A well-renowned Asian luxury perfumery from Leeds, which boasts the largest global collection of elite Oud perfume products, has been awarded the title of Retail Business of the Year.
Scent Salim on Roundhay Road, was one of 30 short-listed names in the run up to the English Asian Business Awards, which held a glamorous award ceremony in the International Suite at the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel.
The awards ceremony, now in its seventh year, acknowledge the determination, entrepreneurial spirit and personal achievements of British Asian businessmen and businesswomen the forefront of their industries and their significant contributions to their respective business sectors.
Each year, the competition has become more intense as the event itself has grown into a highly respected occasion, where the best and brightest are honoured.
Ilyas Salim, founder of Scent Salim holds a Masters degree in Islamic Sciences, and fell in love with fragrances as a child and knew he wanted to work with fragrances.
He established his exotic perfumery collection twenty years ago, and showcases over a thousand fragrances in his inventory, along with a hundred-or-so exclusive Ouds.
Salim says: “We are really proud to be finalists for an award. It means a great deal to both myself and my entire team that we have been recognised for the specialist work we do.”
He works alongside his ten work staff and twenty-five distributors, supplying well over one hundred outlets across the UK. Scent Salim manufactures, retail and wholesales perfumes, ouds, home fragrance, Arabian car air fresheners and personalised fragrances.
The long-time aroma enthusiast adds: “In the Middle East everyone wears fragrance, more so than in the UK and Europe. These types of Ouds only really have flagship stores in Europe and we stock a lot of special editions and limited items.
“We stock elite brands that can only be found in specialist boutiques or in Selfridges, Harrods and Harvey Nichols.”
Being a self-proclaimed “perfectionist”, he carefully procures the highest quality products from each brand to really ensure that fragrance are of the most premium quality. Delivering a first class service to his customers is a personal committal, and endeavours to making his customers feel like royalty.
With the aim of offering remarkable products with reasonable price-tags, Salim specialises in non-alcoholic perfumes from the Middle-East and Asia. His stock includes fragrances from very well-known brands like Arabian Oud, ASQ, Ajmal, Amouage, Roja Dove as well as creations under the ‘Scent Salim’ brand.
What gives Scent Salim that unique edge are the brands which they supply and the unrivalled quality of fragrances, that are known to last weeks on end on clothes. The store houses many award-winning scents which have been recognised in Dubai festivals and London perfume shows.
The store attracts many VIP clients including footballers and high profile Asian artists. Scent Salim also has celebrity clientelle from Pakistan and Middle Eastern countries, including the Habtoors family and the Dubai royal family.
If you want to sample the fragrant delights that Scent Salim has to offer, you can visit their flagship store on 6 Roundhay Road, Leeds, LS8 2SH or visit their website www.scentsalim.com for more details and information on their products.
