Dragon Mart’s furniture section opens

By Joey Aguilar/Staff Reporter

The furniture section of Dragon Mart, which showcases a variety of Chinese-made products, including those meant for office and outdoor use, was opened yesterday.

The mall’s logistics manager, Yang Qi, told Gulf Times that they decided to open the mart “section by section” even as they expected a grand opening sometime this year.

“A delegation from our Ministry of Trade and Economy will visit Doha this year and I believe that is the best time to hold the big event,” he said.

Some of the products that would be available in the furniture section items may not be found in any other shop in the country, Qi stressed.

He also announced that they will open the small merchandise and construction material section on July 19. The electronics and mobile device section on the mezzanine floor, which has at least 50 shops, will start operating before September.

The official noted that some customers have placed orders even before the opening of the furniture section.

Qi said many of the Chinese businessmen who will open shops at the mall have started shipping their products from Dubai. At least 20 containers of furniture have initially been brought to Qatar.

He expects more Chinese products to be shipped, especially after the construction of the new Doha port, which will increase the container handling capacity annually.

During a visit to the mall yesterday, a number of shops for toys, sports goods, garden lighting and decor, construction materials, glassware and others were found undergoing minor construction. Some had their products on display.

Qi said several Chinese businessmen were expected to study the market in Qatar for at least two to three months “to balance the cost and profit”. He added that most of them are already in the country.

At least 30% of the shops will showcase products from countries such as the Philippines, South Africa, India, Thailand and Malaysia.

Also, Dragon Mart recently signed an agreement with Grand Mart to open a hypermarket inside the Chinese mall, which is believed to make the commercial area “more functional and attractive”.

Meanwhile, Qi said while many Chinese tenants take smaller showrooms, they rent bigger warehouses for their stocks. “That is basically how Chinese businessmen operate.”

However, he cited the high rents (for warehouses) in Doha as one of the many challenges most traders face.

Zhenguo Huang, president of Dragon Mart Doha, had earlier said at least 500 Chinese businessmen would operate 200 stalls at Dragon Mart located at Barwa Commercial Avenue.