pointed out. "While our carpets have been sold in more than 50 countries, including the United States, Canada, Germany and Russia, over the past 50 years, Merinos Carpet has attracted strong interest from many countries around the world."
The Merinos Franchise Program will allow the company to forge new alliances with established distributors who have a deeper market penetration in their countries, Erdomoglu said, adding that the retail network was expected to grow ten-fold to include both wholly owned and franchises across the region in two years.
With production facilities in Europe and Asia and a renowned in-house design team, Merinos Carpet is known for its contemporary designs and high-quality rugs and carpets. The company employs the latest technologies and techniques in carpet production, making it a worldwide pioneer in the industry. The company caters to a discerning clientele and diverse tastes through more than 100 showrooms across the Middle East, including 30 in Saudi Arabia and six in the UAE.
Sultan Salem Al Qaiwani, Merinos Carpet General Manager, pointed out that the Merinos Global Franchise System would further underline the company’s presence in all countries with a strong retail sales and support structure that is associated with the Merinos corporate philosophy.
"Merinos Carpet enjoys an unrivalled popularity worldwide with customers who consider it as a superior lifestyle investment and would like to own a piece of this time-honored tradition," Al Qaiwani said. "Being a Merinos franchisee would therefore mean access to a powerful brand that is well established worldwide and being able to share the accumulated resources and knowledge that the Merinos trademark has achieved over the years."
He pointed out that Merinos franchisees can enjoy a host of attractive advantages such as an exceptional and exclusive product range, non-stop quality control system, environment-safe production standards, innovative and customer-friendly showroom environment, superior marketing campaigns, online technological support, continuous technical and service training, local store marketing tools, efficient and reliable logistical support and business development opportunities derived from the Merinos network.
