Arab Publisher House (APH), publishers of Forbes Middle East, has entered into a partnership with International Media Production Zone (IMPZ) to set up its new headquarters in Dubai Media City.

Arab Publisher House is a newly formed joint venture of influential Arab investors that aims to bring to the region a number of key publications, including additional Forbes titles as well as other magazines.

Announcing this on Tuesday, IMPZ said APH will bring out the debut issue of the monthly Forbes Middle East, in Arabic, in October, while the English-language edition will release its first issue in 2011.

Both the versions will feature online editions as well, the IPMZ said in a statement.

On the new APH head quarters, IMPZ said a sign bearing the logo of Forbes Middle East, APH’s flagship publication, will be prominently displayed over the Building No 4 of Dubai Media City.

Mohammed Abdullah, managing director of Media Cluster–Tecom Investments, said: 'IMPZ is extremely pleased to welcome another top-level partner, especially one as important as APH. This is a testimony to the continued health and growth of our operations.'

'It also underscores the advantages of the unique cluster environment for media-related companies and the vibrancy of the media community here,' he added.

Khuloud Al Omian, vice-president of Arab Publisher House and editor-in-chief of Forbes Middle East, said: “We are delighted to enter into a partnership with IMPZ and set up our new headquarters in Dubai Media City.'

'Dubai is a strategic hub for the region, and with DMC’s state-of-the-art facilities, it is the logical place to base our firm and publish Forbes Middle East, which will cover businesses throughout the Mena region,' he added.

Saeed Al Falasi, executive director, IMPZ, said the decision by Arab Publisher House to set up base at the Tecom Media Cluster underlines its potential to attract leading media houses.

'We will continue to offer our business partners all possible support including world class infrastructure and an array of investment options as part of our long term vision to contribute to Dubai’s objective of shaping a sound media industry in the region,' he remarked.

Tecom Investments Media Cluster, which comprises Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City and IMPZ, provides a complete value chain of specialised offerings that have created an established community hub for the media and content creation industries in the region, the statement said.-TradeArabia News Service