– “Ajmal” is a lifestyle brand.
– We set our sights on excellence and innovation.
– Our goal is to bring “Ajmal” to all parts of the world.
Ajmal Perfumes, now “Ajmal Dubai,” celebrates seventy-five years of experience in the perfume industry. Throughout this journey, it has established itself as a lifestyle brand and a distinguished name in the field. Its branches are present in more than 60 countries around the world, and the company, known for manufacturing the finest perfumes, plans to expand its global reach.
“Kol Al Arab” had a conversation with Abdullah Ajmal, CEO of Ajmal Group, the third generation to join the family business. He spoke to us about his long professional journey, the rich 75-year heritage, the company’s leading position in the perfume industry, and the plan to expand and develop “Ajmal” perfumes in the Gulf region and reach all corners of the globe.
What makes “Ajmal” different in the leading perfume industry?
We have a rich heritage spanning 75 years, but what truly makes us unique is our continuous evolution with the consumer. We always aim for excellence and innovation, putting significant effort into research and development. We don’t just copy what’s popular in the market; we work on developing our brand as a creative and innovative brand should, to take its rightful place.
Most importantly, to my knowledge, we are the only perfume company in the world, not just in the region, with its own plantations. We grow our own raw materials and have farms with millions of fruit-bearing trees. I don’t believe anyone else in the world possesses this integrated structure, from manufacturing raw materials to retail distribution.
In recent years, “Ajmal” has transformed from being solely an oriental perfume company to a fully integrated global perfume house. Tell us about this evolution.
With each generation, we have tried to advance and become more technologically progressive. The journey began with my grandfather trading in oud. Then we moved into importing oils from India and started blending them to create concentrated perfumes.
Later, when we expanded into the GCC countries and opened stores in Dubai, my younger uncle merged Gulf fragrances with Western ones. We have always been innovating and reinventing ourselves because you cannot remain the same as you were 30 years ago, or even 5 years ago.
Today, we can offer the heaviest oriental fragrances and even the lightest Western ones because we have our own laboratories, specialized perfumers, and we established a fragrance company to manufacture our own raw materials.
You focus on using the latest technology, innovation, and sustainability. How does Ajmal maintain its “Farm to Fragrance” approach?
We are always keen on bringing more progress and development to this industry, as this innovation has been rooted in our identity from the beginning. We have our own farms where we grow our raw materials, and we use agricultural technology to develop these materials for use in perfumes and for natural medicinal purposes.
We have established a specialized perfume company that handles the internal manufacturing of raw materials, which gives us complete flexibility in all stages of production. This integration from agriculture to manufacturing to retail is what ensures the quality of our products and the sustainability of their sources.
Congratulations on the recent opening of the “Ajmal” branch in Singapore. What are your future expansion plans and which countries are you considering?
Thank you very much for the congratulations. We had a wonderful experience in Singapore. We ran a special activation at the airport which was very successful; people loved it and engaged with it.
We are the only ones from the region with such a presence and partnerships with 14 airlines. We are also distributed in 60 countries, so our relationship with airports is very good, and we are always growing and evolving. I am very proud to say that we are ranked among the top ten brands even in the local Dubai market.
As for our future plans for “Ajmal,” they are very ambitious. We are working on expanding and opening stores in major European cities and in America, as well as a number of Middle Eastern countries. Our goal is for Ajmal to have a global presence all over the world.
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