02 June, 2016

الرئيس التنفيذي لدار الساعات السويسرية كوروم: "15 % حصة الشرق الأوسط من حجم المبيعات في 2016"


تنفرد الماركة التجارية لساعات كوروم السويسرية التي تأسست في العام 1955  بثقل استثنائي في ذاكرة الاجيال، إذ ترتبط بصور العراقة واصالة ضبط الوقت وأناقة دقيقة تعود الى القرن التاسع عشر، تماما كرئيسها التنفيذي دافيد تراكسلر، الذي يؤمن بأن الساعات الكلاسيكية الثمينة والراقية أبدا لا تعرف طعم الخسارة أو تتأثر بأي عوامل خارجية من تحديات اقتصادية أو سياسية حول العالم.
يتمتع دافيد تراكسلر بخبرة تزيد على 15 عاما في قطاعات السلع الفاخرة، بداية بشركة Bulgari ثم شوبارد، إضافة إلى خبرة واسعة اكتسبها نتيجة شغله منصبيْ المدير الإداري لدى شوبارد في كل من إيطاليا والولايات المتحدة، ومدير التراخيص. وُلد السيد دافيد تراكسلر السويسري المنشأ في مدينة نيويورك الأمريكية، وقد أمضى معظم حياته في الخارج، كما أنه خريج كلية العلوم السياسية من جامعة ميلانو الإيطالية، إلى جانب ذلك فهو يتمتع بخلفية  متعددة الثقافات.
ويؤكد تراكسلر على ثقة الماركة بسوق التجزئة في الإمارات بالرغم من التحديات الاقتصادية الدولية، خاصة مع نمو أصحاب الذائقة الفنية من محبي اقتناء الساعات السويسرية الثمينة، وأن لا ركود في المرحلة المقبلة:"انا متفائل بالمستقبل لأننا جزء من بنائه.
ويرى أن مستقبل صناعة الساعات في المنطقة سيشهد ازدهارا كبيرا في ظل مؤشرات نمو سوق مبيعات التجزئة في الخليج وتوقع أن تصل نسبة سوق الشرق الأوسط من إجمالي المبيعات حول العالم إلى 15 % في 2016. إلا أن ذلك لا يتضمن المبيعات المصنعة لعملاء الشرق الأوسط في باريس، لندن، أو أي مكان آخر. يتميز سوق الشرق الأوسط بكثرة عشاق الساعات وهو ما يؤثر بشكل هائل على عالم الساعات الراقية ككل".
وقال الرئيس التنفيذي لدار الساعات كوروم: "أصبح السوق الآن ناضجا فيما يتعلق بحجم الساعات وتعد الإمارات من أهم الأسواق لساعات كوروم، أصبحت الإمارات نافذة على عواصم العالم، وتوجد منافسة من قبل الشركات العالمية على عرض منتجاتها في المنطقة، وذلك استفادة من القوة الشرائية التي تستحوذ الدولة على جزء كبير منها سواء محلياً أو خليجياً، عبر تدفق ملايين السياح الخليجيين ومن مختلف الجنسيات سنوياً إلى الإمارات وخاصة مدينة دبي. ومن خلال التعامل مع الموزعين في الدولة بالتعرف على نبض السوق الإماراتي.".
وتابع: "نتصور أننا يبنغي أن نضفي بعض المتعة في منتجاتنا إضافة إلى الدراية والتقنية الفائقة. هذا هو المفهوم الذي تستوحى منه تشكيلة Bubble، وهو ما يمثل ساعة كوروم التي مع  فنانين من حول العالم".
