Nafisa Shams Academy
In line with its efforts to offer students world-class and modern training courses that fulfill their desires, Nafisa Shams Academy for Arts and Crafts, which is part of Abdul Latif Jameel Community Services Programs, has signed cooperation agreements with several international institutes. Through the agreements, the academy will benefit from the advanced training courses as well as experiences and skills of training instructors at those institutes. Suzan Al-Shami, GM, Nafisa Shams Academy, recently signed a cooperation agreement with the Cairo-based Italian Institute, Burgo. The agreement was signed in the Egyptian capital in the presence of Dr. Hani Mohamed Barakat, undersecretary of the ministry of trade and industry; Stephaney Julina, director of fashion and designs center; Fernando Burgo, general manager and owner of the Instituto Di Moda Burgo.
NCB
The National Commercial Bank (NCB) held its Fifth Business Forum in Dubai for treasury and corporate clients recently. Abdulkareem Abu Al-Nasr, NCB’s CEO, who inaugurated the forum said that the goal of organizing such an event was to offer bank’s clients more care, strengthen ties with them and show them the latest in the world of economy and business not only in our region but globally. He stated that such events provide a valuable opportunity to interact with major bank clients directly and respond to their inquiries regarding what the bank provides in products and financial solutions, which support their present and future businesses. “The NCB, which is considered currently the best bank to offer risk management tools and products and regional treasury has successfully strengthened its market share to include various banking business areas,” he said. It has also succeeded in expanding activities that follow its consistent vision to become the “Leading regional financial service group.”
SODAMCO
SODAMCO Saudi Arabia, a joint venture between SODAMCO Holding and ROLACO Trading and Contracting - Abdul Aziz Abdullah Al-Sulaiman & Co. Ltd., has opened its new factory in Jeddah. ROLACO, a major player in the construction materials industry for more than 45 years, dealing in cement, steel, construction equipment, concrete accessories, finishing products and construction chemicals has thus reinforced its leading position in the Saudi market. SODAMCO has been an active player in the construction chemicals industry in the Middle East and the Gulf since the mid eighties under the name of SODAP Liban/Emirates. The company successfully entered the markets of Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, UAE, Qatar, and recently Jordan through an acquisition, and has recently consolidated its corporate brand under the name of SODAMCO. With this new facility, SODAMCO will have a total of six manufacturing plants spread across the Middle East and the Gulf countries, offering the construction industry the widest range of construction chemicals including cement-based mortars, concrete admixtures and other specialties.
DMC
Dubai Maritime City (DMC), the world’s first purpose-built maritime center and a member of the Dubai World Group of companies, has announced the signing of a contract that grants Drydocks World-Dubai exclusive rights to run and manage Dubai Maritime City’s industrial precinct. With its specialized expertise and excellent professional track record, Drydocks World has been selected to provide efficient management to the Industrial Precinct, which has been developed by DMC to be a crucial element in the overall development of the regional maritime sector. Under the terms of the contract, Drydocks World-Dubai will manage all components of the industrial precinct, including wet berths, dry berths, workshops, warehouses, the 3,000-ton and 6,000-ton ship lifts, the ship lift control building, central administration building and covered yacht repair area, among others.
Giordano
Giordano celebrates its 15th anniversary by announcing its 2008 first quarter results, “which is a period marked with success.” The Middle East’s leading retailer and distributor of casual apparel is on target for another record year by witnessing a remarkable growth in its various markets in the region. Giordano achieved a 30 percent growth across the region in the first quarter of 2008, which is quite an achievement keeping in mind the current challenges in the retail industry. “The Middle East is witnessing an enormous growth, particularly Dubai which is leading the growth of the region’s retail sector. The GCC is accommodating thousands of successful retailers and we are proud to be on the top of the list by being one of the leading apparel retailers in the region,” said Ishwar Chugani, executive director for Giordano Middle East and Africa.
