Pure Gold Jewellers is a jewellery retailer with 120 stores across the Middle East, in the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, KSA, Bahrain, Sri Lanka and 200 stores in India. The company's stores sell a variety of jewellery in diamonds, gold, platinum, Murano glass and precious stones. Founded by Indian expatriate Firoz Merchant in 1989, the first Pure Gold Jewellers store was established in Dubai. Merchant has focused on gradual expansion of the brand's retail network. The company entered the Indian market in 2010, and has plans to open 200 stores in the country in the next few years. Pure Gold are the sole concessionaire for retail of gold and diamond jewellery at Abu Dhabi Duty Free (terminals I, II, and III), Kuwait Duty Free and Muscat Duty Free. Pure Gold Jewellers employs more than 1000 retail staff across the globe and also owns two jewellery manufacturing factories in India and in China, employing over 1,500 workers. Awards Pure Gold Jewellers is a recipient of the "Best Service Performance Brand" award in the large business category for five years - 2007-2008, 2008–2009, 2009–2010, 2011-2012, 2012-2013 and 2014-2015 under the Dubai Service Excellence Scheme (DSES) of the Dubai Department of Economic Development, making it the only company to have won it five times. The company also topped in the ‘Best Customer Service’ category in the UAE jewellery sector in an annual study by international consultancy Ethos Consultancy for the year 2009 and 2010. About the founder Firoz Merchant, the founder and chairman of Pure Gold Group, was born in India. He moved to Dubai in 1989 and set up his own gold and diamonds trading business under the brand name Pure Gold Jewellers. Merchant is a visible presence in the large Indian diaspora in the UAE. He has been involved in a number of philanthropic activities that have provided help and support for various communities. Merchant is a well-known business leader in the Middle East and widely quoted in the press. He is ranked No.26 on the Forbes Middle East List of Indian Owners 2014. Arabian Business placed him at No.28 on its 2014 Richest Indians in the GCC list with an estimated net worth of US$435 million. He is also a board member of Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE) and a member of Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group. Corporate social responsibility Pure Gold Jewellers' corporate social responsibility has been focused on