Startup of the Week: Saudi company offers eco-friendly travel luggage

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• I think what makes my products stand out is the fact that they are Saudi made, with localized cultural designs adding a personal touch to the bags

Najoob Travel is a novel business venture offering 100 percent cotton fabric bags designed to help organize luggage.
Mervat Al-Samman, owner and founder of the startup, drew on her own travel experiences to set up the company.
She said: “I travel with my family and kids and organizing three to four bags for every trip can be hard work. This is where I got the inspiration from to make things easier and turn the idea into a business so that other people could benefit from it.”
Initially, Al-Samman struggled to source suppliers of the cotton she required for her bags. “As well as calculating and managing the cost of the raw materials, printing was also a bit difficult at first,” she added.
Her bags are eco-friendly and reusable. “I think what makes my products stand out is the fact that they are Saudi made, with localized cultural designs adding a personal touch to the bags,” she said.
Al-Samman noted that the bags had proved popular as a gift for newlyweds. “Customers are happy with the quality, and often express their surprise at how simple and effective the bags are.”
The entrepreneur aims to expand her business by launching an online store and extending the reach of her products to a national and regional audience.