INNOVATOR Portfolio check An overview of the Shaikhani Group’s diversified lines of businesses
Shaikhani Group won Best Residential Project at the 2016 Construction Innovation Awards
for this are aplenty- for one, Shaikhani Group is one of the property development companies that managed to steer through the economic recession successfully, and is now on track to deliver all of its other projects as well. Shaikhani Group’s ongoing real estate projects, for instance, are targeted toward the mid-market segment, which is where demand is already picking up, and set to rise even further. Smaller units –just like the one- and two-bedroom apartments Shaikhani Group are bringing to the market- are seeing a lot of interest in the Dubai property sector today. The company is also trying to facilitate more buyers Under construction Champions Tower
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Entrepreneur december 2016
for its offerings through its payment plan- billed as the Family Homes initiative, it will allow for buyers to pay 50% of the price when they sign on, and the remainder can be paid after handover over a 24-month-long period. But it’s not just the buyers- Shaikhani Group’s projects are also getting noticed in Dubai’s real estate business community. Its AED220 million Gardenia Residency project was declared as the ‘Residential Project of the Year’ at the 2016 Construction Innovation Awards presented by Construction Business News Middle East in October this year. In a statement released after the win, Shaikhani called the award “a defining moment” for his enterprise. “These industry-leading awards reflect our customers’ trust on us and the business community’s sincere appreciation of our works and the quality of our works,” he says. “I am pleased to accept these awards, which are the results of dedication, teamwork, hard work and collective efforts by my team members, and the award goes to them.” With his company’s footprint now firmly embedded in the property development and industry sectors, Shaikhani aims to diversify
REAL ESTATE Through its group companies based in the Middle East and Asia, the Shaikhani Group caters to real estate project development, with projects including Frankfurt Sports Tower, Cambridge Business Center, etc.
TRADING Gulf-O-Flex Trading is the trading arm of Shaikhani Group with dealers and distributors network across the globe. It aims to provide a one-window solution to all the HVAC related material requirements of its customers.
CONTRACTING Shaikhani Contracting is a subsidiary that delivers a wide array of services, including HVAC and MEP, glass, aluminum and cladding works, joinery, metal and cabinet, civil, flooring works and insulation contracting.
AUTOMOBILE Shaikhani Autos is a key dealer of new and used cars from the USA. The dealership ably offers affordably priced automobiles for the United States and Middle East markets.
FACILITY MANAGEMENT As Shaikhani Group’s facility management arm, Takmeel specializes in the provision of services like design and concept, construction and project management, property management, etc.
BPO De-Express delivers worldclass strategic BPO services to leading European energy service providers and their consumers. Based in Karachi, Pakistan, De-Express offers a variety of key services to a growing customer base.
MANUFACTURING Rubber World Industries, the leading manufacturer of closed-cell rubber insulation Gulf-O-Flex in the Gulf and Southeast Asia, is the pioneering project of the Shaikhani Group of Companies.
F&B MS Britannia LTD has a series of franchises, a food griller chain in the UK, and the group will be introducing 10 branches in the UAE. MS UK Foods LTD is another food chain of Rio Piri Piri Chicken in London.
his family business further in the future, by moving into the F&B and textile industries. With regards to the former, Shaikhani reveals that the company has already signed contracts with two franchises in the UK, whereas for the latter, the search is still on for good business opportunities in that arena. As for his existing businesses, Shaikhani is clear that in order for them to move forward, the integration of new innovations and a continued emphasis on
research and development will be essential. Shaikhani doesn’t rule out the potential of an IPO in the years to come as well- he’s gauging the state of his business and the market at large for its readiness in terms of such an exposure. “Being an entrepreneur means you should be knowing what will happen in the future,” he says- it is this kind of foresight that Shaikhani credits for the company’s success, and it’s what he hopes will sustain it in the years to come as well.