ArabWeeks

The Shawarmer restaurant chain is marking its 20^th anniversary by launching the “Shawarmer for Social Responsibility Save It!” campaign, the most ambitious and comprehensive social impact program in company history designed to help tackle the growing food waste issue in Saudi Arabia.

The new Save It! campaign from Shawarmer, one of the largest and fastest growing Saudi owned and operated restaurant chains, is a year-long initiative designed to draw attention to and provide actionable solutions to Saudi’s food waste issue. The program will engage youth, families, the restaurant industry and stakeholders across the entire “farm to table to landfill” ecosystem to take responsibility for helping tackle a serious issue that has far-reaching impact on Saudi society.

Saudi ranks number one in the world in total food wasted. Statistics released in a new survey by the Saudi Grain Organization estimates that 33% of all food in the country ends up in garbage bins. That’s more than 4 million tons annually with a value of SR 12 billion.

“People don’t realize the serious impact of our food waste issue. The economic value of what goes into Saudi trash bins every day is staggering,” said Mr. Abdullah Zeid Alshabanat, Head of the National Program for Food Lost and Waste. “But most importantly, our Islamic values urge against it.”

“As a homegrown Saudi restaurant group, we have both an opportunity and responsibility to help contribute to a real and lasting solution to our nation’s food waste issue,” said Abdulmohsin Al Rabiah, CEO of Innovative Foods, Shawarmer’s parent company.

“We are launching a series of internal programs and investing heavily in new technology to minimize wasted food across our supply chain and 92 locations. But we also know with our national reach and 20-year history, we have an opportunity to help educate and motivate our customers, employees and industry partners to do something truly unique and special to make a real impact on reducing food waste,” added Iyad Al Rasheed, Shawarmer Director of Operations.

The Save It! initiative will kick off with a competition among Saudi university students, with teams competing to take part in an intensive three-day marketing challenge. Aspiring participants can register their ideas for a Save It! campaign on the Shawarmer.com website.

Shawarmer will work with university partners and marketing industry experts to select the top 15 teams to join the three-day competition where they will work closely with a range of leading experts in advertising, marketing, social responsibility and environmental issues to develop a final campaign. At the end of the competition, the winning team will get the opportunity to show their creative thinking and marketing expertise to all of Saudi, with Shawarmer funding their effort to run a national food waste education and awareness campaign.

“What better way to kick off our Save It! program then to harness the power, energy and creative inspiration of our Saudi youth. What makes this program special is that not only will we invest in a national education campaign targeting a very real social issue, but we are also investing in the future of our young people,” said Faisal Al Rasheed, Director of Marketing for Shawarmer.

Shawarmer, known for its creative and unique marketing campaigns, is asking potential Save It! competitors to find a creative answer to a simple question: Are You Ok with This Issue?

“We know our customers and we know Saudi youth care about building our future society together. We know that when they see the real magnitude of our national food waste crisis and the impact it has on so many people, they will not be OK with it. They will want to get involved. They will want to work with us to help build a campaign that will inspire Saudi’s across the country to join the cause,” Al Rasheed added.

The Save It! university marketing competition will run through mid-April when winners will be awarded at a special industry forum hosted by Shawarmer with key stakeholders, influencers and decision makers uniting for a special Saudi food waste summit. Phase II of the Save It! campaign will be announced at the close of that summit.

Etihad Aviation Group’s Engineering and Aviation Training divisions have both signed contracts to collaborate with Sky Prime, the largest private aviation operator in the Middle East, based in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The agreements were announced at the Saudi Airshow where Etihad is showcasing its Special Olympics liveried Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, alongside the Embraer Phenom 100E used in Etihad Aviation Training’s flight school. Etihad Airways Engineering is exhibiting its extensive Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) capabilities, including the new Airbus A350 maintenance services announced earlier this week.

Etihad Airways Engineering and Sky Prime

Etihad Airways Engineering has added another key customer to its VIP aircraft maintenance portfolio by joining hands with Sky Prime. The agreement allows the two companies to collaborate in multiple areas of operation, from heavy maintenance and cabin modification support  including Part 21J and Part 21G engineering services.

