Riyadh – March 26, 2014: Fragrance Foundation Arabia, the Middle East division of Fragrance Foundations, recently organized the 4th edition of Fifi Arabia Perfumes 2013 Awards - also popularly known as the ‘Perfume Oscars’ - held recently at the Armani Hotel in Burj Khalifa, Dubai, which honoured a group of the top companies specialized in the perfume industry. In appreciation to it wealthy journey in offering market leading fragrances that compete in the global markets, Arabian Oud, the largest specialized oriental perfume retailer in the world and the foremost luxury fragrance house in the Middle East, received 5 of the 14 event awards, including the ‘Mono-Brand-Store of the year’ under the ‘Retailer of the Year’ category and four other awards under the ‘My Perfume of the Year’ category.

Winning these awards for the second consecutive year reflects Arabian Oud’s excellence and leadership in developing the finest oriental fragrances that can keep pace with global competition. The company is currently regarded as the number one brand in the region and 11th globally in producing the finest luxury perfumes. Gentleman Secret and Donna succeeded to overpass major global brands in a first-time achievement for a locally produced perfume. Majestic Special and Woody Blanc also received two awards among the ‘My Perfume of the Year’ category in return of their high sales figures in the local and global markets.

Shahzad Haider, Chairman of Fragrance Foundation Arabia, said that Fifi Arabia Perfumes Awards has succeeded over the past few years in establishing a culture of innovation among perfumes manufacturers in the Arab world. He further praised the leading position achieved by Arabian Oud, as proven by its five received prominent awards at the event, pointing out that the company’s leadership among local brands to leave a major impression in the global perfume markets. Haider also confirmed the will to achieve a continued cooperation with all concerned parties in the Arabian perfumes sector to strengthen the presence of local products in the international markets.

Abdullah Al Duweish, Vice President of Arabian Oud has expressed that the accomplishments embody the company's commitment to adopting the latest technologies, best manufacturing practices and highest international quality standards in order to develop innovative oriental perfumes and take the national industry to a new level of leadership, regionally and globally. Al Duweish also pointed out that the competitiveness of Saudi and Gulf perfume brands against leading brands worldwide represents a quantum leap that will strengthen local perfume industry, which is witnessing a remarkable growth in the Gulf States that has become a leading market for the most prominent Arab and global luxury perfumes.

Ali Jaber, Head of Perfume Oscar Jury, pointed out that the recently concluded edition of the event clearly confirmed the global fragrance companies’ move towards producing oriental perfumes with Arabic names and using oud and oriental perfume oils components, which reflects a major new trend in the global fragrance industry. The major role of Arabian Oud in exporting the oriental culture to the world for the past 30 years through its wide network and in setting the emerging trends within the global markets was also highlighted, as these markets are seeing further interest in oud and oriental perfume products.

The three Fifi Arabia Perfumes Awards categories include ‘Fragrance of the Year,’ ‘Retailer of the Year’ and ‘My Favorite Perfume of the Year.’ An independent jury was formed to select winners of Fragrance of the Year, while the winners of Retailer of the Year and My Favorite Perfume of the Year were selected based on online consumer voting. Arabian Oud received high voting levels for the ‘Mono-Brand-Store of the year’ award, affirming the leadership of its retail store network worldwide.

Arabian Oud is the largest company specializing in oud and oriental perfumes in the world, drawing on its own private sources of raw materials for its products. It manages an extensive network of 600 branches throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Gulf States, Middle East and Europe.