Nawras expands stores to help customers

To meet increased demand and help more customers, Nawras has expanded its retail outlets to Muscat International Airport (MIA) and Lulu Hypermarket at Darsait. Delivering a unique retail experience, Nawras Stores are growing in size and number to meet the varied communication requirements of its subscribers. There are 22 Nawras stores across the Sultanate. At MIA, customers and arriving passengers were recently invited to join the inauguration ceremony of the redesigned Nawras kiosk. “The new look kiosk is bright and refreshing like Nawras and reflects our dedication to delivering the highest levels of customer-friendly technology in a clear and transparent way,” said manager Haithem al-Zadjali. At Lulu hypermarket in Darsait, Nawras has moved to a different location and expanded with the opening of a new, fully-fledged Nawras Store reflecting the latest, exciting design concept which was first unveiled at City Centre Qurm.

NBO honours Omani women role models

National Bank of Oman’s (NBO) 2010 calendar is a recognition of ordinary Omani women role models with extraordinary achievements, keeping in line with the vision and leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, to empower Omani women. The bank honoured and recognised some of Oman’s women role models, in appreciation of their participation in NBO’s calendar. The event was attended by many Omani role models who featured in NBO’s 2010 calendar. The women who have p articipated in NBO’s calendar include: Yuthar al Rawahy, founder of the National Cancer Awareness Society, Bushra al Wahaibi, Omani novelist, Sukaina Haider an entrepreneur, Hiba al Rahbi, the first woman to achieve the rare feat of standing on her horse in public, Nasra al Adawi, a poet who has published several books, Alia al Qalam, Oman and the Gulf’s first aeronautical engineer and Salwa Sultan, one of Oman’s first few teachers to pioneer education.

EUROPOLES opens its factory in Oman

The first production factory for spun concrete poles was inaugurated by HE Dr Rajiha bint Abdulamir Ali, Minister of Tourism in the presence of HE Maqbool Ali Sultan, Minister of Commerce and Industry, HE Angelika Renate Storz-Chakarji and further high rank delegations from government and private sector. The newly constructed factory with an investment of around five million rials was established by a joint venture of the European leading pole producer EUROPOLES and RAY International, a leading engineering consulting company for oil and gas and power distribution. EUROPOLES Middle East, with a total capacity of 40,000 poles, is expected to replace the wooden poles that are currently used in Oman. EUROPOLES has delivered poles from Germany and with its new local production, the company will be able to offer Oman reliable and cost-effective domestically produced overhead transmission poles, instead of costly imports from abroad. Additionally the products will be exported to other countries in the GCC region.

Oman Mobile voted leading telecom brand

Oman Mobile has been recognised as the leading telecom brand in Oman in a new nationwide survey of the country’s greatest brands conducted by the Oman Daily Observer newspaper. The accolade comes in a recently published new book that looks at the top 130 brands with Oman Mobile leading the way in the telecom sector and coming 29 places ahead of its nearest rival in the mobile sector. In another landmark achievement, Oman Mobile announced that it has over two million subscribers. This figure reinforces Oman Mobile’s leadership position in the mobile telephony market. Commenting on the announcement, Omantel CEO Dr Amer al Rawas said: “We are delighted to start 2010 with this landmark achievement that once again reinforces the leadership position that Oman Mobile established throughout the country in delivering the best mobile telephony services through the most extensive and wide reaching nationwide network. He explained that there are positive trends that are reinforcing this in term of subscriber’s number and total market share”.

RSA acquires Al Ahlia from ONIC

RSA Insurance Group (RSA) and ONIC Holding (ONIC) announced an agreement in which RSA Oman will acquire Al Ahlia from ONIC for 19mn rials. The purchase price is subject to a net asset value adjustment on completion. In return ONIC will acquire a 20.03 per cent stake in RSA Oman. The transaction will create the largest insurance group in Oman. Paul Holmes, CEO of RSA Middle East, commented, “Through this acquisition of Al Ahlia, we create a market leading insurer in Oman and this enhances our emerging markets position in the Middle East.” Sayyida Rawan Ahmed al-Said, group chief executive, ONIC said, “We believe that this alliance will enhance value for ONIC’s stakeholders and would have a positive impact on the insurance industry in Oman.”

