London Businesses Learn How to Trade With Middle East

LONDON, September 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

London's entrepreneurs with overseas vision met with senior representatives from the Ajman Free Zone Authority in the United Arab Emirates, at London Chamber of Commerce this week, to unlock the business opportunities across the Middle East.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130916/639049 )

Business elite from the Ajman Free Zone Authority - Nader Eldesouky, deputy general manager, Rishi Somaiya, director of sales and marketing, and Ali Fahmi, head of customer service - met with city professionals to discuss Free Zones and the advantages to working across Ajman and the country.  

They were also joined by guest speakers Matthew Smith, director general of the Middle East Association, and Abdeslam El-Idrissi, director of trade services from the Arab British Chamber.

Nader Eldesouky, deputy general manager, from Ajman Free Zone Authority, said: "I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with London's businesses to discuss the lucrative investment opportunities in the UAE and how this can benefit companies across the Capital, promoting trade and industry between our two countries."

Matthew Smith, director general of the Middle East Association, said: "I enjoyed meeting with all types of businesses at the event. This was an ideal opportunity to combine our passion of promoting trade and relationships across the UAE with the great prospects across Ajman's Free Zones."  

Abdeslam El-Idrissi, Director of Trade Services from the Arab British Chamber, said: "This was a great opportunity to meet with like-minded people who were interested in expanding their businesses to trade across the Middle East. We hope that today we've been able to facilitate some trading objectives for those wanting to begin trade across the Arab world."

Ajman Free Zone Authority's Deputy General Manager, Nader Eldesouky, further commented: "Ajman Free Zone is deemed as one of the fastest growing free zones in the region and it will continue to grow over the years because time and energy is invested into the customer and the services offered to them."

Rishi Somaiya, director of sales and marketing, added: "Ajman Free Zone Authority is the first to offer flexible payment facilities to its clients in up to twelve easy and convenient instalments. This payment facility will act as a springboard for entrepreneurs who find entry cost to business prohibitive and result in development."

Elaborating on the Emirate's many other attractions, Mr Somaiya explained that "inexpensive energy, an extremely economic wage structure, total exemption from all import and export duties and exceptionally low handling charges, gives AFZA a collective competitive edge."

Most recently, the Ajman Free Zone Authority has also launched a new licence category for e-commerce enterprises, in addition to other existing licenses.  

In addition, the Free Zone offers various licensing options ranging from commercial to trading licenses, service to industrial licenses and provision of a competitive warehousing facility, called Smart Warehouse. Smart Warehouse allows investors to lease out space starting from as little as 100 sqm and as the facility is scalable, multiple units can be taken up to suit the clients' requirements.

Situated at the foot of the Arabian Gulf, the Ajman Free Zone is widely regarded as the ideal location
for the supply of goods and services for the domestic and regional markets, allowing investors to reap the benefits. Other lucrative advantages to investing in Ajman Free Zone include inexpensive energy, an extremely economic wage structure, total exemption from all import and export duties and exceptionally low handling charges.

More information can be found at http://www.afza.gov.ae/en/    

Notes to editor

• Ajman Free Zone is deemed as one of the fastest growing free zones in the region.
• Ajman Free Zone has four licenses:
  • Trading license - this is issued to foreign/UAE companies/free zone entities which wish to carry out trading activities in the free zone
  • Industrial license/Service license - this is this is issued to foreign/UAE companies/free zone entities which wish to carry out manufacturing in the free zone
  • Professional/services license - this is this is issued to foreign/UAE companies/free zone entities which wish to carry out professional services/activities in the free zone
  • E-commerce - this is issued to foreign/UAE companies/free zone entities which wish to carry out e-commerce activities in the free zone
• Ajman Free Zone offers advantages such as 100% foreign ownership and repatriation of capital and profits, no personal income-tax, low labour cost and offers an array of facilities ranging from offices, land and warehousing.
• Ajman Free Zone is one of the only free zones near a city, which provides many benefits to business.
• Ajman one of the seven emirates in the UEA. Free zones are a geographically distinguished areas, which hold particular laws and regulation varies than those applied within the state.
• Investors to free zones can enjoy particular incentives and privileges, which include:  freedom to initiate any legal form for the activity and the investor has the freedom to determine prices of his services or products and the profit margin they desire.

SOURCE Big Cat Group