The National Marketing Co., part of Al-Malki Group, launched Eau des Merveilles, a new perfume from Hermes Paris, in Jeddah last week. “Hermes has been a land of enchantments,” Thierry Outin, international commercial director, Hermes Perfumes, said in his presentation. “Eau des Merveilles is an open sesame to wonders.” Of course, the raw materials are magnificent and exhilarating, and a pure essence. The emphasis is on the woody, amber accents usually found in the base notes. The surprise of the feminine eau de toilette is there is virtually no floral edge and no fear of certain “masculine” effects. Contrasting accords, rolled and interlaced like a ribbon twisted into a Moebius strip, are another surprise. Some are fresh, others warm. Some glittering, others restrained, yet others moist and dry, vivacious and delicate. Ingredients include oak extracts, cedar, vetiver, etc. “You can smell the enchanted forest, the earth and the vanilla wind of those saps known as balsam of Peru and tears of Siam,” Outin said. “We also detect the splashes of bitter orange, a paradoxical fruit whose peel alone counts, its flesh being too bitter. The more attentive among us will also sense spices, a pinch of pepper and a little pink pepper specially imported from the islands of the Indian Ocean.” There is the magic of color too — shimmering white for the box in mother-of-pearl paper with its hidden drawer and orange for the bottle, “an orange shot through with silver, the trail of a traveling star and the show-stopper, a river that releases the sparkle of Hermes.”
ALJ
Jeddah-based Abdul Latif Jameel Company (ALJ) has received Toyota Motor Corporation’s (TMC) top awards. ALJ President Muhammad Jameel received the awards from a Japanese delegation headed by Yoshimi Inabi, managing director of TMC. Inabi presented three awards to ALJ — Toyota marketing award for excellence (vehicle), customer service prize for excellent achievement and Toyota marketing award (overall). The third is a trophy for distributors receiving the first and second awards. “We’re delighted to receive these prestigious awards,” said ALJ Executive Vice President Dr. Saad Al-Ghamdi. “ALJ has always striven to provide quality services to our customers and clients and will continue providing the best ever customer service.” Meanwhile, ALJ announced three winners of its recent campaign to increase awareness of motor sport among Saudi youth, particularly in Formula 1 racing. Winners of three xA cars, all inspired by the Toyota F1 car design, are Abdurrahman Fahd Al-Madeeni of Tabuk, Saleh Ibrahim Ahmed Hussain of Murabaa district in Riyadh and Khaled Muhammad Ahmed Alhashim of Al-Madras in Al-Ahsa. Since 2001, Toyota has been entering the F1 Grand Prix World Championship and ALJ has organized promotional campaigns every year in support of the presence of Toyota Team in F1. Supervising the draw were Adnan Al-Ghahtani, GM, Toyota Passenger cars, Raed Muti, GM, Toyota Motor Sport and PR, and Muhammad Rashid Ali, marketing manager, Toyota xA. ALJ organized a simple competition at its showrooms around the Kingdom where visitors filled in coupons answering some questions.
Hilton
Hilton International launched its roadshow at Jeddah Hilton yesterday, with over 14 properties participating from the Kingdom, the rest of the Middle East and Europe. The event, co-sponsored by Saudi Arabian Airlines, also included a Hilton Sales Worldwide workshop for travel agents and tour operators and the launch of Hilton for Free 2004. The market is going to be a copy of last year with travel in the region showing a slight increase, Fouad Bizri, director of international sales, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria, said. “Some who did not travel last year, or the year before because of the tense and uncertain situation, are expected to travel this year. Spain looks good.” Domestic tourism is also set to pick up. With the introduction of Saudi Arabian Airlines flight to Prague from Jeddah and Riyadh from June 9, Hilton Prague, which is just 20 km from the Ruzyne Airport and close to the city center, stands to benefit. It has 788 rooms and 37 suites. With 10 countries joining the European Union, Prague will become an important destination, said Fareed A. Eshky, senior manager, Al-Fursan, the Saudi national carrier’s frequent flyer program, and a Hilton partner. Rudi Jagersbacher, vice president, Arabian Peninsula, Hilton International, said Hilton International would showcase a record number of more than 40 properties from its global portfolio at the upcoming Arabian Travel Market 2004 in Dubai, and also introduce the Conrad brand of luxury hotels to the Middle East. Hilton recognized operates 32 regional properties, of which 14 are in the GCC.