National Mining’s re-branding highlights CSR

National Mining Company (NMC) has been rebranded on a global basis to Mawarid Mining. Speaking about the new brand name, Jan Jansen, CEO of Mawarid Mining said, “The rebrand reflects the exciting evolution from a humble beginning in 1997 into a mining business that is well-positioned with the potential to capitalise growth opportunities locally, regionally and internationally.” Mawarid Mining believes that an organisation should focus on corporate social responsibility and business performance equally. Mawarid Mining is not just a business. It is part of the environment, lives, cultures and economies of the people across the regions where it operates. Mawarid becomes a part the community fabric by adding the human touch.

Bank Sohar supports national football team

Bank Sohar has announced an avant-garde overture to provide support for the National Football Team when they meet Kuwait in the Asian Cup Qualifiers’ on March 3. The Bank’s wholehearted support to the ‘Reds’ will involve and include the bank’s customers all over the country. Bank Sohar will make a bulk purchase of tickets for the qualifier cup match and then distribute it to their customers free-of-charge through their branch network. Customers may avail of this offer by approaching the Bank with their customer identity and avail of a great opportunity to be at the stadium to cheer the Oman team. The tickets will be available to customers on a first-come first-serve basis.

KPMG seminar on joint ventures

KPMG’s inaugural Corporate Finance Breakfast Seminar was successfully conducted at the Grand Hyatt on February 6, 2010. The seminar on Joint Ventures: A Tool For Growth was well received by the audience of leading businessmen and strategic decision makers from private and public sectors. The seminar was based on research and analysis conducted by KPMG in conjunction with the Globalisation and Strategy Research Center at IESE Business School in Spain. Richard Williamson, KPMG director and head of corporate finance, highlighted that joint ventures have been a mainstay of corporate expansion into new markets and internationally, and are making a strong comeback as a cash-conserving solution in an era of conservative and more constrained finance. Doug McPhee, deputy chair of KPMG’s global valuation practice and the head of valuation for the EMEA region also addressed the seminar.

BankMuscat joins BPA board

Oman will have representation on the Middle East Advisory Board of media auditing firm BPA Worldwide, following the appointment to the board of Mohammed al Hassani, head of corporate communications at BankMuscat. “The increasing numbers of publications represent a major challenge for advertisers to create a model that will maximise their investment in advertising. Currently, most of the media space buying decisions in Oman are based on past experience or trial and error because of a lack of transparent, trusted data,” says Al Hassani. “My main objective on the advisory board is to help speed up the culture of auditing in Oman and other countries in order to help maximise the return on our advertising spend,” Al Hassani said.

SBG ties up with Lhoist of Belgium

The Lhoist Group of Belgium and the Suhail Bahwan Group (SBG) of Oman have decided to join forces to explore and develop limestone and dolomite resources in Oman. A joint venture agreement was signed by both partners on January 18, 2010. The new joint venture, 60 per cent owned by the Lhoist Group and 40 per cent owned by the SBG, will be called Bahwan Lhoist and will be supervised by a board comprising of three members each from the Lhoist Group and the Bahwan Group. The Lhoist Group will be represented by its group chairman Baron Jean-Pierre Berghmans, the deputy CEO Jean Pierre Henin and the executive vice president Patrick Andre. The SBG will be represented by its group chairman Sheikh Suhail Bahwan; managing director of the group’s holding company Sheikh Ahmed Bahwan; and advisor to the group chairman Divyendu Kumar. The joint venture will significantly contribute to Oman’s economy.

Salalah Marriott Resort opens

Salalah Marriott Resort, the first Marriott Hotel in the Sultanate, opened in February.

Set on the idyllic shores of the Arabian Sea on the white sandy beaches of Mirbat Cove and at the foot of Jebel Samhan, the five-star rated Resort is a part of the Mirbat Beach project. The hotel features 237 well-appointed rooms with guests having a choice of scenic beach or mountain views and a choice of staying in the resort’s main building or in surrounding chalets offering studios and one-and two-bedroom configurations. “Salalah Marriott Resort will offer guests a complete holiday experience by blending Marriott’s authentic hospitality with exceptional facilities and an unmatched natural landscape,” said Germinal Garcia, general manager, Salalah Marriott Resort.