تشتهر الساعات الفاخرة بالجاذبية الجمالية لموديلاتها فضلا عن الامتياز التقني. وتفخر كوروم بالمساهمة في تخليد قيم الخبرات وتصنيع الساعات الفاخرة التي تقدر الوقت.
منذ 1955 تبنت كوروم الإبداع والجرأة كمبادئ إرشادية. تسير على درب مؤسسيها، بولاء أكثر من ذي قبل للتكشيلات الأيقونية، فيما تثريها بلمسة عصرية قوية تحمل العلامة المسجلة للإبداع والتطورات الفنية. استمرارية وطول عمر تشكيلاتها ليست مجرد كلمات في كوروم حيث تجوب ساعة أدميرالز كاب المحيطات منذ 50 عاما، فيما تضع تشكيلة "بريدجز" بصمتها على تاريخ تصنيع الساعات منذ أكثر من 30 عاما.
تم تقديم موديل "جولدن بريدج"، موديل التعقيد الرئيسي للعلامة في العام 1980 ولا يزال علامة مسجلة بحركته الطولة الفريدة متطاولة الشكل.
علاوة على ذلك يُنظر إليها كساعة متطورة وذلك بفضل آلية الحركة التي تقع وسط علبة شفافة من بلور الزفير. تطشيباتها الفاخرة تجعلها اليوم ساعة راقية منقطعة النظيرة على مدى أكثر من 35 عاما.
تجسد إصدارات Heritage مزيجا من الإبداع في تصنيع الساعات والخبرات الفريدة حيث ينطوي كل موديل على تاريخ كوروم بشكل كامل، من خلال التصاميم التي تظهر الثراء الإبداعي للعلامة. وتعد ركيزة Heritage التعبير الخالد عن ساعات العلامة وقوة تراثها.
قراءة الوقت:
ساعة كوروم هي استثمار يجب أن يقدره كل صاحب ساعة. الساعة هي أداة عالية الدقة مصنعة من مئات القطع. ورغم تجميع حركات كوروم بأقصى عناية إلا أن دقتها ربما تتأثر بتأثير الجاذبية، المجالات المغناطيسية، الصدمات وعلى الأرجح بسبب الزيوت القديمة. كما أن مقاومة تسرب المياه قد تضعف نتيجة تقادم الجوانات أو نتيجة أي صدمة عرضية.
تعتمد دقة آلية الحركة الميكانيكية على عدة عوامل، إلا أنها تعتمد في الأساس على سحابة دفع القسطاس- القفاز/ القسطاس- الفرار، التي تعرف بأعضاء التنظيم. وينصح بإجراء فحص كامل للساعة كل 3 – 5 أعوام على حسب الأوضاع التي تستخدم فيها الساعة. كما يجب التحقق من مقاومة تسرب المياه سنويا لدى أي من وكلاء كوروم الرسميين أو مراكز الخدمة المعتمدة.
لقد مرت ساعتك من كوروم باختبارات تحكم الجودة الصارمة التي تخضع لأعلى المعايير في صناعة الساعات السويسرية. يسري الضمان لمدة عامين من تاريخ الشراء ويعطي أي خلل في التصنيع، بشرط أن يتم شراء ساعة كوروم من خلال وكيل كوروم معتمد.
لا يغطي التقادم، التلف الناتج عن أي حادثة أو أهمال في التعامل وفقا لشروط ضمان كوروم. وفي حال أي نزاع بشأن الضمان لا بد من تقديم الساعة مع بطاقة الضمان، المؤرخة، مع الختم والتوقيع من وكيل كوروم معتمد. لا بد من إجراء صيانة وإصلاح الساعة لدى مركز خدمة كوروم معتمد بشكل منتظم.

