Fayrouz

Fayrouz International recently signed a deal with the Arabian Trading Supplies (ATS) of Mohamed Yousuf Naghi & Sons as its distributor in the Kingdom to further extend its reach to consumers covering more ground with even larger quantities of the six Fayrouz flavors. As an unconventional, grown-up brand which caters to young adults, Fayrouz International recognized the significance of broadening its distribution, hence covering a wider scope in the Kingdom to further meet consumer needs as part of the brand’s vision. “As the first beverage to sign with the ATS, we are very much excited to build this partnership and look forward to a fruitful corporation with it,” said Osama Abdul Rahman, country manager, Fayrouz Saudi Arabia. “Our turnover in 2007 was one percent of the Saudi soft drinks market share. The partnership with ATS is part of our approach as we plan to capture a share of three percent of the total size of the Saudi carbonated drinks market over the next three years, Mohamed Yousuf Naghi, chairman of ATS, said.

Soccer Scene

Yousef Abdulatif Banajaa Group opened its first Saudi branch of Soccer Scene, a London-based global sportswear store, at Sultan Mall in Jeddah on Tuesday. Soccer skills and laser shows marked the opening. Soccer Scene, considered one of the largest stores specializing in soccer world, has under one roof all products and accessories related to global clubs and their players and sports apparel. Some such clubs include Manchester United, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Liverpool. “We are proud that we are able to obtain franchise for the most important global company, which has specialized in global and local football clubs,” Farid Zahid, Soccer Scene’s general manager in Saudi Arabia, said. “We will continue to present original, new and unique products of the world of football to the public and fans,” he added. Abdul Latif Banajaa Company has Soccer Scene’s franchise in the Middle East and South Africa.

Bab Rizq Jameel

Dr. Saad Attiyah Al-Ghamdi, vice president of Abdul Latif Jameel Community Services Programs (ALJCSP) opened a project financed by Bab Rizq Jameel (BRJ), a program of ALJCSP. Located at the Red Sea Mall in Jeddah, the project is owned by Hana Allam, who has been in the business of cookies and pastries for several years. “I decided to move to a bigger mall after the success of my first outlet which opened a few years ago,” she said. Hana sells her products under her own ‘Kaaki’ trademark. She prepares pastries and cookies at home and sells it hot to the mall shoppers. “My family members have been my biggest supporters for my project. I extend appreciation and gratitude to BRJ for its generous interest-free loan, which helped me rent the location and complete other requirements of the project,” she added. “We have an abundance of talents in the Kingdom. We need to support and help them,” Dr. Al-Ghamdi said. During 2008, BRÔ provided finance to 10,694 small projects in the Kingdom.

NCB

The National Commercial Bank (NCB) trained and employed those with special needs in collaboration with a charitable organization to train and employ people with special needs affiliated to Makkah Municipality. The trainees are the first batch of youth targeted by the agreement signed between the two parties in advance to implement a project to train and employ people with special needs. “This initiative is within the bank’s framework toward strategic partnerships with many organizations to serve society. It is also new confirmation of the bank’s social responsibility. He expressed his happiness over Makkah’s role in this area through the funding of the foundation,” Mahmoud Al-Turkistani, head of NCB Community Service Unit, said

Balubaid

Omar A. Balubaid Company Ltd. (Balubaid) launched its third GM Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles (GMCPOV) showroom at Haraaj (Sawareekh Haraj) in south Jeddah. This addition expands the Balubaid network to include 10 new vehicle showrooms and three GMCPOVs in the Western Region. Balubaid claims to be the only GM dealer in Jeddah to house GMCPOV and to have extended this program to match the demand for quality-driven, pre-owned affordable cars especially in the Haraaj area. In the current global financial forecast, Balubaid management believes that customers will be keener to search for value-based vehicles and the GMCPOV is the answer to that call. “Balubaid and GM are committed to not leaving behind the all important customers whose choices include pre-owned vehicles from the company,” Balubaid’s National Used Car Manager Urfi Siddique said. The new vehicle showroom is the 4th Balubaid facility in Jeddah with the Sulaimania, Al-Rawdah and Baghdadiya branches that opened earlier this year.

Jewelry Arabia

Powered by some of the world’s leading jewelry and watch brands, Jewelry Arabia 2008 ended by attracting well over 42,000 visitors to the Bahrain International Exhibition Center recently. Now in its 17th year, this high profile event has forged its place as the leading jewelry and watch exhibition in the Middle East rated alongside events such as Baselworld and the JCK Las Vegas Show. “We are delighted by the success of Jewelry Arabia 2008. This event is keenly followed and anticipated by jewelry connoisseurs who view it as a conduit to target retailers, designers, buyers and wholesalers that include Asprey, Audemars Piguet, Cartier, Chopard, De Beers, Graff Diamonds, Harry Winston, Patek Phillipe, Piaget, Van Cleef & Arpels, and other brands,” Fawzi Al-Shahabi, director of sales and marketing at Arabian Exhibition Management, said. National pavilions from jewelry export countries included Brazil, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Thailand and Turkey.

Rolls-Royce

Representatives from Rolls-Royce dealerships in the Middle East met recently at the company’s manufacturing plant and headquarters at Goodwood, England, to discuss business growth based on the Phantom family and launch plans for the new model series, currently named RR4. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’s CEO Tom Purves and Regional Director for Middle East Peter Schoppmann welcomed general managers and brand managers from its nine dealerships across seven countries. “The Middle East is an important region for us and it was vital to discuss our future strategy with our partners,” Purves said. “We will make substantial investments into the Rolls-Royce business in the near future to further ensure sustainable success,” Anees Jamjoom, MD, Mohammed Yousuf Naghi Motors, the sole Rolls-Royce dealer in the Kingdom, said. The new Phantom Coupe was recently launched in the Middle East, adding to the acclaimed portfolio of four-door Phantom saloons and the Phantom Drophead Coupe. The new model, RR4, will complement the Phantom family.

Sakana

Bahrain-based Sakana Holistic Housing Solutions (a 50:50 joint venture between BBK and Shamil Bank), an Islamic mortgage finance provider, was awarded ‘Best Islamic Mortgage Provider of the Middle East’ at the International Real Estate Finance Summit 2008 held in London last week. The summit, organized by ICG Events, which was attended by over 150 professionals from around the world, with backgrounds in finance, development, regulation, consulting and investing among others, highlighted the potential synergy that exists between the GCC and UK, despite the current economic climate. “While the global real estate sector and conventional banking face extremely challenging times, the GCC and Islamic mortgage finance, in particular, offer opportunities for sustainable real estate sector growth, said Sakana CEO R. Lakshmanan who accepted the award. “This award reflects the unstinting efforts of our focus on innovation,” he added.