Rolls-Royce
The new Rolls-Royce Phantom has made its first public debut at an event held to commemorate the birthday of Queen Elizabeth of England. More than 300 guests including diplomats and executives of Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors, exclusive distributor for Rolls-Royce in the Kingdom, were present for a royal celebration of the latest model of the world’s most famous premium luxury car, now in its centenary year. “The Middle East has traditionally been a strong market for Rolls-Royce and this trend looks set to continue with the introduction of the new Phantom,” said Tim Rushforth, group marketing manager, Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors. “There has already been strong interest from customers in the region. Globally, Rolls-Royce expects to sell an average of 1,000 cars every year. Of these, it is anticipated that 15 percent will be sold in the region.” The two Rolls-Royce Phantom models presented at the British Consulate were finished in arctic white and metallic black. The models featured a range of accessory options, including rear curtains, hide-trimmed instrument panel, six-DVD changer and theater configuration for the rear seats. Bespoke features include a drinks cabinet and cool box in the rear center console. The Rolls-Royce brand was created in England exactly 100 years ago. The significant milestone in automotive history came about when Henry Royce and Charles Rolls met in Manchester and decided to unite. The result was an enduring partnership established on the highest engineering principles and a brand, which marks excellence.
Universitas 21 Global
Universitas 21 Global, a premier online graduate business school, which offers a globally-recognized MBA program, has become the first Singapore company to join the prestigious ranks of visionaries who have been recognized for their use of IT to benefit society. The case study will be featured in the On-Line Archive of the Computerworld Honors Program (CHP) and has secured a permanent place in global history where it will be archived at more than 150 libraries, museums and universities worldwide to be viewed by people from across the globe for generations to come. Established in 1988, the CHP is an initiative between the leaders of the IT industry and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Each year, the chairmen or CEOs of the world’s foremost IT companies nominate innovators and honor these men and women, organizations and institutions for their leading role in the IT revolution. This year, Universitas 21 Global was nominated by Craig Conway, president and CEO of PeopleSoft for a place in the On-Line Archive of the CHP and the permanent research collections of its affiliated Academic Council.
SAP Arabia
SAP Arabia, the exclusive regional distributor of the world’s leading ERP major SAP AG of Germany, announced yesterday that the Saudi Arabia-based food company, Nashar Trading Company, has selected mySAP Business Suite solution to integrate its operations and to be the company’s future platform to support its ambitious expansion plans in the Middle East. “The new ERP solution will help NTC streamline and optimize its operations, lower costs and help achieve the new growth target it has set for itself regionally as well as globally,” SAP Arabia’s Sales Manager Muhammad Al-Batal said. “The NTC decision to opt for mySAP Business suite is of a great significance to us because it emphasizes SAP ERP’s versatility — that it is the ideal choice in a small and medium business (SMB) business environment,” SAP Arabia President Essam Enany said. It emphasizes that SAP business solutions deliver to all types of industries and companies of all sizes.” The food company has products with household names like Al-Taj (Golden Crown Cream) and Farm Ghee, and also distributes Green Giant from General Mills. The company’s business also extends from supermarkets and wholesalers to restaurant chains as Pizza Hut and Burger King. “Since our company is almost 55-year-old in the Kingdom, it’s time for us to shift gears and modernize the way we carry out our business.
World Gold Council
A “Wonders of Gold 2004” exhibition is being held at Bahrain International Exhibition Center. The show, being held under the direction of Bahrain Prime Minister Khalifa ibn Salman Al-Khalifa, is organized by Bahrain Convention & Exhibition Bureau and supported by World Gold Council. The eighth edition of the event, which began on Saturday and ends tomorrow, presents the latest trends in gold jewelry by attracting the main gold jewelry designers and manufacturers in Bahrain to introduce their elaborated craftsmanship and creativity at the world of gold jewelry. “This important milestone for Bahrain comes at a time of accelerated growth for the country,” says Daij ibn Salman Al-Khalifa, assistant undersecretary for foreign trade at the Bahrain Ministry of Commerce. Several activities accompany the exhibition, including a daily contest to all visitors with remarkable gold prizes, daily gold jewelry fashion shows and seminars. “Bahrain has become an important source of supply against the increasing demand of refined gold jewelry that has an important role in the social life of the Gulf,” WGC Gulf Manager Usama Alwazir said. The Bahraini gold craftsmanship and manufacturing have in particular reached high standards of admiration among millions of beauty and gold lovers. Such exhibitions help in showcasing gold fashion trends and in developing the national gold jewelry trade and industry. “These beautiful gold jewelry designs blend people’s modern life with their deep rich heritage to produce spectacular gold jewelry creations for all time wears.