تخلد كوروم التي تعرف بجماليتها وامتيازها الفني قيم ودراية تصنيع الساعات الكلاسيكية وعرضها في المستقبل من خلال تصنيع ساعات الغد اليوم. تأسست عام 1955 في "لا شو دي فوندس" (سويسرا)، وحددت مهمتها الإرشادية في الإبداع والثبات والرؤية طويلة المدى. وبالسير على درب المؤسسين تؤكد كوروم على ولائها التام للتشكيلات الأيقونية التي صنعت شهرة الماركة وانتشارها إلا أنها تضفي عليها لمحة عصرية وإبداعها وتطورها الفني.

Omnichannel Solutions to Fuel Retail Growth in the Region



  • Trends like online shopping, shop and ship, and click and pick will offer SMEs a huge opportunity in the regional retail sector

  • Expert says 75% of the consumers rely on information provided by other users on social media, influencing their buying decision and brand loyalties


Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The way we understood retail is changing rapidly, according to experts, over 80% customers in the region indulge in digital activity before or after their purchase and browse product information on various channels including the social media before making a buying decision. Trends like online shopping, shop and ship, click and pick will continue to offer SMEs a huge opportunity in the regional retail sector in the coming years.
A roundtable on ‘Omnichannel – How Ready Are We’ discussed the opportunities and challenges faced in the region for the growth of omnichannel retail, and brought together the executive leadership of leading retail solution providers including Co-founder & CEO of Business DNA Tarek El Goweiny, Managing Director of RedBox Digital David Fuller, Channel Sales Manager of NCR Manoj Mishra and was moderated by the Director of Retail Pro, Rammohan Nair.
“In omnichannel retail, the customer’s journey is persistent across all the systems, be it on the web, mobile or instore. It allows the consumer to buy, collect and pay at their convenience, as well as allows the retailer to recognize the customer’ buying habits and preferences. For many in the region, e-commerce is a new thing, there is huge chance for existing store networks and new entrants to reach the right customer using new trends like ‘click and collect’. Retailers in the region are poised to benefit from omnichannel solutions, but they need to integrate both online and instore systems to ensure the smooth flow of both data and products, which is critical for a successful and sustainable omnichannel environment,” said David Fuller of RedBox Digital.
David further added that there is a huge advantage for already existing network stores, as they can offer click and collect at their local location as per customer choice, however, solutions will evolve in coming years and SMEs will rise to fill the service gap offering better solutions to strengthen the last mile logistics.
Commenting on the concept of anytime anywhere retail Manoj Mishra from NCR, said, “The various surveys have found that 84% of customers go online before, during or after a purchase, and there is a 40% more sales conversion chance if a customer checks a product online before purchasing. Another interesting fact is that that 75% of consumers rely on information provided by other users on social media, this also influences their buying decision and brand loyalties.”
 He added that the retailers in the region are struggling to provide the kind of omnichannel experience today’s consumer demands, as most of them operate on old hardware and software system. Instore technologies like self-scanning and kiosks will see growth in the region. NCR has wide Portfolio of solutions that allows you users to shop, self-scan, pay and collect from selected locations. “To serve the demanding consumer better retailers in the region should look at IT as a capital, rather than additional costs for their business,” Mishra said.
Bringing in the cultural aspect, Tarek El Goweinyof Business DNA, said, “Dominance by online shopping is not yet possible in the region. Consumers continue to rely on bricks and motor stores for purchasing rather than online, especially grocery items. However, social media is influencing the decision making process in a big way. The retailers should understand that customer experiences are at the center of an omnichannel retail system. The regional retail brands have been traditionally focusing on business physical infrastructure rather than on Information Technology and business intelligence. But the key is to analyze, understand consumer behavior, and to adapt accordingly.”
Concluding the discussions Rammoham Nair from Retail Pro, said, “Omnichannel retail will see an exponential growth in the region in coming years, however, the ‘brick and mortar’ stores too will grow. The multitude of buying channels available to consumers will encourage stores to find new ways to deliver by offering automated solutions like click-and-collect andmore efficient door-delivery mechanism which will enhance the customer experience.”
He added that Expo2020 will be a turning point for both e-commerce and in-store smart solutions in theretail sector as UAE remains one of the top retail markets in the world.
The roundtable, held at Towers Rotana recently, was the first in the series of roundtables planned as a part of the inaugural Smart Stores Expo, which will be held from 23-25th January 2017, at ADNEC (Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company).

