A two-day catalog show of Indian companies was held at the Najran Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) in Najran, with the Consulate General of India claiming it a “big success” yesterday. NCCI’s Vice President Abdullah A. Bani opened the show in the presence of NCCI Secretary General Ali Saleh Qumaish and a large number of local businessmen. More than 250 companies representing sectors including textiles, ready made garments, food, chemicals, furniture, stationery, computer accessories, pharmaceuticals, machinery, building materials, and electrical and household items displayed their catalogs. Saudi exports to India were SR40.24 billion in 2005, which is 45.6 percent higher than the SR27.63 billion in 2004, Indian Commercial Consul Ashok Kumar told a press conference. “India is the fifth largest export destination for the Kingdom,” he said. According to the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the bilateral trade has crossed $3.44 billion (excluding crude oil and petroleum products) in the fiscal 2005-06 that includes about $1.81 billion exports from India to the Kingdom, while Saudi exports to India reached $1.63 billion.
Palm Water
Palm Water LLC, a company owned by Istithmar has announced that it has been awarded a $550 million contract by Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) to design, build, own and operate (DBOO) water and wastewater plants. This is in addition to the 30-year concession awarded to Palm Water for associated networks and collection systems that will serve Jafza’s aggressive property development expansion program in Dubai. The contract adds yet another major project to Palm Water’s order book, bringing the company’s associated capital works program in excess of AED5 billion this year, with similar DBOO projects under way for Nakheel at Palm Jumeirah, International City and Jumeirah Golf Estates. Palm Water will construct three major facilities — a desalination plant, a centralized sewage treatment plant (STP) and an industrial wastewater plant. Salma Hareb, CEO, Jafza and Economic Zones World, said: “Palm Water had demonstrated two key competitive attributes that were critical to the success of our project — track record, quality and delivery schedules.” Palm Water Chairman Yousuf Kazim said: “We’re pleased to have been awarded this water and wastewater project by Jafza and are committed to provide them with the state-of-the-art technology solutions to meet their water utility needs.”
IPRA-GC
The International Public Relations Association Gulf Chapter (IPRA-GC) has announced its programs for 2007 following a meeting of its board of directors held in Dubai. With the objective of changing the traditional image of PR in the Kingdom and the Gulf, IPRA’s strategy involves organizing a series of seminars and conferences to create awareness of the PR industry. To this extent, IPRA will organize and participate in three key conferences in Jeddah, Kuwait, and Manama. These conferences will feature leading media and communications experts from the Arab and Western World presenting their long experience in the field. The Public Relations Forum is scheduled to take place next week in Jeddah, organized by the Arab Conferences Company (ARC) in cooperation with the International Public Relations Association and the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The theme of the forum is building, enhancing, and reinforcing corporate image for companies and organizations, and it is expected to draw a large number of experts and practitioners in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, IPRA-GC President Hasan Al-Hasan said.
Landmark
Al-Sadhan Trading Co., a major chain of retail stores and hypermarkets in Riyadh, has appointed Landmark PR & Events Management, Jeddah, to undertake the manager of its PR activities across the Kingdom. Accordingly, Landmark will be responsible for all PR strategies of the Al-Sadhan company and will work in accordance with the highest level of international practices to help the supermarket chain achieve its strategic goals in various areas of retailing. Following the signing of the contract, Mazel El Salih, deputy GM, Al-Sadhan Trading Co., said: “We’ve extensive experience in the Saudi market and we look forward to achieving further success and offer the best shopping experience to our customers in Riyadh.” Landmark Chairman Talal Dhualimi said: “Landmark has extensive experience in the region’s markets in general and the Saudi market in particular. Our rich experience enables us to provide strategic services in the area of PR at highest international levels to many major companies operating in the Kingdom.”
A. Lange & Sohne
A group of Middle East media representatives recently visited A. Lange & Sohne, a distinguished German precision watchmaker, to discover more about the Lange heritage and the creation of its timepieces at the factory in Glashutte, Saxony. The trip coincided with the re-opening of the historic Green Vault in Dresden, which is the repository of treasures accumulated by the Elector of Saxony. A selection of A. Lange & Sohne’s jewelry watch collection will be exhibited in the Vault where the timepieces will interact in a subtle dialogue with the historic treasures, paying homage to the masters of a bygone era. The trip comprised a tour of the factory where watches are crafted incorporating aesthetic and technological features. The guided factory tour followed the steps that produce the Lange timepieces: Cutting the individual 300 to 600 parts that make up the watches, the meticulous accuracy checks on the parts, the double assembly, the engraving, with all the finishing being done in the traditional manner by a skilled craftsman. Moreover, the day involved a visit to the patented hairspring production at A. Lange & Sohne, with its CEO Fabian Krone giving an enthused viewing of the watches including the purists’ ultimate timepiece, the Richard Lange — a three-hand wristwatch presented in Geneve last April.
Ruby Tuesday
Ruby Tuesday opened its first branch in Saudi Arabia, at Al-Andalus street in Jeddah on Saturday, claiming to present a new concept of integrated restaurants. “The opening of the first Ruby Tuesday branch here is a distinctive event and will change the present concept in the business of restaurants in terms of equipment, decoration and services,” Mohammad Balubaid, chairman, Marsana International, told a press conference. US-based Ruby Tuesday is well-known for its rich menus starting from appetizers and salad corner, which is currently considered the largest in the Kingdom, to main courses that represent a remarkable combination of the best dishes in the world and a variety of oriental and Western desserts, he said. The restaurant, built on a 1,000 square meter area, consists of a two-story building and has a round dining hall and an open balcony that ensures privacy, plus a parking area for 90 cars. Its vast, well equipped kitchen can handle the requirement of 750 guests. “The restaurant has the Kingdom’s biggest dining hall for individuals and another one for families; both halls are prepared in accordance to latest international designs,” Vishal Sawhney, director of operations, restaurant division, Marsana International, said. The restaurant chain has 900 branches around the world including Kuwait, Hong Kong, India, Egypt, and Dubai.