CITADEL Arabia, the new fit-out company of Almutlaq Group (AMG) of Saudi Arabia, is looking at signing its first contract this month.

The company is in the final stages of negotiations for a few big projects in Saudi Arabia, says Raed Allahham, general manager, Almutlaq Projects.

It is also looking at opening an office in Abu Dhabi and Qatar before the end of this year, expanding its wood factory in Saudi Arabia and has plans to enter the office furniture sector.

Established a year ago, Citadel Arabia is a joint venture between Almutlaq Projects and Citadel of Slovakia.

Currently it is focusing on building its capabilities in interior design and is in the process of setting up a design team led by Carla Assad Karam, architect/team manager, Almutlaq Projects.

“Our team comprises interior designers with several years of local experience,” says Karam, adding that the team “understands the local culture, taste and needs”.

With Citadel Arabia, AMG has achieved its objective of becoming a key player and pioneer in interior decoration and designing, turnkey, furniture manufacturing, furniture retail and marketing, according to Allahham.

“For over five decades, we have been committing ourselves to uncompromising attention to detail, the use of the best material and unmatched quality and have set the fit-out quality standard for years to come,” Allahham says.

Citadel is a manufacturer of high-quality interior items with over two decades of experience in this field, and has been involved with a number of prestigious projects in Europe.

“We see a lot of opportunities in this region, particularly in Saudi Arabia and after a few years, in Qatar,” says Martin Svajda, partner, Citadel Arabia.

He continues: “We have started increasing the company’s market exposure by participating in exhibitions in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.”

Last month, Citadel Arabia participated in Interiors UAE exhibition, which was held in the UAE’s capital city Abu Dhabi.

“As a joint venture company, we showcased our past projects, mainly located in Europe,” says Svajda.

Citadel has provided interior design and fit-out services to many international hotel projects in the Czech and Slovak republics, Hungary, Ukraine and Croatia.

Besides hospitality projects, it has executed office and commercial centres, residential buildings and private houses.
In addition, the company also offers its own graphic designs, 3D renderings, procurement and site management for both construction and interior works.

“We can do the entire interiors, provide and implement the design; and manufacture and ship the fit-outs. We have a highly skilled team that can offer European designs as well,” says Svajda.

Commenting on market trends in interior design across the Gulf region, Karam says: “People today look for modern designs as against classical designs earlier, though classical is still sought mainly by hotels and palaces.”