Savola Group to change weekend

One of the Kingdom’s largest diversified conglomerates in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia is set to be the first company in Saudi Arabia to shift its weekend to Friday and Saturday, instead of Thursday and Friday.
Savola Group’s move comes in line with the Shoura Council’s initial approval of the weekend change, with the aim of aligning the country with global financial markets.
“Savola Group would like to announce to its shareholders and stakeholders that the group is currently considering changing the weekend to Friday and Saturday, effective from the beginning of the second half of 2013,” said a statement published on the group’s website.
An official at Savola Group told Arab News that the new weekend will be implemented in June, to facilitate communication and coordination between the group and its subsidiaries within and outside the Kingdom, including Egypt, Morocco, Sudan, Algeria, Jordan, the UAE, Turkey and other countries.
“This move provides the advantage of having an additional number of compatible working days with countries we deal with and their financial institutions,” said Abdulraouf M. Mannaa, Savola Group managing director. “This will enhance financial, commercial and economic relations with regional and international markets.”
Maleeha Ahmad, a dentist working in the Kingdom, said the change would benefit the country economically as it will align the Kingdom with the whole region and reduce time constraints in transactions and business deals with banks and other commercial institutions.
She said traveling to visit friends and family in neighboring countries would be more convenient.
Abdullah Al-Ansari, a Saudi vegetable importer, agreed, saying the weekend change will positively affect the Kingdom’s business market. Oman recently announced it will change its weekend to Friday and Saturday. The move will be implemented beginning next month.