SUZUKI SAUDIA
Suzuki Saudia, the sole distributor of Suzuki vehicles in the Kingdom and part of Bamarouf Group, recently launched an in-house competition as part of its strategy to boost employee performance and increase annual sales. The company conducted an internal awards ceremony and rewarded its employees with a fully paid one-week trip to Malaysia inclusive of tickets, visas and hotel accommodation. A total of 25 employees participated in the competition, with the winners successfully exceeding Suzuki Saudia’s annual sales targets by more than 100 percent in sales, maintenance and credit collection. “As part of our commitment to strengthen internal relations, Suzuki Saudia regularly organizes activities that encourage our employees to strive for excellent results in their respective areas of responsibility. We believe this competition will deliver a positive impact on the performance of our sales staff, and will also help us perform beyond our annual sales forecasts,” said Ahmad Shamaile, sales manager, Suzuki Saudia. “Our various incentives and initiatives have been very rewarding, which is an important factor that has motivated us to continue to develop innovative ways of reinforcing our ties with our employees and clients,” added Shamaile.
APPLEBEE’S
Applebee’s Grill and Restaurant, claimed to be the world’s largest casual dining concept with more than 1,900 restaurants in 17 countries, opened its new restaurant at the Red Sea Mall in Jeddah earlier this week. Arabian Entertainment co. Ltd. operates Applebee’s and owns its franchise rights in the Kingdom. It currently operates eight restaurants across the Kingdom with further expansion plans. The newest Applebee’s, which is the third in Jeddah and eighth in the Kingdom, was inaugurated by company Chairman Waleed ibn Mahfouz and Chief Operating Officer Ahmed Marashde on Monday. Applebee’s in the Kingdom is the largest franchisee for Applebee’s in the Middle East with a total of eight restaurants spread across all regions of the country. The company has also won the franchisee of the year award twice in a row last year and this year. “There are more Applebee’s restaurants in the country than any other core casual dining restaurants that makes the brand by far the biggest in its segment,” Marashde told reporters. All Applebee’s restaurants have friendly and family-fun atmosphere with something exciting on the menu for all ages and groups with great emphasis on freshness and quality, Marashde added.
KRAFT FOODS
Kraft Foods Inc. has announced the appointment of Patrick Satamian as its new vice president and area director, Middle East and Africa, after serving as managing director, GCC, since 2004. Congratulating him, Maurizio Calenti, president EEMA Region, said, “We’re confident that Patrick’s outstanding performance will reach new horizons in his new position; his large experience in leading multinational companies in markets around the globe together with his multi-cultural insight will definitely serve him well as he takes on the challenges of his new role.” In his turn, Satamian expressed his pride at the appointment: “I’m grateful to the company for the trust they place in me. This is actually a recognition of the collective efforts of an outperforming Kraft team along with the distributor partners in the region. I congratulate them all for this collective success. “I’m excited to take on this new challenge and no efforts will be spared to drive the Kraft business to new heights.” As managing director of Kraft, Satamian led the company to establish its firm corporate culture and hire talent with focus on skills and diversity leading to business transformation and double digit revenue growth. Satamian succeeds Frank Rosa in this position and will be based in the Dubai office where the company’s head office for the Middle East & Africa region is located. Before joining Kraft Foods, Satamian held senior strategic and operational positions with leading multinational companies including RJR Nabisco International and Japan Tobacco International in Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East & Africa regions.