DQG/Shell
Sheikh Saeed ibn Mohammed ibn Rashid Al-Maktoum recently handed out the prizes to eight winners of the Emirates Business Women Award (EBWA) 2008 in business and professional categories at a ceremony held in Dubai. Sheikh Saeed also gave a special award to Princess Haya bint Al-Hussein, wife of Sheikh Mohammed ibn Rashid Al-Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of UAE, and ruler of Dubai, for her selfless dedication and contribution to the development of women. Raja Al-Gurg accepted the trophy on her behalf. Other winners were Mary Jane Alvero-Al Mahdi, runner-up in the professional category; Sheikha Azza ibn Rashid Al-Nuaimi (leadership); Dr. Nawal Al-Hosany (business, professional and career achievement); Maryam Al-Jallaf (business, professional & career Achievement); Haleh Janani (future goals and financial performance); Criterion Monira Safar (community contributions and participation); and Mona Al-Kandi (innovation). “Dubai Quality Group is pleased to witness the culmination of yet another successful cycle of the Emirates Business Women Award,” said Marwan Al-Sawaleh, chairman, DQG. Omar Al-Qurashi, communications manager, Shell, said: “The EBWA program has been an excellent avenue in the last five years, we are looking for more commitments with the UAE community in our social responsibilities program.”
Bab Rizq Jameel
Abdul Latif Jameel Community Services Programs (ALJ Prog) has started operation of two Bab Rizq Jameel branches in Riyadh and Dammam, after launching its first branch last year in Jeddah. One of ALJ Prog’s programs, Bab Rizq Jameel combines between creating job opportunities and being a center for entrepreneurs who are planning to start their own small businesses. Ohoud Al-Tamimi, manager of Bab Rizq Jameel in Riyadh, said that the branch started operation a week ago. Located on Madinah Road at Al-Badia district in Riyadh, the 2,000 sq. m. center is positioned in a reachable commercial area. Al Tamimi said that thousands of visitors have already visited the center. Hundreds of women who are looking for jobs or wishing to finance their small projects have delivered their applications. Al-Tamimi added that Bab Rizq Jameel center will focus in the upcoming period on introducing its activities and concepts that benefit owners of small projects.
LG/Jarir
LG Electronics, a leader in consumer electronics, IT products, home appliances and mobile communications, has signed a distribution agreement with Jarir Bookstores, a market leader in office supplies, school supplies, IT products and books. Jarir will sell LG’s IT products at its chain of showrooms in the Kingdom and other GCC countries. LG and Jarir announced their agreement at a press conference held on Sunday, which was attended on behalf of Jarir by CEO Akram Al-Agil, Nasser Abdul Aziz Al-Agil, COO, and Safi Al-Safi, marketing manager, and by Simon Lee, GM, LG Electronics in Saudi Arabia. Taking advantage of each other’s strong position in the market, Jarir will distribute LG’s Notebooks, ODDs and RMCs in the Kingdom through its chain of branches. The agreement comes in line with LG’s expansion strategy in Saudi Arabia, especially after the company has successfully launched several new highly advanced IT products.
IFA HR
IFA Hotels & Resorts (IFA HR) has announced its second joint venture deal with Nakheel with the acquisition of two plots of land adjacent to the Kingdom of Sheba resort located on the Crescent of Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. The new resort will be an extension of the Kingdom of Sheba and is valued at approximately $1 billion. Talal Jassim Al-Bahar, chairman and MD, IFA HR, said: “We have experienced a great relationship with Nakheel during the past five years on our successful projects on the island and specifically on The Palm Golden Mile where an existing JV partnership exists.” The two plots of land cover 1.012 million square feet and are located next to the Kingdom of Sheba resort, with a built up area of 1.923 million square feet. Chris O’Donnell, Nakheel CEO, said: “Palm Jumeirah will be one of the world’s premier resorts, offering a wealth of beachfront hotels, retail and leisure choices. Our partnership with IFA Hotels & Resorts will result in a number of these choices and this latest joint venture will result in yet another exceptional experience on Palm Jumeirah.”
