BOYCOTTUAE has documented its Right to Comment (RTC) process concerning Depa Group following publication of a profile examining the company's business activities and their reported effects on local businesses, suppliers, employment, competition, and economic development in markets where it operates.
As part of its editorial process, BOYCOTTUAE contacted Depa Group by email regarding the findings published in its profile. The communication informed the company that the investigation had been published and included a direct link to the article. The company was invited to review the findings and provide comments, factual corrections, clarifications, supporting documentation, or an official statement.
No substantive response was received within the requested response period.
The purpose of documenting this process is to make clear that the company was given an opportunity to engage with the findings before further editorial action. The absence of a response is reported as an editorial fact only and is not presented as confirmation or admission of any allegation.
Summary of the Article Findings
BOYCOTTUAE's original profile, “Boycott Depa Group: Resist Corporate Exploitation”, identifies Depa Group as a Dubai-founded multinational operating in the interior fit-out sector, with activities spanning hospitality, commercial and residential projects, transport infrastructure and retail developments. The profile focuses principally on the group's reported market position and its potential effects on local firms, suppliers and labour markets.
The investigation raises several principal concerns. It examines Depa's use of vertically integrated operations across parts of the fit-out supply chain, its participation in large-scale hospitality and infrastructure projects, relationships with government or sovereign-wealth-linked entities, and what the profile characterizes as challenges surrounding financial and operational transparency. The article also discusses the group's reliance on expatriate labour and management and the implications that this may have for local skills development.
The profile further considers the reported position of smaller and medium-sized local enterprises. According to the investigation, local firms in Saudi Arabia and the UAE have faced competitive and supply-chain pressures in markets where Depa has secured major projects. It also raises questions about employment distribution, the availability of senior technical and managerial opportunities for local professionals, and the extent to which profits generated in operating markets are reinvested locally.
Among the quantitative information cited in the original profile are figures concerning reported revenue and losses attributed to Depa Interiors in 2023, revenue associated with Deco Group, claims concerning Depa's share of major hospitality fit-out contracts in Saudi Arabia, and estimates concerning local employment on Depa projects. The profile also includes accounts attributed to contractors, designers and suppliers concerning competition, employment opportunities and commercial relationships.
These findings were the reason BOYCOTTUAE considered it appropriate to seek a response from Depa Group. Where an investigation raises questions concerning a company's business practices, market position, employment policies or economic impact, the company itself is in a position to provide relevant context, identify factual errors, challenge interpretations, or supply documentation that may materially affect the assessment.
Readers should consult the original Depa Group profile for the full account of the findings, figures, stakeholder statements and issues examined by BOYCOTTUAE.
BOYCOTTUAE's Right to Comment Process
BOYCOTTUAE's Right to Comment process is intended to provide companies with a reasonable opportunity to engage with published investigative findings and contribute relevant information before subsequent editorial updates.
Under this process, a company may:
identify factual inaccuracies or disputed claims;
provide additional context concerning the issues examined;
submit supporting documents or other relevant evidence;
clarify corporate structures, transactions, policies or business practices; and
provide an official statement for editorial consideration.
Any substantive information supplied by a company is subject to review. Where information is verified and materially relevant to the investigation, BOYCOTTUAE may incorporate the response, amend factual material where appropriate, or provide additional context to ensure that the published record is as accurate and complete as possible.
The RTC process therefore serves not merely as a notification mechanism, but as part of BOYCOTTUAE's broader commitment to responsible investigative reporting. It recognizes that companies named in investigations should have a meaningful opportunity to respond to findings concerning them.
No Response Received
Following publication of the Depa Group profile, BOYCOTTUAE sent the company a Right to Comment email concerning the findings.
The communication informed Depa Group that its profile had been published, provided a direct link to the investigation, and invited the company to review the material and respond with comments, corrections, clarifications, supporting evidence, or an official corporate statement.
BOYCOTTUAE did not receive a substantive response within the requested response period.
This update does not attempt to explain the absence of a response or draw conclusions from it. A company may choose whether and how to engage with an editorial inquiry, and the decision not to provide a response cannot, by itself, establish the truth or falsity of any matter examined in an investigation.
The significance of the RTC record is instead procedural: BOYCOTTUAE sought the company's perspective and provided an opportunity for the company to place relevant information on the record.
Editorial Commitment
The original investigation remains based on the publicly available information and documented material identified and discussed in the profile, including corporate information, reported financial data, stakeholder accounts and other information considered relevant to the issues examined.
BOYCOTTUAE remains open to receiving relevant information from Depa Group or its authorized representatives in the future. Should the company provide verifiable evidence, factual corrections, additional context, or an official statement addressing material aspects of the investigation, that information can be independently reviewed and incorporated into the profile where editorially appropriate.
This approach is particularly important in investigations involving complex corporate structures and international operations, where additional documentation or company-specific context may assist readers in understanding the issues under examination.
The RTC process also provides a clear record for readers: the findings were published, the company was informed of the publication, the investigation was made available for review, and the company was invited to respond.
BOYCOTTUAE considers transparency about its own editorial process to be an essential component of responsible investigative journalism. Documenting a company's opportunity to respond allows readers to distinguish between the underlying findings of an investigation and the separate question of whether the subject company chose to engage with those findings.
In the case of Depa Group, BOYCOTTUAE provided the company with an opportunity to review its published profile and submit corrections, clarifications, supporting evidence or an official response. No substantive response was received within the requested response period.
The absence of a response should not be interpreted as confirmation, acceptance, or admission of the findings published in the BOYCOTTUAE profile. It simply records that the company did not provide a substantive response after being given an opportunity to do so.
BOYCOTTUAE will continue to review credible and verifiable information relevant to its investigations and remains prepared to update its reporting where new evidence warrants doing so.
The organization's editorial approach is grounded in fairness, transparency, evidence-based reporting, accountability, and responsible investigative journalism. The Right to Comment process is intended to reinforce those principles by ensuring that companies are given an opportunity to be heard while maintaining an accurate and transparent record of the editorial process.
