British Gift & Gadget company hits the ground running in the Middle East.

London UK, 17 October 2011: Ingenious British gift, gadget and toy developer Thumbs Up today announces the opening of its new Dubai office to service the Middle Eastern region. As part of the company’s program of international expansion, the new office will initially supply retailers in the UAE, Kuwait, Iran and Qatar; however, Thumbs Up confidently expects their Middle Eastern branch to expand even further in 2012.

Dubai-based company Jeetek Group has become the exclusive partner of Thumbs Up for the MENA (Middle East/North Africa) region.  The national company with widespread Telecom operations is firmly established in the region as a market leader and has close ties with global giants and leading brands in the electronics industry. The CEO of Jeetek Group, Mr Jihad El Hitt, had this to say about the new partnership: “The Thumbs Up brand is extremely marketable and, as we have the experience and infrastructure needed for such a distribution venture, we view the collaboration as an exciting opportunity to establish The Thumbs Up trade name and products throughout the region.”

The Middle Eastern expansion is in line with Thumbs Up’s ambitious global expansion strategy. With an existing stronghold in the USA and with German and French offices supplying retailers in Germany, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and Luxemburg, Thumbs Up now sees huge potential for growth in the MENA region.

Over the last few months extensive market research has been carried out by both partners to support the expansion into the Middle East. Dedicated Sales and Marketing staff have been procured solely to focus on Thumbs Up activity within the region. Thumbs Up’s ethos has always been to create and distribute the most original, on trend, marketable - and sometimes quirky - gifts and gadgets in the international market.  Confident that the partnership with Jeetek Group will be able to provide local insights into product requirements, Thumbs Up is looking forward to tailoring and creating new products to suit the specifications of the region and customer profiles.

In a statement about the move, Wojtek Kolan, Business Development Director of Thumbs Up’s UK Head Office said “We are delighted with our international growth this year. We have taken our products and brand into the USA, Germany, France and now the Middle East.  The connections Jeetek Group can offer us along with their industry experience and detailed knowledge of the local market made them the obvious choice to manage our new distribution office.’’ Thumbs Up products are to be distributed in Virgin Megastores (UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar), CompuMe, Carrefour and other major chains in the region.  Happy with the way the initial stages of the expansion have played out, Wojtek continued “We’re having a great response to our current product portfolio and now, crucially, we have fantastic local teams that can introduce these products to a very healthy new market.”

Mr Jihad El Hitt added that he feels sure Thumbs Up products will have an enthusiastic market in the Middle East “We are thrilled to be working with the Thumbs Up team. They certainly have a unique and competitive advantage in the industry and there is a real demand for innovative and groundbreaking products in the UAE and wider region at the moment. It’s an exciting time.”

A local website has been set up to support the expansion; please visit www.thumbsup.ae.

Company fast facts:

· 2004: Thumbs Up founded by Wojtek Kolan, Sundip Patel and Mitesh Patel
· 2006: Thumbs Up enters into European market
· 2007: Entrepreneurs Jay and Vimal Pau invest in Thumbs Up
· 2008: Thumbs Up enters the international market selling to the Middle East and
· 2009: Distribution partnerships established in Europe
· 2010: Thumbs Up doubles in size and moves forward with its recruitment drive
· July 2011: Thumbs Up opens European offices in France and Germany
· Oct 2011: Thumbs Up continues international expansion to include the MENA region