Ansar Gallery's Barwa branch will have one of the biggest building materials sections in Doha.
By Joey Aguilar
Staff Reporter
Ansar Group of Companies (AGC) is set to open its 30,000-square-metre branch in Barwa Commercial Avenue next month to cater to the growing demand for building materials and furniture in Qatar.
The 800-metre-long showroom, considered the longest and the largest in Qatar, will be the eighth outlet of the Ansar Group in the country.
The other branches are located at Al Rayyan, Al Khor, Airport Road, Al Mansoura and City Centre Doha. Doha City and Ansar City are also operated by the group.
AGC chairman Ali Akbar Shaikh Ali told Gulf Times that they are making final preparations for a grand opening of the Barwa branch and more than 700 employees had been hired.
“At the moment, we have our crew all on board getting the necessary training,” he said. The Barwa branch will house one of the biggest building materials section in Doha and a 5,000sqm section dedicated to bedroom furniture.
High-end products from countries such as Spain and Italy will be showcased. Unique designs and brands have been created exclusively for Ansar Gallery. Regular building materials being used in the market will be imported from China.
The Barwa branch will also house a two-storey (2,000sqm) carpet section, which Ali described as the biggest carpet showroom in Doha. Handmade luxury carpets from Belgium and India are to be among the main attractions.
The showroom, a multi-million riyal investment, will also have dedicated sections for porcelain and ceramic, sanitaryware, lighting and doors, electronics, garments and footwear, and a supermarket. It will also have a food court, play area, coffee shop and a fashion zone.
Ali noted that they will offer almost all well-known brands in the electronics section. Asked about their target customers, he said Qataris are more likely to buy building materials and furniture while expatriates favour other goods. But both have common preferences such as fashion and house furnishings.
Ali considers Qatar as a huge market, citing the enormous investment made by businesses in the country.
He said companies have bigger opportunities in Qatar due to the infrastructure boom and the fast growing population. The AGC chairman believes that lots of changes will take place in the next three to five years as the country prepares for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
“Qatar’s landscape will be totally different 10 to 15 years from now,” said Ali. “It will be something else people had never imagined especially with the large-scale infrastructure development currently under way.”
While AGC has two ongoing projects (Barwa branch and Old Airport Road), it plans to open more branches in Qatar in the future. “We have to wait a little, maybe two or three months since we want to satisfy our customers."
Ansar Group of Companies has three branches in the UAE and one in Bahrain. It has also opened offices in China and Turkey.
