KIA
Kia Motors gave away prizes in the form of trips to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa to the winners of its recent draws and competitions, at Al-Jabr Automotive showroom in Jeddah on Sunday. The prizes consist of packages, which are a mix of semifinal and final match tickets, roundtrip air tickets and three-nights/four-days accommodation in relevant match cities. Klaus Choi, marketing manager, Kia Motors Corporation, congratulated Al-Jabr's marketing achievements in replicating Kia's regional brand strategies and said: "The 'Power to Surprise' campaign represents the company's global commitment to surpassing customer expectations and is essentially reflected through campaigns and promotions of Kia Motors' dealerships." He added: "Our official sponsorship of the FIFA World cup 2010 has brought Kia into the limelight of the most popular world sports event and promotions like Champ into the Arena, Mascot Friend and Experience Kia have created a high degree of excitement and increased participation levels, especially in Saudi Arabia where existing and potential customers alike have welcomed Kia's promotions, which have opened the doors of FIFA World Cup matches to Saudi football lovers." The winners of the FIFA World Cup Tactical Campaign, Kia On Tour, 2010 Test Dive and Kia Mascot Friend were decided by prize draws held at the showroom.
CAPTION:
Abdulsalam Al-Jabr, VP sales and marketing at Al-Jabr Automotive, right, Klaus Choi, marketing manager, Kia Motors Corporation, second left, and other company executives pose with a young boy, winner of one of Kia's 2010 FIFA world Cup South Africa prizes, in Jeddah.
SACO
Hardware retailer and wholesaler and the Kingdom's "largest total-solution home improvement" superstore opened its first flagship SACO World store in Jeddah last week. This is the second SACO World in the Kingdom as part of the company's ambitious expansion programs. This brings the total number of SACO outlets to 18 spanning 11 cities across the Kingdom. The first SACO World store, located on Prince Sultan Street at Aya Mall, is open and offers both convenience and a diverse product base. The 10,000 sq m flagship store carries more than 35,000 line items in 13 specialized departments. "Jeddah needs a SACO World," said Haytham Al-Hamidi, COO of SACO. "We have been working on the project for more than two years to ensure we are at the right location with the right products and services." Al-Hamidi added: "During the past two decades SACO has earned recognition throughout the Kingdom as a one-stop-shop for all home needs and SACO World is the culmination of more than 20 years of experience in giving Saudi customers what they want and cannot find it anywhere else." The opening of the new SACO World in Jeddah is part of the company's five-year expansion program to strategically launch both SACO and SACO World stores across the Kingdom. In addition to geographical expansion, the company's strategy is to focus on services and value added programs for customers and invest in building local skill and talent in the retail business, he added.
CAPTION:
A view of the interior of the first SACO World store, which opened in Jeddah last week.
BMW
The new BMW 5 Series passed the latest Euro New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) crash test with the top rating of five stars. The sixth generation of BMW 5 series performed impressively on the test - which was extended to include additional criteria in 2009 - with its comprehensive safety fittings as standard as well as a highly effective vehicle occupant protection system for various different collision types. With its outstanding results on vehicle occupant protection for adults and children, pedestrian protection and standard safety features, the new BMW 5 Series moves into the leading position within its segment. It is also the first BMW model series to receive a 100 percent on the Euro NCAP crash test rating for outstanding safety features. The Euro NCAP test is regarded as one of the most demanding tests in the world to be applied to new motor vehicles. The Euro NCAP test is recognized as a benchmark for crash safety by governments, automobile clubs and consumer protection organizations throughout Europe. The test scenario includes a head-on collision, side crash and side impact against a steel post. Anees Abduljaleel Jamjoom, MD, Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors, the exclusive importer of BMW in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said: "The new BMW 5 Series is the first BMW car to get a perfect 100 percent rating in the Euro NCAP test, and we are delighted to be able to offer it in Saudi Arabia."
CAPTION:
The new BMW 5 Series, which has passed the Euro NCAP crash test with the top rating of five stars.
KAEC
Emaar, The Economic City (EEC), the Tadawul-listed company developing King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), recently signed a development and license agreement with Al Ahlam Marine Tourism Group (AAMTG) to develop a marina and yacht club facility inside KAEC. The signing took place at KAEC between Prince Abdullah Bin Saud Al-Saud, president of AAMTG, and Fahd Al-Rasheed, MD & CEO of EEC. The new marina is meant to be a premium world-class development that will be located at the Bay La Sun waterfront area of the city. Bay La Sun is a fully integrated residential community directly overlooking the Red Sea. The elegantly designed luxury apartments come in different sizes and are set amid placid water canals EEC recently completed. Bay La Sun will offer a fully integrated live work and recreate environment and lifestyle. "Vision of KAEC and EEC's long-term commitment to contribute to the Kingdom's economic prosperity, lifestyle and growth of tourism industry, all fall perfectly in line with our plan for the new facility and realize the full potential of it," Prince Abdullah said. "Such development, from a seasoned and significant investor, will help to create rewarding opportunities for KAEC as a tourism destination. The investment from AAMTG shows increasing commitment by developers to KAEC Al Rasheed stated. The new facility will offer vessel-berthing capacity for up to 124 vessels.
