The Scent of Legacy
Ajmal Dubai has been built around perfumery for three quarters of a century and their vision today is to build the brand into a truly global fragrance house. They want to take what they have nurtured over generations and introduce it to consumers in more markets around the world, while ensuring they never lose that unique Ajmal essence. We speak with CEO Abdulla Ajmal to learn more…
Having grown from a family business into a fully integrated fragrance company, the passion behind it has never wavered. Ajmal Dubai are growers, manufacturers, retailers and distributors and that gives them a very different understanding of fragrance, from the ingredients right through to the final consumer.
For its current CEO Abdulla Ajmal, heritage and growth are opposites. Every new market they enter and every new fragrance they create still has to feel like the brand and this remains pivotal to Abdulla.
Today the company has more than 400 stores and is supported by a growing international network across retail, more than 100 travel retail locations, e-commerce and exports to over 70 countries.
“What is changing now is the nature of our international expansion. We are moving beyond being primarily a regional fragrance brand and establishing Ajmal Dubai directly in some of the world’s most important fragrance and luxury markets. The opening of our London store is an important part of that journey.”
The launch of their Westfield London store in July this year is certainly one of their most important milestones. It is their first store in the UK and their first physical retail presence in the Western Hemisphere.
“For us, London was a very natural choice. It is a global city, it has a sophisticated fragrance consumer and it is a market where we felt there was a real opportunity to introduce our interpretation of Oud and fine fragrance. At the same time, we launched our UK e-commerce site, so customers can experience Ajmal Dubai both in-store and online,” highlights Abdulla.
Another important recent opening was the site in Indonesia, which strengthens their presence in Southeast Asia and gives them a direct connection with consumers in an important and growing fragrance market. These openings are part of a much larger international journey. They are looking at how they can build the business in each market through the right combination of physical retail, digital and consumer experience.
Their focus is not simply on entering more markets, but on establishing meaningful, long-term brand presence in key global fragrance capitals and high-potential markets.
The CEO and Ajmal Dubai team do not want fragrance retail to feel transactional, but experiential. When a customer walks into a store, they want them to discover something. Their teams spend time understanding the customer – their preferences, their personality and what kind of fragrance they normally enjoy – and then recommend fragrances accordingly.
“We want customers to experience the world behind the fragrance – our Oud, our ingredients, our heritage and our craftsmanship. That is why we think of our stores as destinations for fragrance discovery rather than simply places to buy a bottle,” Abdulla comments. “That experience has to continue outside the store. Whether someone is interacting with us through e-commerce, social media or another digital channel, we want the experience to feel consistent, personal and unmistakably Ajmal.”
A major pillar of their future growth is their digital innovation. Their products are now available online across global markets, reflecting their vision of making the brand accessible to fragrance lovers worldwide. The UK exemplifies this approach, where they have brought their physical and digital presence together – launching their London store alongside their online platform to create a seamless, elevated brand experience.
On the other hand, social media has allowed them to tell a story in a very different way. It allows them to talk about Oud, their ingredients, their heritage and their new collections to consumers who may never have encountered the company before.
Sustainability is another aspect that is closely connected to the business, because the relationship with fragrance begins with the ingredients themselves. Their farm-to-fragrance philosophy gives them a much closer connection to the source of what they use. They remain involved across the fragrance journey, from cultivation and sourcing through to manufacturing and retail.
For the brand, sustainability is not simply about one initiative, it is about thinking responsibly across ingredients, partnerships, manufacturing and the way they build the business for the long term.
Working in such a competitive market, the CEO feels that respecting loyal customers while continuing to give them something new to discover is how you maintain their custom. Existing customers know the name for their heritage, craftsmanship and expertise in Oud. They firstly have to protect that trust whilst also speaking to a new generation, which means new fragrances, new experiences and a different way of telling their story.
“Our marketing campaigns; The Scent of a City, The Strings of Oud, The Untold Stories and Eau D’Oud allow us to communicate our heritage in a contemporary way,” Abdulla says. “Ultimately, we want someone who has known Ajmal Dubai for years to continue discovering something new, while someone discovering us for the first time to feel that the brand is relevant to them.”
As he looks to the future, Abdulla explains that they want to take Ajmal Dubai from being recognised primarily as a regional fragrance brand to becoming a truly global luxury house. Their ambition is to reach more than 100 countries by 2030 and the UK is an important element of this. Their biggest challenge in doing this is to maintain their identity throughout this upcoming growth.
“When you enter new markets, you have to understand different consumers and different cultures. You have to adapt, but you cannot compromise the things that made you successful in the first place. For us, that means continuing to grow while remaining true to our heritage, our people and our craftsmanship,” he illustrates.
“I think the most important thing to understand about Ajmal is that it is still a family story. My grandfather started the business in 1951. My father built on that foundation and it is my responsibility to take it forward. For us, it is not simply about becoming bigger. It is about growing while staying true to who we are.”
