Home Essentials Opens Furniture Warehouse in Dubai To Meet Short-Term Demand and Build Long-Term Business
Dubai, UAE September 25, 2003 – Chris Exline, President of Home Essentials, the largest furniture leasing operation outside the US, announced today the opening of its Home Essentials warehouse in Dubai representing its first direct presence in the Middle East. According to Exline, the warehouse will help the company to meet its short-term demand for temporary furnishings in post-conflict Iraq as well as to build a presence in the region for its longer-term business strategy.
“Our business plan is for the long-term,” said Exline. We want to meet the immediate demand from foreign business owners and expatriate workers for leased furniture and total turnkey services in Iraq. But we also want to invest in this region, set up operations, hire workers here and provide a service over the long haul. Just like our operations in Hong Kong and Singapore, we are building part of our future here in the Middle East.”
As the number of temporary workers in Iraq continues to grow, so does the need for housing, office facilities, furnishings, transportation, communications, security, cleaning and other essential services. “It is not an easy situation for the foreign worker arriving for the first time,” said Exline. “That’s why we at Home Essentials now offer a comprehensive turnkey operation of essential services to help expatriate workers get situated quickly. That way, they can immediately start making a meaningful contribution to the rebuilding effort.”
Home Essentials made the decision to establish a presence in the Middle East last April. At that time, Chris Exline, president, realized that the scope of work envisioned by the Administration to rebuild Iraq required the influx of thousands of expatriates who would need minimum accommodations and comforts while away from home. Wanting to be part of the solution, he directed Home Essentials to develop a cost-effective furniture and equipment leasing service to meet the impending demand in Iraq.
Home Essentials is currently working with the USAID to fulfill household equipment and office furnishing requests from its employees. Items are ordered and shipped from Home Essential’s warehouses, located in Dubai and other areas. “In addition to delivering goods in a timely fashion,” said Exline, “we are successfully meeting this need at well below prescribed costs. This is our contribution to this worthwhile endeavor to rebuild Iraq.”
About Home Essentials
Founded in 1997, Home Essentials is the largest furniture rental company outside the US. The company has offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and Baghdad. Home Essentials provides furniture leasing and sales to meet the furnishing needs of expatriates, landlords, developers and service apartment operators worldwide. In Iraq, Home Essentials also provides a turnkey service for foreign workers, including housing and office facilities, transportation, communications, security, cleaning and other essential services. Its list of clients include British American Tobacco, Citibank, Disney, Ernst & Young, Exxon Mobil, IBM, Intel, Morgan Stanley, Standard Chartered, and USAID as well as several large real estate landlords and developers.