JEEP
Chrysler Group LLC has announced that the all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee has received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) Top Safety Pick award, the highest rating the organization bestows. "The all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is the first production vehicle to launch since our alliance with Fiat and a 'Top Safety Pick' is a great way to start our 2011 product offensive," said Scott Kunselman, SVP, engineering, Chrysler Group LLC. IIHS recognition of five products underscores Chrysler Group's engineering capability and leadership in occupant protection." The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee joins the 2010 Dodge Journey, 2010 Dodge Avenger, 2010 Chrysler Sebring, and the 2010 Jeep Patriot (equipped with available seat mounted air bag) as 2010 Top Safety Picks, according to IIHS. "The all-new 2011 Grand Cherokee provides consumers with enhanced safety and security, in addition to legendary Jeep capability and a premium driving experience," said Mike Manley, president and CEO, Jeep Brand. "With more than 45 different safety and security systems working in harmony, including Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Electronic Roll Mitigation, Active Head Restraints, Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning and a Blind-Spot/Rear Cross, path detection system, our new Jeep Grand Cherokee will allow customers to benefit from a new level of protection, on- and off-road."
CAPTION:
The all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee, which has received IIHS' Top Safety Pick award.
GO
Etihad Atheeb Telecom Co. (GO), a Saudi joint stock company, announced the results of its ordinary and extraordinary general assembly meeting, which was held earlier this week at the company head office in Riyadh, and was chaired by Prince Abdulaziz bin Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, chairman of the board of the directors. Naser Al-Bogmy and Abdulrahman Al-Medlej, both representatives of the Ministry of Commerce, Ahmed Al-Mohammady of Capital Market Authority and shareholders discussed the general assembly meeting agenda. The agenda included approval of the board of director's report for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010. Also given approvals for the fiscal year were for the auditor's report, the company's financial statements, the discharge of the board of the directors, the selection of the auditor by the audit committee to audit company accounts for the fiscal year 2011 and quarterly financial reports, and for the selection criteria of the audit committee, the bonuses and nominations committee, and the method of work for each committee and their term of memberships. Approval of amendments to various sections of articles was included in its Second Extraordinary Assembly Meeting.
AXIOM/LG
Axiom Telecom, the region's mobile phone retailer, and LG Electronics (LG), a global leader and technology innovator in mobile communications, have announced their collaboration in launching the LG BL40 Gold to the UAE market. The phone features a four-inch wide screen, which provides an enlarged and more optimal space for computing, ideal for UAE's on-the-go population. The widened panoramic display enables easy reading of web pages and email, and vibrantly brings videos and games to life. "We constantly strive to bring our customers the latest technology and trends in mobile technology and are delighted to announce the exclusive partnership with LG to launch the Gold BL40 model to the fashion-forward UAE market," said Faisal Al-Bannai, founder and CEO, Axiom Telecom. The Gold BL40's sleek slim shape and gold finish creates a luxurious statement, while the curved scratch-resistant glass that seamlessly encases the phone provides a smooth, elegant surface for a flawless finish. "LG is proud to partner with Axiom Telecom once again - enabling high market penetration for our latest luxury mobile phone, and enabling customers to benefit from Axiom in-store elements including expert retail advisors," said H.S. Paik, president of LG Electronics Gulf FZE. The partnership will help showcase the latest range of mobile handsets and allow customers to have an interactive merchandise experience through 'live phones' and demonstrations by Axiom's expert retail advisors.
LUKOIL
A consortium of investors including LUKOIL Overseas has discovered natural gas field in Uzbekistan. The consortium, including LUKOIL Overseas, a 100 percent subsidiary of LUKOIL, got commercial flow of natural gas from the first exploration well in the West Aral prospect within the Aral license block. So, for the first time commercial presence of natural gas in Jurassic deposits was established in Kosbulak deflection of North-Ustyurt petroleum province. The Aral license block is located in the northwest of Uzbekistan and includes offshore and onshore areas of the Uzbek sector of the Aral Sea. Well drilling on the West Aral prospect continued from November 2009 to April 2010. The depth of the well is 3,300 meters, with pay zones penetrated within the depth range of 2,000-3,000 meters. Testing of three horizons in the Middle Jurassic reservoirs resulted in the total maximal flow of about 580,000 cubic meters of natural gas per day. Drilling of the second exploration well on Shagala prospect is expected to start this summer. A consortium of investors implements the project where National Holding Company Uzbekneftegaz, LUKOIL Overseas, CNPC International (China), KNOC Aral (Korea) and Petronas Carigali Overseas (Malaysia) have equal stakes (20 percent). Aral Sea Operating Company operates the project with its head office in Tashkent. Investments of the first stage of the project (seismic survey and 2 exploration wells) amount to $100 million.
