Driven by the buoyant market trends in the wellness domain, VLCC has announced plans to increase the number of centres in Middle East to 35 by 2010 compared to the originally-planned 28.

One of the region’s premier preventive healthcare and beauty care brand, VLCC has committed over Dh200 million ($54.4 million) to fund the expansion in the region.

An announcement to this effect was made at the inauguration of VLCC’s seventh centre in the UAE.

The new centre, at Al Qusais in Dubai, was inaugurated by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Juma Al Maktoum in the presence of  Indian Consul General Venu Rajamony, Vandana Luthra, VLCC founder and mentor and Mukesh Luthra, VLCC chairman and managing director.

Speaking on the occasion, Luthra said: “We are extremely pleased to announce the opening of our new centre at Al Qusais. VLCC’s distinct offering has been well received in the UAE. This has prompted us to increase the pace of our proposed roll-out in the region.”

Detailing the company’s growth plans for the region, Mukesh said the launch of the new centre was part of VLCC’s aggressive Dh200 million roll-out in the Middle East.

“In the next six months, apart from additional centres in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the company will have operating centres is Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. The first centre in Muscat (Oman) is scheduled to open in March 2008,” he added

He added that VLCC, currently a Dh400 million group, is also planning an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in 2009. “While the details of the IPO will be announced later in the year, the capital raised would be used mainly to fund VLCC’s growth plans in the Middle East and beyond,”  he noted.

“We will further expand in the three lines of business – slimming & beauty services, manufacturing and retailing of personal care products and beauty and nutrition education & training services,” he added.

The new centre at Al Qusais will offer VLCC’s signature session-based Slimming Services including Weight Loss, Body Therapies, Body Firming, Body Contouring, Gel Therapy and other Weight Maintenance and Beauty programmes.-TradeArabia News Service