Under the scope of the new agreement, Etihad Airways Engineering has already delivered C-checks and cabin repairs to two VIP aircraft in the Sky Prime fleet, at its state-of-the-art MRO facility in Abu Dhabi. Additional projects are planned over the coming months which will see the engineering team deliver a wide range of engineering solutions to Sky Prime.

Abdul Khaliq Saeed, Etihad Airways Engineering Chief Executive Officer, said: “Our team enjoys a strong reputation in the international market for expertise and experience on major commercial aircraft platforms. While we have been supporting luxury aviation operators locally for many years, we are now expanding our services to the VIP aviation sector across the region and beyond. Our partnership with Sky Prime is a perfect example of this expanded scope.”

Captain Mokhtar, Sky Prime Aviation Services CEO, said: “We value this co-operation with Etihad Aviation Group which will play an active role in supporting and growing the Saudi aviation sector.”

Aircraft hangars at the Abu Dhabi facility cover approximately 66,000 sq metres, including 10,000 sq metres of aircraft painting facilities and a custom-designed hangar that can accommodate up to three Airbus A380 aircraft simultaneously. The company has successfully completed maintenance projects over the years for airlines across the world.

Etihad Aviation Training and Sky Prime

Etihad Aviation Training (EAT) will for the first time collaborate with a partner in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, after a landmark signing ceremony with Sky Prime, further strengthen business ties between the two nations.

As part of the agreement, Sky Prime will dry and wet lease EAT’s Full Flight Simulators at Zayed Campus, Etihad’s training facility in Abu Dhabi. The training will be conducted by both Etihad and Sky Prime instructors.

Paolo La Cava, Director of EAT, said: “EAT is looking forward to welcoming Sky Prime instructors and pilots to conduct Airbus A320, A340 and Boeing 777 and 787 training at Zayed Campus. Last year was a strong year following EAT’s relaunch and we anticipate an even stronger 2019 with Sky Prime as our first Saudi Arabian partner.”

As part of the agreement, Crew Resource Management training, a tool for improving air safety, will also be conducted by EAT trainers for Sky Prime’s pilots and cabin crew. Sky Prime Cabin Crew will also receive recurrent training with EAT’s cabin safety trainers.

Captain Mokhtar, Sky Prime Aviation Services CEO, said: “In line with the Saudi 2030 vision, we are delighted Etihad Aviation Training are helping us fulfil our development strategy. To use their best-in-class training facilities and pilots to train our flying crew will enable us to gain the trust of our customers.”

EAT currently boasts 11 Full Flight Simulators (FFS) including three Airbus A320 FFS devices, two Airbus A330/A340s, one Airbus A380, two Boeing 777s and three Boeing 787-9 devices. The facility is expanding and will soon see the arrival of a brand new Airbus A350 FFS, as well as an Airbus A320 Fixed Based Device, both of which will be available in Abu Dhabi to third party customers.

There are 109 cadet pilots currently in EAT programmes, all of whom are UAE nationals. In addition to training pilots for Etihad Airways on our Multi- Crew Pilot License (MPL) program, EAT also trains pilots for third party customers, including L3 and Alpha Aviation.

Montblanc celebrated the official opening of its boutique in Riyadh Park this week, with an evening dedicated to the spirit of urban exploration, together with its longstanding partner Paris Gallery. The boutique adds a new dimension to Riyadh Park’s retail offering and continues to strengthen the Maison’s presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The inauguration of the new boutique by Yaqoub Alsharif Alhashemi, Group Executive Director of Paris Gallery and Franck Juhel, President of Montblanc Middle East, India and Africa, took place during an exclusive reception for VIP customers, media and friends of the Maison.

Montblanc’s new line of #My4810 trolleys, currently a sell-out success globally, were one of the key highlights of the evening, with internationally-recognised Saudi artist Mawadah Muhtasib adding personalised and contemporary street-style artwork to the collection. Bringing together Italian savoir-faire, German engineering and Japanese high-performance technology, #My4810 trolleys are the ultimate travel companion for today’s world travellers.

The new boutique showcases Montblanc’s Neo² retail concept designed by French designer and interiors architect Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, and articulates the Maison’s long-standing passion for craftsmanship. The concept, currently being rolled out globally, presents a pure and uncluttered aesthetic, mixing black, white and wood for a contemporary retail environment.

