RIYADH, 22 June 2006 — Following the Saudization drive in the limousine companies, a major European rent-a-car firm has launched an ambitious Saudization-cum-expansion drive in the Kingdom’s SR2.5 billion market with its decision to invest about SR250 million under a major plan by increasing the size of its fleet from the current level of 5,000 cars to 20,000 in the Kingdom and elsewhere in the Middle East over the next five years.
Sulaiman Al-Saleh, chairman, Arabian Hala Company and AVIS Saudi Arabia general manager, made the announcement during the inauguration of the company’s regional office in the Eastern Province recently. The Rent-A-Car firm, voted the best in the Middle East, has more than 30 branches in Riyadh, Jeddah and Alkhobar, according to an e-mail sent to Arab News in Riyadh.
Avis Europe, a leading car rental company in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and other parts of Asia, operates via a network of over 3,100 locations in 108 countries, through wholly owned subsidiaries in 14 corporate countries complemented by license arrangements in 94 additional countries.
He said the company has adopted various measures in the Eastern Province, such as increasing the size of its fleet, streamlining the customer service, setting up the members club and safety driving programs as well as providing a host of other services.
As a result of these measures, their impact would be felt not only in terms of quality but also in numbers as it would boost the Saudi manpower that currently comprises 30 percent of the company’s work force. Al-Saleh added that training programs were also being organized for the benefit of their Saudi employees.