Sage’s Ivan Epstein appointed as a judge for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in Monaco

Prestigious awards focuses on the power of entrepreneurship to change for the world for the better
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, June 2, 2016/ -- Ivan Epstein (https://twitter.com/IvanEpstein) – President of Sage International (www.Sage.com) has been appointed to the judging panel for the 16th EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards 2016 (http://bit.ly/1dORiO0). Epstein, the winner of the 1999/2000 Ernst & Young (EY) South African Entrepreneur Of The Year  award will be part of a panel that will decide on the winner, to be announced in Monte Carlo at a gala award ceremony on the evening of Saturday, 11 June.

Says Epstein: “Like many of the businesses we serve, we started from humble beginnings, developing into a successful international business. I know about the human sacrifice and hard work it takes to create one of the millions of Small & Medium Businesses that power the global economy.

“For that reason, this award and its focus on entrepreneurial excellence is close to my heart. I look forward to learning more about how entrepreneurs from around the world are serving their communities, creating growth and prosperity with their inspiring ideas.”

The awards see the winners in EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards from 49 countries compete for the global title. The independent judging panel comprises distinguished EY Entrepreneur of the Year past winners and other well-known entrepreneurs. In addition to Epstein, they are:
  • Rebecca MacDonald of Just Energy Group (chair, Canada)
  • Rosario Bazán of DanPer (Peru)
  • Jim Nixon of Sandvik Venture (US)
  • Lance Uggla of Markit (UK)
  • Dr. Kar Wong of The Advanced Group of Companies (UK)
  • Michael Wu of Hong Kong Maxim’s Caterers Limited (China).
The award is given on the basis of six criteria, giving all country winners an equal opportunity to compete: entrepreneurial spirit, financial performance, strategic direction, global (or community) impact, innovation, and personal integrity/influence.
Epstein co-founded the company, Softline, in 1988 and grew it into a multinational, JSE-listed software group by the late 1990s. The company was subsequently acquired by FTSE 100 company, Sage plc, today a global market leader for integrated accounting, payroll and payment systems to the world’s Small & Medium Businesses.

Epstein was awarded the EY “South Africa’s Best Entrepreneur” in 1999/2000, and appointed to the panel of judges where he now serves as chair.  He has selected many of South Africa’s entrepreneurs including a global winner.
Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Sage.

BBVA Signs Strategic Collaboration with Red Hat to Accelerate the Group’s Global Transformation


DUBAI, UAE, 2nd June, 2016 - BBVA announced a global strategic collaboration with global provider of enterprise open source solutions Red Hat, Inc. (NYSE: RHT) aimed at helping accelerate BBVA's global transformation and technology-driven innovation processes. The agreement, which turns Red Hat into a priority partner for BBVA, is part of a series of alliances that BBVA is aiming to forge with strategic partners. Red Hat president and CEO Jim Whitehurst and BBVA Head of Engineering Ricardo Moreno signed the strategic collaboration during a ceremony in Madrid.
The partnership is designed to focus on business and technical alignment to support BBVA to accelerate innovation, manage the growth of financial transactions on digital devices and deliver digital banking services to its global customers.
“We are facing a new scenario that requires keeping the customer at the center of everything we do, and technology is one of the key levers to tackle this transformation process,” said BBVA Head of Engineering Ricardo Moreno. “This collaboration agreement with Red Hat will help us to capitalize on the opportunities offered by cloud computing technologies, in order to continue making strides in our process of becoming a more flexible and scalable digital bank.”
The new IaaS and PaaS-based platform by Red Hat will enable BBVA to focus on developing applications that can support the heavy demands of global digital bank services and provide customers with the service and information they want and when it is needed.
According to Jim Whitehurst, president and CEO, Red Hat, “BBVA is a fantastic example of a global enterprise that has turned to an open source-based cloud to drive business innovation through technology. We are thrilled to collaborate with them on this journey to transform their business and to help them reach their goal of becoming the world’s first digital global bank. With a modern and flexible IaaS and PaaS-based platform, BBVA will be well-poised to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the fast-evolving digital economy and help meet growing customer expectations in these areas.”
The agreement between BBVA and Red Hat will help streamline collaboration spanning several key areas, including:
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS):  BBVA has designed an automated, multi-tenant service cloud based on Red Hat OpenStack Platform, a highly scalable, production-ready solution that offers an open foundation for cloud deployments. This infrastructure can help BBVA deliver better, more efficient services to its clients globally.
Platform-as-a-Service: BBVA and Red Hat are collaborating to define and build BBVA's global corporate PaaS architecture based on Red Hat’s OpenShift container application platform. This PaaS-based architecture can help BBVA to transform the process to deliver solutions, facilitating the development and the automated deployment of new solutions.
Cloud management platform: BBVA’s cloud management platform, based on RedHat CloudForms, will facilitate the operating and financial management of a multi-cloud environment.
BBVA and Red Hat plan to work together on training and enablement initiatives designed to help BBVA manage its transformation and adopt new technologies, enable knowledge transfer and offer support. 