In addition to a wide selection of the Maison’s core writing instruments, the new boutique also has a variety of sought after collector pieces, including the Writer’s Edition Homage to Homer, paying tribute to the poet best known for the Iliad and the Odyssey, and the Meisterstuck Le Petit Prince Special Edition, celebrating Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s much loved literary classic.  

For watch enthusiasts, there is an extensive range of high complication timepieces in the latest 1858 and Star Legacy collections, and the Maison’s latest edition smartwatch, Summit 2. Montblanc’s ever growing range of leather goods offer the perfect gifts for today’s style-conscious professional or urban traveller, offering sleek modern design and refined functionality.

Commenting on the opening, Franck Juhel, President of Montblanc Middle East, India and Africa said: “We are delighted to open the Montblanc boutique in Riyadh Park with our new interior concept that communicates true luxury in a relaxed and inviting atmosphere. Saudi Arabia is of great importance to Montblanc and we are focused on extending our presence in the Kingdom so that we can meet the growing demand.”

Following new openings in Dubai, Beirut and Bahrain, McLaren Automotive, the British creator of luxury, high-performance sportscars and supercars, continues to expand its presence in the Middle East as part of its Track25 business plan, with the inauguration of a new retail facility in the city of Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

VIPs, officials and supercar enthusiasts from Riyadh and surrounding areas attended the official opening at Imall, Al Nakheel District. The brand-new sales facility offers over 600sqm of space to display seven cars in McLaren’s growing high-performance vehicle range, which encompasses the Sports, Super and Ultimate Series.

The dedicated McLaren showroom’s modern design features the brand’s latest visual identity and allows customers and fans to fully immerse themselves in the world of McLaren. A unique, custom-made graphic featuring Arabic calligraphy dominates the walls from the ground floor up to the mezzanine office level.

Visitors can enjoy a coffee bar and utilise the high-tech configuration lounge which gives customers the ability to design interior and exterior aspects of their McLaren visually on a 65” touch point screen. The retail experience is complemented by the neighbouring aftersales facility, offering clients professional technical service and assistance through McLaren trained service personnel.

“Saudi Arabia is an important market for McLaren and key to our success in the Middle East region. We are pleased to have Nahwasharq Co. Ltd. on board as a strong retail partner.”

Brett Soso, Managing Director of Middle East, Africa & Latin America for McLaren Automotive.

We are proud to represent McLaren Automotive in Saudi Arabia. With state-of-the-art facilities, a qualified service team and exceptional products, we are confident that we will deliver a professional and engaging customer experience that is representative of the McLaren brand.”

Elie Chahine Badr, CEO of Nahwasharq Co. Ltd

The showroom opening ceremony featured the unveiling of the McLaren Senna, the company’s ultimate road-legal track car. It was named after the legendary McLaren Formula 1 driver, Ayrton Senna who won all three of his World Championships at the wheel of a McLaren.

We are proud to announce the opening ceremony of the Turkish Night “Sultan Rayhaan” at ‘Flavours’ restaurant at Rosh Rayhaan by Rotana Hotel. ‘Flavours’ is considered one of the finest restaurants in Riyadh offering international cuisine and is the perfect place for business meetings, family gatherings and private dinners. On Monday evenings, you can enjoy a wide range of delicious Turkish dishes and delicacies in the unique atmosphere of ‘Sultan Rayhaan’ Turkish night under the supervision of the Turkish Chef ‘Hasan Korkmaz’ and his Turkish culinary team.

The Turkish Night is designed mainly to let Turkish food lovers enjoy a unique experience. The opening ceremony was held in the presence of the hotel General Manager ‘Mamdouh Ali’, His Excellency the Turkish Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ‘Mr. Erdoğan Kök’ and his spouse, a group of other ambassadors in Riyadh, media professionals and businessmen.

The ‘Sultan Rayhaan’ Turkish night is not like any ordinary dinner buffet,” said Mamdouh Ali, the hotel’s General Manager. “The Turkish food night is the first step to many other projects and surprises that will take place at the Rosh Rayhaan by Rotana Hotel.

It is noteworthy that Rosh Rayhaan Hotel has won the “Travelers’ Choice Award for 2019” from the famous Tripadvisor website.