SAGIA/GE
General Electric Company (GE) has signed a cooperation framework agreement with the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), the body that facilitates inward investments to the Kingdom, to pilot GE's innovative technologies within the economic cities in the Kingdom being promoted by SAGIA. GE's path-breaking R&D and manufacturing initiatives in Saudi Arabia will help address the key challenges of water scarcity, energy efficiency and affordable health care faced by the Kingdom. Apart from GE's in-house R&D efforts, these initiatives are also developed in partnership with leading educational institutions such as the King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals and other leading R&D entities in the Kingdom. GE has also signed recently a major agreement with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to drive manufacturing and co-investments in the industrial sector of the Kingdom. Amr Al-Dabbagh, governor and chairman of the board of SAGIA, said: "GE's R&D and manufacturing initiatives complement our vision to develop modern metropolises that will uphold our goals of sustainable development." GE will partner with SAGIA in providing sustainable development support in three key areas - health care, power and water. This complements the "ecomagination" and "healthymagination" initiatives of GE.
SGH
Saudi German Hospitals Group (SGH Group) and its Batterjee Medical College for Sciences and Technology (BMC) received the Arab Achievement Awards organized by iGroup at a function held in Abu Dhabi recently. These awards recognize companies/projects that have shown outstanding performance and have made exemplary contributions to the Arab region's development. The awards were presented by Abdullah Bin Al Saleh, director general, Ministry of Foreign Trade, UAE, Obaid Al Noami, Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA, Baqer Al-Saeedy, chairman, Lucksh Oil Company, and Muhsen Mohammed Al-Harbi, CEO, Sorooh Investment Company. Dr. Khaled Batterjee, VP and board member of BAB Holding/SGH Group and dean of BMC received the award on behalf of BMC in the category of Best Educational Project of the Arab World. Dr. Batterjee said, "The award will further inspire and strengthen our pace and passion to design, finance, construct and operate five medical colleges by 2020, and enhance more quality medical education in the Arab World." Sultan Sobhi Batterjee, VP business development and board member of BAB Holding/SGH Group and CEO of International Hospital Construction Company (IHCCo) received the Award on behalf of SGH Group in the category of Leader of the Healthcare Sector in Arab World. Sultan said: "A large part of the success behind SGH Group is its employees' belief in the group's vision and their untiring hard work on its course to have 30 world-class hospitals by 2015 and five medical colleges by 2020, and provide 50,000 jobs in MENA region."
SAMSUNG
Samsung Electronics Co. has unveiled its new range of premium air conditioners and an ionizer device in MENA, which feature a cutting edge Virus Doctor air filtration technology. Virus Doctor technology has been incorporated in both, an air purifying electronic device of the same name and the Crystal air conditioners. The technology improves indoor air quality, enhancing consumers' wellbeing and kills more than 99.9 percent of harmful airborne viruses including SARS and H1N1, to guarantee contamination-free indoor air. "Recent outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Avian Influenza, SARS and H1N1 have brought increasing attention to the health hazards posed by indoor air pollution. Samsung has therefore invested heavily in R&D and leveraged our technological innovation to develop the groundbreaking Virus Doctor technology, which is featured in both these products, to address a growing need for protection against airborne infections," said Myungsoo Koo, regional senior manager of digital air solutions, MENA Headquarters, Samsung Electronics. Samsung's Virus Doctor technology neutralizes dust mites, moulds and viruses that cause skin irritation and respiratory problems, fungi, high-allergen agents that cause allergies, active oxygen that speeds up the skin-aging process, airborne bacteria and viruses such as influenza, chicken pox and life-threatening viruses including H1N1 and SARS. "Tests have proven Virus Doctor's consistent effectiveness in eliminating a wide range of harmful pollutants in different settings," said Professor Sang-Heui Seo of South Korea's Chungnam National University.
DEUTSCHE BANK
The Deutsche Bank Middle East Foundation in partnership with Bader Young Entrepreneurs Program announced recently the launch of the Deutsche Bank Awards in Lebanon. This marks the first time that the Deutsche Bank Awards have been offered outside of the UK, where they have been in place since 1993. The awards offer practical and financial support to artists, craftspeople, designers and performers to start a business or carry out a project. As a first step, Deutsche Bank will be offering two awards to Lebanese candidates at 10,000 euro each. The foundation is also considering rolling out the awards across the Middle East in the future. Henry Azzam, chairman of the Deutsche Bank Middle East Foundation and the bank's regional CEO, said: "The idea behind the Deutsche Bank Awards is to foster creative enterprises, by not only lending financial support but by offering business planning guidance and mentoring as well. We are pleased to have partnered with Bader, an organization with a strong record of support for young entrepreneurs, to launch this initiative." Bader Young Entrepreneur Program President Robert Fadel said: "Creativity is a great asset of Lebanon and a wonderful way to promote the "Lebanese savoir-faire." The creative industry can also play an important role in the development of the Lebanese entrepreneurial ecosystem as it can lead to the creation of small and medium size (SME) companies."