3M, an innovative leader in R&D that produces thousands of innovative products for diverse markets globally, has launched its ‘Post-it and Scotch Raiders Campaign’ in Saudi Arabia. The objective of this campaign is to engage directly with its vast office consumer base across the Kingdom. The campaign, launched in Riyadh on Saturday, will witness a roving 3M team dressed in Post-it and Scotch outfits who will visit several offices across Riyadh to interact with consumers and also gauge how well these individuals in the Kingdom know their Post-it and Scotch stationery. “Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest markets for Post-it and Scotch brand products in the entire Gulf region,” said Naveed Ahmed, consumer and office business manager, Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East Africa (CEE, MEA). “This campaign is designed to appeal to consumers across the Gulf, especially those who deal with procuring office and home stationery. We want to reach out to them to thank them for their continuous support to Post-it and Scotch, which is expressed through their continued preference of our comprehensive product range,” he added. In addition to the flight vouchers and 3M products, the campaign also provides consumers with an opportunity to participate in the brand’s social media and print campaign. Post-it Note and Scotch Magic Tape are among 3M’s best-selling products globally. In the Middle East and Levant region, these brands have made their way into majority of offices and homes.
 

Riyadh’s newest Italian restaurant La Cucina hosted high profile members of the Italian community at a private lunch reception attended by the Italian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Valentino Simonetti and his wife. Also in attendance, together with more than 50 other distinguished guests, was Luigi Narbone, ambassador of the European Union in Saudi Arabia. The restaurant, located in the stylish new South Wing extension of the Al Faisaliah Hotel, A Rosewood Hotel, had its soft opening late last year and has already established a reputation for its fine fresh modern Italian cuisine. Italian Chef Claudio Melis and restaurant manager Frederick Madiona have combined their skills to bring the mastery of the Italian kitchen and the genuine warmth of Italian hospitality to the restaurant. Welcoming the Italian ambassador and other guests, Peter Finamore, managing director, Al Faisaliah Hotel, said: “The Italian Embassy has played an invaluable role in supporting, inspiring and guiding Al Faisaliah Hotel in many of the details lending authenticity to La Cucina’s menu and customer offering. We are delighted to be showcasing the results to the true connoisseurs of Italian cuisine here today — your patronage is an excellent endorsement for La Cucina.”
 

Labbaik for Operation and Marketing Co., Ltd. (www.labbaik.com), a provider of integrated solutions for the Saudi hospitality, tourism and real estate sectors, has got three ISO certificates attesting to its excellent performance, namely: ISO 9001:2008 (QMS), ISO 27001:2005 (ISMS) and ISO 20000:2005 (ITSM). The achievement is in line with Labbaik’s business development plans to ensure provision of practical solutions and superior, safe technology for upgrading to a comprehensive quality-management level. The other two ISO certificates are related to technology safety, as well as security and data protection. Yasser Al-Kholi, CEO, Labbaik, said the company has advanced capabilities and highly qualified and specialized human resources to enable it to advance with confidence in the area of technological solutions for e-government.
 

Gulfood 2011, which opened in Dubai on Sunday with more than 3,800 exhibitors, ended on Wednesday. The show is described as the biggest in the event’s history, taking up more than 1 million square feet of exhibition space and leveraging its regional influence to highlight the latest trends, innovations and developments in the industry. “The scale of this year’s event is a clear indication of the world’s focus on this region. We have been able to accommodate an 1,400 new exhibitors keen to gain a presence in the world’s biggest food import market. We are looking forward to record sales and business opportunities for exhibitors and visitors this year,” said Helal Saeed Almarri, CEO, Dubai World Trade Centre, organizer of the exhibition. With Restaurant & Cafe Middle East and Ingredients Middle East running co-located at Gulfood, the event covers the full spectrum of the industry, from ingredients through to food processing, packaging, retail, hospitality and distribution. The show also plays a key role in knowledge exchange and education through the Gulfood Conference to provide the delegates with information and insights from international experts, analysts and business leaders. It also hosts the annual Emirates International Salon Culinaire, a competition organized by the Emirates Culinary Guild that sees 1,500 chefs’ culinary skills assessed by an international panel of judges, as well as the annual Gulfood Awards.
 

DHL, a global logistics company, has announced that Danzas AEI Emirates, its joint venture with Al Tayer Group has launched a guaranteed, weekly ‘Less than Container Load’ (LCL) service direct from Dubai to Dammam. As Saudi Arabia and the UAE continue to diversify their economies, DHL’s new direct LCL service is aligned with and supports government initiatives. By enhancing connectivity between the Kingdom and the UAE, DHL will help strengthen trade links and facilitate further growth in trade activities. “Both Dubai and Dammam are very important regional industrial and economic centers. The UAE-Saudi trade is robust and continues to gain momentum,” said Enver Moretti, DHL Global Forwarding’s CEO for MENA and Turkey. “DHL’s new direct LCL will offer unrivalled support as we continue to provide the most efficient and reliable logistics solutions.” Saudi Arabia is considered the UAE’s most important trading partner in the region, and both countries are considered regional trade heavyweights. In 2009, the UAE emerged as the top GCC trade partner to Saudi Arabia, and one of the top 10 worldwide, according to Saudi official figures. “DHL’s new LCL service taps into key trade lanes in the Middle East, connecting businesses in key industry sectors to the kingdom by leveraging Dubai’s strategic position as a regional logistics hub,” said Stefan Fallet, GM, Danzas AEI Emirates.
 

FG4, a new fashion forward and experiential children’s clothing brand, is set to take the Middle East by storm. FG4, a new retail venture founded through George Davies and the Alhokair group, is currently focusing on children’s wear and the brand caters for ages 0-3 years, 3-9 years and 10-14 years. The store design is to be unique, innovative and refreshing. It is a new concept that George has adopted in order to not only stand out from competitors but to cater for every individual needs. The shopping experience is designed to be fun and interactive, bringing a whole new approach to the retail market, with activities such as ‘Design it Yourself’. This will be available in all stores enabling children to design their own t-shirts using drawings and logos from a computer. George Davies, the creator of many successful and worldly recognized brands such as Next, Per Una and George at Asda, is launching his next clothing empire into the Middle East. Davies feels that there are great opportunities in these areas. FG4 is set to open 120 new stores early this year in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Egypt and Kazakhstan. This move to the Middle East will represent the first time he has launched an entirely new retail chain overseas.