The great outdoors

zoom

Georges Chehwane - has led Group Plus down new avenues; the company is making its mark in printing, publishing, media and property development as well as on billboards across the Middle East.

Prime spots for outside advertising in the UAE command prices of around US$5million a year, and the figures are only set to rise as competition in the arena hots up. Georges Chehwane, CEO of leading player Group Plus, explains his company’s diversification strategy and tells Diana Milne why it is the quality and creativity of what’s emblazoned on the billboards that people should be focusing on now.

When it comes to outdoor advertising in the Middle East it's a jungle out there, with companies jostling for space on the biggest highways and highest towers.

Group Plus is among the kings of the jungle - staking its claim with billboards spread across the UAE, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Lebanon, and raking in a massive US$45million a year.

But, says CEO Georges Chehwane, while outdoor advertising remains where the big money is, the scene is changing. New government regulations and the entrance of major international players in the market are creating fresh challenges for the group.

"Dubai is introducing more and more regulations and the availability and opportunities for outdoor advertising are becoming less," says Chehwane.

"Also everything is being put out to tender. We are witnessing a lot of global outdoor advertising companies with huge investment possibilities coming into the market and competing with local and international companies."

The way to deal with this increased competition in the market is for existing players to improve their offerings by becoming more creative, says Chehwane.

"You have to be more professional, you have to be more creative and you have to have better sales tools," he states simply.

But perhaps the biggest business strategy Group Plus has adopted to counteract the impact of competition on its profit margins is to diversify.

It now runs its own real-estate development company - Plus Properties - and has also expanded  its operations into the printing and production businesses.

It currently owns a radio station in Lebanon, France FM, and publishes several magazines and newspapers across the region, as well as running printing businesses in Beirut, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Plus Properties specialises in luxury waterfront developments and has projects in the IMPZ freezone, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Amman and Beirut.

Chehwane says he sees particularly high potential for the company in the real-estate sector.

"There is big potential in this business. We are in a country where real estate is booming and we believe we have all the elements to make it successful - to know where to get the land, and then to promote the properties in the right way with the right advertising campaign.

"I started off by investing in some properties myself. Then I realised I had all the tools to start a successful property development company.

"And since we are already very strong in media, we are using that strength to promote our projects."

Print | Email | Discuss this article |

READERS' COMMENTS

View all comments (0)

Have your say

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Security Code *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM