Saudi advertising agency Focus Euro RSCG is claimed to be the first from the Kingdom to be honored by Internet giant Yahoo for its contribution to the growth of online advertising. Focus and its client Saudi Arabian Airlines were singled out as the only Saudi winners at the first Yahoo Middle East Online Awards presented in Dubai this week. The agency’s work has helped the airline win the award for best regional online marketing. Yahoo’s Regional Director Dr. Irfan Ahmad said the awards recognized the contribution of advertisers and agencies to online advertising in the region. “Focus Euro RSCG is also the only Saudi agency to be honored and the Saudi airline the only advertiser from the Kingdom to win the Yahoo ME Online Award,” he said. “The airline is the most supportive online advertiser in the Kingdom and together with Focus Euro RSCG has made a very significant contribution to demonstrating the effectiveness of well executed online advertising. Dubai Internet City CEO Dr. Omar ibn Sulaiman presented the awards to Mohammed Saleh Marwah, Saudi Arabian Airlines’ senior manager for marketing communications, and Focus Euro RSCG’s Managing Partner Hassan Alfadl, in the presence of Alessandro Pegoraro, Yahoo’s managing director for Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and Italy. Rohit Misra, Middle East vice president of Euro RSCG, said the awards reflected the network’s global commitment to interactive solutions. “We constantly seek new and innovative ways to create the most creative and cost-effective solutions for our clients everywhere, and online advertising plays an increasingly important role. Winning the Yahoo online award is not just a Middle East achievement, it underlines our global network’s strategic approach to innovation and applying creative business ideas to new media.”

Arabian Bemco

Arabian Bemco Contracting Company signed a facility agreement with a syndication of four banks for $194 million on Sunday. The banks include Banque Saudi Fransi, National Commercial Bank, Samba Financial Group and Gulf International Bank. The facility is granted to finance the PP-9 extension project (block E), which was awarded to Arabian Bemco. This “ultra-fast track” project was awarded in February this year to build a 480MW plant, with the first 120MW to be delivered by July 15 and completion of the plant on Sept. 21. This will be a “record-setting” schedule for this type of project. Arabian Bemco has worked on the execution of the first phase of PP-9, which was a gross-roots project to install 1,200MW. The signing of the agreement took place at Bemco’s Jeddah office represented by Bemco’s Executive Board Member Saleh Binladen, CEO Henry Sarkissian, BSF’s Western Province Manager Mazen Tamimi, Yehya Sarraj, NCB’s head of corporate banking group for the Western Province, and Anees Moumina, Samba’s Western Province general manager. Arabian Bemco is also active in the development of projects under the independent water and power producers as well as independent power producer structures.

Giordano

Pushing ahead with its Saudization program, Giordano Fashions is currently training a new batch of over 25 young Saudis who are set to join and provide customer service across the Kingdom. It has 34 outlets Kingdomwide, many of them being members of Saudi national customer service. The company is currently undergoing rapid expansion and sees the benefits of employing nationals to work with the brand, Ishwar Chugani, executive director at Giordano Middle East, said during a meeting with the new trainees. “Giordano as a brand has proved to be very successful in the Kingdom and it’s imperative that we invest in local people, as they in turn will invest themselves in building the brand for future generations,” Chugani said. The Kingdom has provided the company with the ideal testing ground for nationalization of employees. The country has a large resource of qualified people to choose from, with a willingness to work. “The challenges faced in our Saudization program have been enormous, ensuring that we find the right people, train them and make sure they understand the important role they will play in the future of Giordano,” Hani Abdul Aziz Saab, director general of TAGS Retailers, Giordano’s parent company in the Kingdom, said. “However, the results have been rewarding and we’ve a strong staff of Saudi nationals working with the team.” The company has already invested heavily in the region, in terms of staff, facilities and store locations. Giordano International presented Giordano Middle East “Market of the Year” award for excellence in customer service in the regional business unit, sales trends, competitive performance and innovation.

Al-Zouman/Swatch

In view of the Olympic Games being held in Athens from Aug. 13-29, Swatch, official timekeeper of international sports competitions, recently organized electronically-monitored fitness and endurance contests in some selected categories like rowing, racing, soccer and volleyball. Daily contests were open to sports enthusiasts at different shopping malls in Jeddah, including rowing at Al-Mahmal, racing at Corniche Shopping Center, soccer at Iceland Amusement Park and volleyball at Hera’a International Market. Participants scoring the highest points recorded by an electronic gadget attached to the sport equipment received Swatch Olympic watches. Two daily winners then competed for the weekly championship and the winner for the week received two Swatch Olympic watches, said Omar Assaggaf, sales manager of Al-Zouman Trading, exclusive distributor of Swatch in the Kingdom. The mini-sport tests of skill were open daily in the designated locations.

Sokook Re/Max

Re/Max, an international real estate firm, has concluded a master franchise agreement with Sokook Arabia Real Estate to operate in the Kingdom and the rest of the Middle East. Loay A. Bougary, chairman and managing director of Sokook Arabia, said master franchise had been under consideration and the company had been examining a number of options in the field. “Re/Max proved to be the right partner, with its 5,000 regional offices in 48 countries represented by 95,000 real estate agents,” he said. Sokook Re/Max aims to operate in residential and office complexes, and in areas like property management, appraisal and assessment of real estate, general investment, and financing and employing international expertise in the Kingdom.

ALMIRO

A Saudi construction firm conducted a research for three years in cooperation with a European company and has announced a system that can provide the use of clean water and contribute to water conservation. “In line with the Kingdom’s endeavor to rationalize water supply and regulate its consumption, we’ve developed a system that controls water pressure and outlets, and ensures consistent supply without wastage,” Kamal Aouf, chairman of ALMIRO for Trading Co., told a press conference in Jeddah last week. The system, which involves the use of stainless steel vessels and tools in the interest of health and hygiene, regulates the flow of water from 1.7 to 10 liters per minute at 10-bar pressure without harming the internal water pressure.