ELECTRO
Electro stores added a new dimension to retail business in Saudi Arabia when it opened its new showroom at Rimal Mall Exit 16 in Riyadh over the weekend. Since its inception, Electro has earned a name for itself as a specialist in audio video, home appliances, kitchen appliances, telecommunications, photography, IT and entertainment products. It also specializes in offering a wide range of accessories and delivery, installation, as well as advise and solutions. “We specialize in offering all price ranges that cover all market segments and budgets,” Yaser Abdul Wahid, CEO of Advanced Electronics Equipment Company, said. Abdul Aziz Al-Ajlan, vice president of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was the guest of honor. “Electro’s mission is to provide best value for money in sales and after sales services,” said Wahid who presented a plaque of commemoration to Wahid. In fact, the new store wore a bridal look with colorful ribbons and floodlights. Hundreds of guests cheered as the ceremony was held. Wahid said the new store was the company’s second mega store and third showroom in the Kingdom.
OAKLEY
Oakley has announced a partnership with Al-Injazat Trading Company Ltd. for the distribution and sales of premium Oakley time keeping instruments in Saudi Arabia. Injazat is part of the Bugshan Group, one of the largest industrial and trading entities in the Kingdom. “We are honored to enter this partnership with Injazat,” Oakley President Colin Baden said. “Oakley’s wristwatch inventions will bring a caliber of craftsmanship, performance and aesthetics that their discriminating customers will embrace,” Baden added. “This strategic alliance gives us the opportunity to share the art and science of a world-renowned brand,” said Mohammad Salem Bugshan, chairman of Al-Injazat Trading Company Ltd. “Oakley’s commitment to authenticity will serve our customers on the leading edge of fashion and performance,” he added.
MAALEM
Maalem holding company (Maalem) announced in Bahrain the appointments to its executive management team in line with its expansion strategies. Its CEO Saleh Al-Nashwan said that with the current financial downturn, new options and strategies were being developed that would help investors and businesses. Maalem has been formed to capitalize on business development opportunities across the region that arise from real demand from end-users, and is combining its analytical processes with what Al-Nashwan describes as genuine business fundamentals. “Our goal is to turn a gap in the market into a viable solution which will deliver sustained profitability and generate long term value to stakeholders at all levels” he added.
KOSAN
Kosan Crisplant has expanded its operations in the Middle East with the opening of a new local sales and services office in Riyadh. KC Arabia, the newest member of Kosan Crisplant, which is owned by Bahrain-based Seera Investment Bank BSC, becomes the second office to be opened in the region and its 17th worldwide. The opening of the Riyadh office will enable Kosan Crisplant to provide greater access to its full range of product offerings, including the recently launched LPG filling system (FLEXSPEED). “The establishment of KC Arabia is further evidence of our commitment to actively develop and strengthen our presence in the Middle East,” Anders Anderson, MD, Kosan Crisplant, said. “One of our primary objectives since taking ownership of Kosan Crisplant in January 2008, has been to proactively assist the company’s continued regional and global growth initiatives,” Abdulla Janahi, CEO, Seera Investment Bank, said. “We look at the future with optimism and pride,” Claus Jensen, sales and service manager, Kosan Crisplant, Middle East, said.
HDFC
Twenty-two leading developers across India are participating in a major real estate show at Trident Hotel in Jeddah, offering more than 30,000 units of 2/3 bedrooms, penthouses and row houses in major cities including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Calicut and Trivandrum. Renu Sud Karnad, joint managing director of Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), India’s premier housing finance company, inaugurated the two-day India Homes show in the presence of A. Jagannathan of Rezayat Group, Vikram Goel, branch manager, and Sreekumar, manager for Saudi operations. Karnad, one of the top businesswomen in India, said Saudi Arabia is one of HDFC’s major overseas markets. Indian expatriates in the Kingdom invest nearly Rs.1.3 billion in real estate projects back home. She urged developers to build more housing units that are affordable to the general public.
LG
LG Electronics, a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, has highlighted increasing its R&D spend as one strategy weathering the current economic storm, along with a focus on green technologies. The message about turning “crisis into opportunity” came from LG’s global CEO Yong Nam during a visit to Dubai when he told a press conference that in order to maintain product leadership and increase market competitiveness, the company would not reduce — and may increase — its investment in R&D, marketing, branding and design. “Every company —- not just LG — has been affected negatively by the economic downturn,” said Nam, who was behind the successful turnaround of LG Telecom during the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997. “The poor performance of many global companies in the last quarter of 2008 was a wake-up call that we needed to take drastic actions, not just safe ones,” Nam said.
SBIE
The 18th edition of Saudi Building and Interiors Exhibition (SBIE) will be held in Jeddah from April 12-16. The exhibition has already received an encouraging response from the local industry, according to Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions, which is organizing the event. Construction Production Holding Company is the show sponsor along with other major local companies. Internationally, the show will have participants from the United States, Iran, China, Germany, Indonesia, Thailand, Turkey, Malaysia, India, France, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE.
PIZZA INN
February is a busy month for the restaurant industry & Pizza Inn has added its signature stromboli dessert option to its 4 pack sampler to create a hearty meal “4 the whole family”. This unique offer comes in a gargantuan size pizza box, which measures 54 by 28 inches end to end. Khushru Mistry, GM, United Food Company, a member of Abdulla Abunayyan group, which recently opened its second outlet in Kuwait, said: “The Saudi Arabian economy is extremely resilient, and overall the fast casual and quick service eating out options will continue to remain popular among consumers for their lower price points, great quality, excellent service and value meals. We are working round the clock to support our franchisees in opening more new locations in MENA and Asia regions.”
BEIERSDORF
Robert Taylor-Hughes, Beiersdorf Group’s MD and CEO for the Middle East and West Asia, described as the world’s largest skin and beauty care manufacturer that came to fame with its renowned NIVEA brand, has published year end results for the regional operation. “Our in-market sales show a 22.3 percent increase versus 2007. This is almost three times ahead of the regional market growth of around eight percent in 2008 and fully in line with our ambitious annual business plan,” he said. In addition to outstanding sales figures, Beiersdorf Middle East has largely improved its market positions across the 16 countries responsible for, and added three number 2 and five number 1 positions, taking the total to 48 leading category positions across nine countries the company is officially audited for by Nielsen. A TNS 2008 consumer insight survey furthermore puts NIVEA as the brand most top of mind, most liked and most purchased in the past twelve months in the categories in which they operate.
EDUTECH
The Oman Ministry of Higher Education has partnered with Edutech Middle East, a major provider of technology-enabled information and learning solutions, to provide eLearning opportunities to six colleges across the Sultanate. The initiative has provided a centralized learning platform that is now facilitating information sharing and dissemination among 10,000 students enrolled across the geographically-spread colleges in the regions of Sur, Ibra, Sohar, Rustaq, Nizwa and Salalah. The deployment of the state-of the-art online learning environment also provides a consolidated knowledge repository that enables administrators to evaluate learning and teaching methodologies and assess the curriculum fit.