RIYADH, 17 February 2005 — City Plaza, a division of Al-Bandar Trading Group, has announced that its customer base has grown to eight million, thus leaving many of its competitors in the Gulf states far behind. In less than seven years, City Plaza has opened 16 branches with a combined retail space of 1.2 million square feet in 12 different cities in Saudi Arabia. Plans have been made to open six new branches in the future.
Neelesh Bhatnagar, managing director of Al-Bandar Trading, said, “City Plaza is a concept that will open new frontiers in retail sales in the Kingdom. It is not about yet another glittering showroom opening in a prime location; rather City Plaza is the name of the most innovative trend in global shopping. In fact, City Plaza, a brand name and shopping choice of millions of Saudis and expatriates in the Kingdom, has revolutionized the one-stop shopping concept in Saudi Arabia.”
The managing director said that City Plaza includes five concept stores: BabyShop, Splash, ShoeMart, Lifestyle, and Home Plaza. Through the five, it takes care of a large range of consumer needs that no other shopping center has done.
Asked about the policy of Saudization in Al-Bandar Trading, Muffarh Al-Jabhali, City Plaza’s general manager, said, “We are strong supporters of the Saudization process and we believe that we have a lot to benefit from in terms of experience and local insight with a Saudi work force. We are constantly on the lookout for talented young Saudi nationals”.