GeoPoll, Kantar Media, and Cuende Announce First Pan-African Out of Home Measurement Product

Global leaders in audience research use satellite imagery and mobile survey data to measure OOH reach in Africa
NAIROBI, Kenya, June 2, 2016/ -- GeoPoll (www.GeoPoll.com), Kantar Media, and Cuende are pleased to announce the launch of “Pan-African OOH”, the first data product to regularly measure consumption of Out of Home mediums across Africa.  This joint product uses a consistent methodology to bring robust Out of Home measurement data to 15 countries.  Through a cutting-edge combination of satellite imagery and mobile survey data, Pan-African OOH measures traffic patterns and reach of billboards, urban furniture, and other OOH media, and allowing brands, agencies, and media owners to accurately gauge the reach and effectiveness of their OOH advertisements.

Part of Kantar GeoPoll Media Measurement, the largest provider of overnight media ratings for TV, radio, and print in Africa, Pan-African OOH fills a critical gap in one of the largest segments of advertising research in Africa by supplying the first-ever comprehensive dataset on OOH advertising in the continent. Together, GeoPoll, ground-breaking provider of media research in Africa, Kantar Media, experts in worldwide audience research, and Cuende, the global leader in OOH measurement, have combined their methodologies to produce a consistent, reliable source of OOH data that is easily scalable to the entire African continent. The product uses Cuende´s satellite imagery and GeoPoll mobile survey data to create a comprehensive dataset that demonstrates traffic patterns, reach and frequency of specific OOH media, and audience profiles.

GeoPoll CEO James Eberhard says “Out of Home data in Africa has been an unknown quantity throughout Africa due to the difficulty and costs associated with data collection. As mobile phone penetration has expanded and satellite imagery has become more readily available, it has become possible to create a reliable, multi-modal OOH measurement solution for the first time. We are excited to bring together the global leaders in the space to bring a new currency in OOH measurement to the African Market. Media owners and advertisers can use this tool to assess advertising campaigns and create media plans based on actual data, bringing unprecedented clarity to the Out of Home sector”.

Features of the product include:
  • Reach and GRP data for billboards and other OOH advertisements in major metropolitan areas throughout Africa.
  • Information on trip habits of different demographic groups on weekends and weekdays.
  • Popular transport methods (foot, car, taxi, bus) broken down by demographics.
  • Data integrated into OOH planning software Telmar so agencies and brands can easily calculate the ROI of different OOH advertisements.
The first set of Pan-African OOH data will be available at the beginning of Q3 2016 for Kenya and will expand to Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, Mozambique, Cameroon, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Angola, Ivory Coast, DRC, Malawi, & Rwanda. Interested customers can get more information and pre-order the product from GeoPoll’s website at http://Knowledge.Geopoll.com/out-of-home  

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