Sajjad Ahmad, Deputy Business Editor

Portuguese premium interior design brands are looking forward to capture the rising demand for luxury furniture products in the GCC region.

The Portuguese Association of Wood and Furniture Industries (AIMMP) has announced that 18 leading Portuguese interior design brands are taking part in the 23rd edition of The Hotel Show Dubai, which opened on Tuesday at Dubai World Trade Centre.

The premium brands from the southern European country will demonstrate the competitive strength of Portugal aimed to tap into the growth opportunities in the Middle East with a range of luxurious products and interior design concepts influenced by sustainability, technology, and holistic wellness considerations.

The 18 participating companies from Portugal on display at Stands 8E351 e 8B375 at The Hotel Show Dubai 2023 include Freitas & Barbosa, Pacheco, ARQ TAILOR’S, Bloma by Covema, Casa Magna, Compincar, Fagotel, Flumen - Decor In White, MainGUILTY, Mamoa, MBN Group, Muranti, PA.ArK, Ribadao Wood Boutique, Safina, Salma, ToroNobre, and X8 Solutions Group.

Commenting on the Portuguese participation, Vítor Poças, President of the AIMMP, said, “We are excited to showcase 18 Portuguese companies this year at the Hotel Show Dubai further expanding the reach of ‘The Best of Portugal’ brands and premium range of luxury furniture and interior design products to the UAE and regional markets. All our pieces are carefully crafted with Portuguese love and soul. We consider the quality of our products to hand the client a premium piece from Portugal to the world.”

“Renowned for their bespoke offerings and high-quality products, these companies are looking to expand their footprint in the Middle East market with diverse and innovative product range. Our mission is to represent, promote, and protect the interests of Portuguese companies from the five sectors that make up the wood and furniture industry with export, import and distribution of wood and derivatives. These industries export EUR more than 3 billions last year,” he added.

“We support Portuguese companies in this sector that are interested in internationalization strategies to expand into growing markets. Over the years, we have supported over 400 companies through over 140 actions in more than 50 markets. This contributed to the growth of the sector’s exports by around 1000 million euro in the last 10 years,” Poças elaborated.

According to him, the luxury furniture market in the UAE generated $3.72 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow 4.09 per cent annually over the next four years. “We project a continued increase in the demand for luxury furniture. The UAE economy is seeing a rise in disposable income per capita. Along with rising tourism, the UAE market has ideal conditions for luxury brands.”

“The UAE citizens spend 30 per cent of their monthly salaries on luxury goods and a greater number of citizens are trading up from mid-market brands. On top of this, foreign products account for 58 per cent of all the UAE purchases giving established international brands a large competitive edge in the market,” Poças further said.

The Portuguese products on display features a mix of innovation, sustainability, and contemporary design, applied to furniture, lighting, porcelain, textiles and a few author design pieces as well. Some of these pieces are tailor-made for the hospitality sector and others for private luxury houses, dedicated to Interior designers, decorators, architects, and so on.