RIYADH: On the sidelines of the LEAP technical conference in Riyadh, Huawei Consumer Business Group opened its doors to the company’s new store in the capital — its largest flagship store overseas. 

The grand opening of the store took place on Feb. 2, at Riyadh Front on King Salman Road and Airport Road, in the presence of Khalid Al-Falih, minister of investment; Abdullah Alwaha, minister of communications and information technology; Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, president of Saudi Esports Federation; Pablo Ning, president of Huawei Consumer Business Group in the Middle East and Africa; Eric Yang, CEO of Huawei Tech Investment Saudi Arabia; and other senior representatives. 

Speaking at the grand opening, Al-Falih said: “Saudi Arabia continues to drive its rapid transformation into a digitally enabled economy at pace. Whether it is the government, local businesses or individual consumers contributing toward this advancement, we will all derive from its benefits of connectivity, competitiveness, efficiency and overall enrichment of our lifestyles. In this light, we welcome Huawei’s increased commitment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the organization continues to expand its presence in the region.”

In an exclusive interview with Arab News, Vice President of Huawei Tech Investment Saudi Arabia Bill Yu shed more light on Huawei’s plans in the Kingdom.

Yu elaborated on the grand opening in Riyadh and the governmental partnership, saying: “Huawei’s strategic vision is in line with the government of Saudi Arabia’s vision to attract increased business, enable continued knowledge transfer and contribute toward the development of the retail sector in the Kingdom.

“Huawei has opened the store as part of its wider plan to expand its vision and reach within the Kingdom, and visitors to the new Huawei flagship store will be able to enjoy a rich full-scenario experience with immersive demonstrations of Huawei’s latest smart devices and technologies in 5G, artificial intelligence, and the cloud.”

Yu also said that Huawei is mirroring the dynamic lifestyle changes that are taking place in Saudi Arabia with “pervasive intelligence and by showing how Huawei’s technology can enhance the daily lives of consumers in the Kingdom.”

With regards to Huawei’s performance in the Kingdom during the past year, Yu said Saudi Arabia’s market is an important one for Huawei and that the tech giant “will continue to invest in it and bring the most compelling and innovative technology experiences to consumers through a wide range of products.”

He said that Huawei has kept a steady and positive business performance in the Kingdom by working hard to implement its “1 + 8 + N” Seamless AI Life strategy, where: “1” represents mobile phone users; “8” represents tablets, PCs, VR devices, wearables, smart screens, smart audio, smart speakers, and head units; and “N” represents ubiquitous IoT devices. 

“Driven by Super Device and Huawei Mobile Services ecosystem, this strategy enables different types of devices to seamlessly share their capabilities and information, providing consumers with an intelligent experience across five key scenarios: Smart office, fitness and health, smart home, easy travel, and entertainment. This strategy has enabled Huawei to not only diversify their product portfolio in Saudi but to also grow steadily,” Yu said.

“Huawei places high importance on continuously pushing innovation in everything they do and firmly commits to providing more products to Saudi during 2022 and beyond,” he added.

President Ning said: “At Huawei, we have always valued consumer engagement as a top priority. The relationship we have built with our customers goes beyond buying and selling. We have a deeper bond with our customers. We have created this store in Riyadh as a place for consumers and developers to come together and experience the latest advancements in consumer technology. Huawei has also incorporated a Seamless AI Life Zone into this space, giving customers an opportunity to explore the Seamless AI Life that ubiquitous connectivity and the Internet of Everything are ushering in.”

The store is situated in the heart of the stunning Riyadh Front retail complex and is adjacent to luxurious shops. The flagship store fronts onto an entertainment plaza with wide green spaces and water features. Once customers step inside, they are greeted with a stylish and pristine white interior that places a range of Huawei’s latest products and services at the core of the experience.

CEO Yang said: “With this new launch, Huawei is committed to supporting the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 of achieving digital transformation and consolidating the Kingdom’s position as a hub for technology in the region. We are grateful to the Ministry of Investment and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology for supporting Huawei’s ambition and paving the way to achieving this success. As a leading global company in the field of technology, Huawei opened the store as part of its broader plan to expand its reach within the Kingdom and ultimately demonstrate its commitment to accelerating the process of digital awareness.

Huawei aims to enhance the daily lives of consumers in the Kingdom.”

The store is more than 2,000 square meters in size and features a minimalist design. Visitors can enjoy smart experiences across five scenarios: Smart Home, Mobile Office, Fitness and Health, Easy Travel, and Entertainment. In addition, there will be more than 40 consultants available to advise consumers about the products. These members of staff have been drawn from a wide range of backgrounds and bring their own strengths and experiences from the world of sports, music as well as vlogging. They will share with customers their interests and hobbies in addition to providing customers with suggestions and technical support.

At the store, consumers can look forward to experiencing all of Huawei’s latest devices including the newly launched P50 Pro, P50 Pocket and MateBook E.

The launch of the new Huawei flagship store was made possible through close collaboration with Kaden Investment, the owner of Riyadh Front, which also provides real estate products that are appropriate to the requirements of global companies.