AJMAL PERFUMES VIEWS MALAYSIA AS BEST CHOICE TO EXPAND

By Tengku Noor Shamsiah Tengku Abdullah

KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 (Bernama) -- Ajmal Perfumes, one of the finest perfume
houses originating from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), considers Malaysia as
the best country to expand its business outside the Gulf region.

It also plans to make Malaysia a platform to enter other markets within the
region.

Its executive director Abdulla Ajmal said high consumer spending and
attractive tourist destination prompted the company to invest in Malaysia.

"I've been coming to Malaysia for some time and have a number of friends
here. I found the cultural mix over here and the capacity to spend on lifestyle
higher than some of the other Asean countries," he told Bernama in an interview
here.

"Of course, we know that Singapore seems stronger but then it has a very
small population. So keeping in mind the population and consumer spending, we
believe that this is the best choice to begin with," he said.

Abdulla said Ajmal Perfumes has aspirations to grow within the region,
targeting Singapore, Brunei and Thailand as well.

"But we will focus on Malaysia for the next couple of years," he said.

Malaysia, being a busy tourist destination, was a strong point that brought
Ajmal Perfumes here, Abdulla said.

"Especially with the 'Truly Asia' campaign going around the world, we
noticed the increase in the number of tourists, including from the Middle
East. So we figure this is a good entry point," he said.

Ajmal Perfumes recently made its local debut by opening its 135th outlet at
the Pavilion shopping centre here. Inspired by its brand philosophy, "Crafting
Memories", this marked its first flagship store outside the Emirates.

The new outlet allows customers to experience about 120 types of the
company's fine range of Western and Oriental fragrances.

With a rich heritage in perfumery, Ajmal Perfumes is one of the rare perfume
houses that have successfully blended in the Oriental traditions with the
sophistication of the West with its creations.

The story of Ajmal Perfumes began in 1951 in Assam, India, with Abdulla's
great grandfather, the late Ajmal Ali, who started as supplier of Agarwood, the
core ingredient used to produce Oriental perfume.

Abdullah, the first from the third generation to join the family business,
said his grandfather initially came from a farming background.

"But realising that it was difficult to sustain the family because of
weather factor and so on, he decided to do something entrepreneurial," he said.

In the early Seventies, Ajmal (the grandfather) started travelling to the
Middle East, going directly to the customers.

"When he met some of the rulers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, he realised this was
the potential for the future and sent one of my uncles in 1976 to open our first
store in Dubai," Abdulla said.

"Since then, we have now opened our 135th store, the first outside the Gulf
Cooperation Council countries," he said.

Asked about the target market for its products, Abdulla said many had the
perception that "since we come from the Middle East country, we are targeting
Arab consumers".

"That is not the case and neither are we talking about Muslim consumers
either because if that is the case, Indonesia will be a bigger Muslim market
than Malaysia," he said.

"Primarily, we are targeting consumers who are willing to try something
beyond the realm of convention. This includes those who are sick of branding
because brands spent more on marketing than on the products."

According to Abdulla, niche brands like Ajmal Perfumes are growing
worldwide, attracting those who are frequent travellers, well exposed,
knowledgeable and discerning in their taste.

"We are very heartened to see the good response since the opening of our
outlet here recently. Even young people are interested in the range we have," he
said.

Abdulla said the Ajmal Perfumes products are mostly priced between RM150 and
RM250 each.

"Of course, the high end goes as high as RM3,000 to RM3,300 per 12ml bottle,
that is from the precious oil derived from the Agarwood trees which take over
two decades to harvest," he said.

Asked about the company's plans in Malaysia, Abdulla said "our plan is to
open this flagship store and see what the reaction is like".

On whether it planned to open another store here, he said: "We are not sure
yet but for other cities in Malaysia, we have plans."

"We are going to expand through concessionaires and shop concept with large
department stores. But we do not want to be available everywhere because our
vision and brand philosophy is niche and not mass distribution," he said.

Apart from Malaysia, Abdulla said the company would be going to Lebanon this
month.

"We are going to focus on Lebanon for a couple of years, then expand there,"
he said.

Ajmal Perfumes also has plans for Europe, starting with London, Abdulla
said.

"It was supposed to be this year but as we all know that the retail scenario
in the United Kingdom has not improved much since last year but we will look at
it next year," he said.

Abdulla said Ajmal Perfumes catered to all kinds of clientele, whether they
are Chinese, Indians, Malays or Westerners.

Asked about the investment, he said that RM3.5 million (US$1.09 million) had
been spent on the local outlet and the company hoped to get its return on
investment within the next three years.

On tips for choosing perfumes, Abdulla said that buyers should not try more
than three fragrances at a time.

"It is extremely critical to choose the right kind of fragrance that suits
your personality rather than what people might be suggesting or recommending,"
he said.

"So I would always say that when you make a choice, firstly you got to like
it. Secondly, if you need help, you got to have somebody whom you trust
immensely, whether it is your partner or close friends or relatives, and they
can help you make the purchase decision."
-- BERNAMA