LANDMARK GROUP
UAE-based Landmark Group, a leading retailer and one of Middle East’s fastest growing conglomerate businesses, has won top recognition at the 3rd Annual Retail Middle East 2007 Awards. Held with the support of Sheikha Lubna Al-Qasimi, UAE minister of foreign trade, the awards were given away at a ceremony held in Dubai recently. Landmark Group Chairman Micky Jagtiani won the Retail Personality of the Year 2007, while the Group won the Middle East Retailer of the Year honor. Splash bagged the Marketing Campaign of the Year award for the second year in succession. The Retail Personality of Year award to Jagtiani highlights the colossal part played by an individual in the evolution, development and perpetuation of retailing in the Middle East. The Retailer of the Year award to the Landmark Group recognized its innovation, excellence and fostering of new ideas across the retail sector. The Marketing Campaign of the Year award to Splash was in recognition of its 360 degree integrated campaign for its new store at Deira City Center. The campaign was a Pan-GCC effort and translated across all consumer touch points to create a maximum impact. Jagtiani said: “We are delighted to receive these prestigious awards and we offer our sincerest thanks to Retail ME and the awards jury for this special honor on us. ”
WAFI COLLECTION
Wafi recently unveiled its selection of fashion from the spring/summer collections of its leading design houses and emerging new designers at a series of fashion events. The emphasis was on “all the right looks for a photo finish” at Wafi for Dubai World Cup on March 29. The collections presented at the fashion shows premiered some of the world’s original, and influential fashion brands, many of which are exclusive to Wafi, a destination that offer collection of art, food, fashion, entertainment and lifestyle. The classic luxury of Gerard Darel and The Designer Club, to the unconventional and edgy creations of Bianca or the raw originality of Ginger & Lace, Tiger Lily and Desert Rose, to the glamour of Unrath & Strano and Escada. The fashion events in Wafi showcased the unique and eclectic brands available plus an extensive selection of accessories - luxury handbags and of course sensational hats. Oasis Fashion is renowned for their hat designs as they have established a reputation for their original creations at Dubai’s World Cup due to designing the hats for the winners of the many competitions. The Designer Club also has a special display of millinery throughout the month of March from hat designer Shai Tabassi. Shai works from a studio in Melbourne and makes hats for private clients and elite boutiques.
MOBILY’S ‘RAQME’
Mobily has extended its “Raqme” (My Number) promotion for subscribers wishing to move their phone numbers from Al-Jawal to Mobily till April 30. According to the terms of the promotion, new and migrating subscribers are spared monthly fees for a full year when they subscribe to one of Mobily’s postpaid packages (Khatty, Khatty Plus, Najma, Blue Wave or Mada) and move their existing numbers from Al-Jawal to Mobily. “The extension for this promotion comes in response to the wishes of many Al-Jawal customers seeking to move their numbers to Mobily and benefit from the high quality and high value products and services that we offer,” said Mobily’s Deputy Chief Marketing Officer Ahmed Al-Hashmi. “All subscribers, new or migrating, will retain all the features of this promotion should they wish to switch to any other of Mobily’s post-paid packages.” Mobily has been keen to make the migration process as simple and straightforward as possible. Subscribers do not need to visit an Al-Jawal branch to get their last bills. All they need to do is make a single visit to any of Mobily outlets or its authorized distributors in the Kingdom to finalize their migration process. Unlike other operators, Mobily charges equal tariffs on calls made to all fixed and mobile lines. One minute of voice calls in the “Khatty Plus” package costs only 30 halalas, whether the call is placed to another Mobily subscriber, a national landline or an Al Jawal mobile number. Moreover, tariffs in the “Najma”, “Blue Wave” and “Mada” packages offer the best value for money in the Kingdom, with one minute of voice calls at 20 halalas in each of these packages. Subscribers can at 1100 or 0560101100 for more information.
LUXURY LEXUS SUV
Al-Futtaim Motors launched the new flagship luxury SUV, the all-new LX570 at the Lexus showroom in Dubai Festival City Tuesday. “The Lexus brand has seen remarkable success and growth in the last few years. “In 2006, our Lexus sales increased by 30 percent over 2005, helped by the launch of the new ES350 and the introduction of the IS300,” commented Simon Frith, managing director of Al-Futtaim Motors. “The new LX 570 will exceed customers’ expectations in exterior and interior styling, safety, luxury, good driving performance etc,” said Tony Barlow, senior general manager of sales & marketing. Sadayoshi Koyari, chief engineer from the Lexus Development Center in Japan, who led the team responsible for the development of the new car, attended the press conference.