Dubai Silicon Oasis
UAE Foreign Trade Minister Sheikha Lubna bint Khaled Al-Qasimi and the German Consul-General to Dubai, Johann-Adolf Cohausz, recenlty broke ground of German Business Park, a large mixed-use development in Dubai Silicon Oasis that will serve as a hub for German business in the UAE and wider GCC region. Sheikha Lubna said: “Our economic ties with Germany have never been stronger than today. I believe that the groundbreaking of German Business Park represents another important milestone in our ever-evolving partnership. As the UAE minister of foreign trade, I am particularly pleased that the initiators have chosen Dubai as the location of the park. The decision reflects the great amount of trust the UAE enjoys among its key international business partners.” German Business Park, a joint venture between the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority and the Bin Jabr Group of Abu Dhabi, is slated to become one of the world’s largest German-themed business clusters.
AFE
Dubai’s Al-Futtaim Electronics (AFE), a member of Al-Futtaim Group, on Tuesday announced its intention to open hi-tech audio outlets called Audissey. These outlets, planned for whole of the Middle East, will help optimize listening experiences to those audiophiles who try to create for themselves the best music or sound experience possible. The first Audissey outlet is scheduled to open later this year. AFE also said it is in advanced discussions with the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and its training partner Bedrock Learning to provide training and certification aimed at advancing growth in the consumer electronics sector across the region. Meanwhile, Plug-Ins, one of UAE’s leading multibrand electronics retailers and member of the Al-Futtaim Group, announced the launch of Office-in-A-Box, a novel one-stop-shop concept for the SME sector and small office, home office (SOHO) start up businesses in the country.
Abyaar/Mada’in
Boutique property developer, Abyaar and Dubai-based Mada’in Properties have announced a joint venture beginning with two new projects. Marzooq Al-Rashdan, vice chairman and managing director of Abyaar, says the projects worth a total of AED3 billion, mark the start of a long-term partnership between the two companies who specialize in modern, high-end development. The first proposed project will be located in the prestigious Dubai Marina and will comprise 107 exclusive units, along with townhouses. Construction of the tower is scheduled to commence during the second half of 2008. The next joint project is located in the much sought-after Meydan master development, near Nad Al-Sheba in Dubai. The design and conceptual work has begun with building kick off scheduled for the first quarter of 2009. Meanwhile, Abyaar launched VentiQuattro (VQ) residential tower in Dubai’s Marina and simultaneously opened the luxuriously finished development up to investors for the first time.
Samsung
Samsung has introduced in Dubai its latest line-up of LCD Full HD and HDTVs designed for consumers who are new to HD entertainment - the Series 4, Series 5 and Series 6. Combining elegant styling with a wide range of higher-end components ordinarily exclusive to premium sets, consumers can now experience superb picture quality, optimized digital performance, and ease-of-use in an HDTV that fits seamlessly into any home decor. “Samsung’s newest LCD technologies and engineering techniques have allowed us to offer attractive HD and Full HD TVs with great features and excellent picture quality,” said Ashraf Sajid, general manager of audiovisual division at Samsung Gulf Electronics.
Panasonic
Panasonic has introduced in Dubai 10 new models in the Lumix TZ, FX, FS, LS and LZ series of digital cameras. The new Lumix models represent major advances in a variety of areas. Panasonic has evolved the new models significantly in terms of ease of use, by incorporating its multi shooting-assist mode, called Intelligent Auto mode (iA). This mode comprises Mega OIS (optical image stabilizer), Intelligent ISO Control, Face Detection, Intelligent Scene Selector and the new TZ and FX series feature Intelligent Exposure, all work automatically just setting the camera to the mode.
Panasonic has also developed several new wide-angle lenses for the new FX, FS, and LZ models, greatly expanding the Lumix lineup of wide-angle cameras.
Sony
Sony recently launched in Dubai its latest Handycam HDR-TG1 that slips effortlessly into a purse or jacket pocket. Little bigger than a mobile phone, it is the smallest, slimmest, lightest camcorder ever to feature 1920x1080 Full High Definition recording with crisp 5.1ch surround sound. “Sony was the first to introduce a travel-sized camcorder with 8mm technology in the 1980’s, and it revolutionized the travel and electronics industries,” said Osamu Miura, managing director, Sony Gulf FZE.
