VLCC and Saudi conglomerate Cigalah Group sign strategic partnership to launch VLCC Wellness Centres in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

6 VLCC Wellness centers in the Kingdom in the next 3 years, with an estimated investment of over AED 30 million

August 24, 2017; Dubai, UAE:  The premier global beauty and wellness brand, VLCC, and leading Saudi business house and healthcare services and products player, Cigalah, today announced a strategic partnership to launch VLCC Wellness centres in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), starting with Jeddah.

VLCC’s entry into KSA will further strengthen its position in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region where it has already established itself as a pioneer in the beauty and wellness industry, and currently operates 20 VLCC Wellness centres across UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait. VLCC has also been selling its range of skin care, hair care and body care products across GCC and launched these products in KSA in 2014, which are available in leading retail chain stores across the country.

VLCC will be setting up its state-of-the-art wellness centers, starting with Jeddah, in partnership with Cigalah Group and will be offering the entire portfolio of weight management and beauty services, under one roof. The VLCC centers will also offer the latest skin, dermatology and hair care services and treatments. The centers will also be equipped with the latest US-FDA and European-CE standard compliant appliances and willoffer the very latest in scientific weight management programs, aimed to improve the overall wellness index of the VLCC customers in the Kingdom, through non-invasive, dietary modification, behaviourial modification and physical activty-based solutions.

The company plans to set up 6 VLCC Wellness centers in the Kingdom in the next 3 years, with the first one scheduled to open in Jeddah by November this year. It is estimated that a total investment of over AED 30 million will go into setting up these centres.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr.Mukesh Luthra, Chairman, VLCC Group said, “We have been in the GCC region for a decade and it has been a successful and satisfying journey. We have received a fantastic response across all the countries in the region, over the years, and have grown to be a trusted player in the beauty and wellness space in the region. We have been very keen to enter the Saudi market with our VLCC Wellness centres for some time now and look forward to working to address the issues of obesity and overweight, which - in KSA too, as in most parts of the world - is increasingly become a public health hazard. VLCC, which is committed to ‘transforming lives’, strives to make a positive impact on the health of the citizens of Saudi Arabia by creating awareness about preventive healthcare and lifestyle related diseases amongst its customers.”

Added Mr.Luthra, “We are excited to partner with a reputed organisation like Cigalah Group to roll out our services in Saudi Arabia. Cigalah Group is one the most well-known brands in healthcare domain in the region and we are confident that this association will help catapult our growth in the region and make us clear leaders in the beauty and wellness space in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the times to come.”

Speaking on the association, Mr. Abdullah Yaser Naghi, Director of Cigalah Group said “Cigalah being a leading player in the region in the healthcare domain and VLCC being a leader in the Wellness segment, we see tremendous synergies between the two organisations. VLCC has been committed to transforming lives for decades and has done commendable work for the beauty and wellness industry, across Asia and East Africa. It has always given utmost importance to efficacy and quality of its products and services. We look forward to working closely with VLCC and making the residents of Saudi Arabia healthier and fitter.”

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has one of the highest prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in the world, even in children. As per a survey released by Lancet in 2016, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the third most obese nation in the world, after Malta and Switzerland. Some of the reasons for overweight and obesity are unhealthy eating habits, sedentary lifestyles and lack of physical activity or exercise. According to a report by the Department of Basic Sciences, College of Science & Health Professions, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Riyadh, the rate of obesity is continuously increasing and the overall obesity will increase to 41% in men and 78% in women by 2022 in Saudi Arabia. The report also states that a higher number of males are overweight while obesity is more prevalent in females.

Beauty is one of the fast growing industries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which accounts for 41.6 per cent of the MEA beauty market, with consumers having spent US$4.8 billion on beauty products last year. With the increasing importance of special occasions and weddings, that are a multi- billion industry growing at 12% annually, this market is expected to continue its rapid growth in the foreseeable future.