expansion plans outside the GCC, and that there’s a lot happening in Qatar as well as the other GCC countries and that pattern is going to continue in the years to come. “Currently, we’ve got enough on our hands for the next 4-5 years. We have an export business outside Doha which we run from here, and we are also planning to open an office in Dubai. After 2022, we might be looking at spreading our wings, but currently all the attention is focused here, where the competition is increasing every day.” He also talks about the company’s Oryx group of food services – Nando’s, Ocean Basket, and Captain Billy’s. “We introduced Ocean Basket in Mall of Qatar. We’ll have a total of 12 outlets in Doha by the end of this year. Because of the current challenges, we are postponing some of our development schedules to next year. So we’ll have 12 restaurants running in Qatar.” “Two of our new Nando’s outlets are coming up at Doha Festival City (DFC) and the American base. Harman House, which we opened at DFC, is one of our most beautiful outlets. Some of our really highend products like JBL are available there. Harman House has a huge range of products, with a price range of QR100 to QR25,000. And the quality maintained in the whole range of products is phenomenal.” Jumbo Electronics’ new head office which is going to be opened in Lusail is a smart building with solar panels. Sulaiman points out that 70% of energy in the building will be solar-driven, and the idea
“ONE OF OUR LATEST INTRODUCTIONS IN RETAIL IS SPARK, WHICH IS GOING TO BE MORE THAN JUST AN ELECTRONICS STORE; HOME AUTOMATION IS GOING TO BE A PART OF IT.”
is to further promote the concept of smart buildings because LG’s products epitomise just that. “As soon as the door is opened, the AC switches on automatically, and as soon as you leave the room, the lights go out, the TV shuts off, etc.,” he says. “This is something that LG has already started in Korea. The smart cities there have signages on the road which tell you about the traffic situation, so maybe they should be introduced in Qatar before 2022.” Sulaiman also cites personalised service provided by Jumbo, which according to him is unique. He says that when any of their customers are moving house, the company
provides assistance in the shifting of their products at nominal charges. “How many companies do that? We also have mobile units that go out to remote parts of Doha for servicing, because when you go to those areas, you need to carry spare parts. Instead of bringing it back here, we fix it then and there. Our service centre is the largest aftersales facility in the country for electronics and home appliances.” Jumbo Electronics’ 37-year journey thus far has come with its fair share of challenges, and Sulaiman stresses the constant need for improvement and innovation. He says that keeping the business sustainable over the years has not been easy, and exceeding one’s expectations in terms of growth comes with its share of problems. “At times our sales were so high that if was difficult to keep pace with our aftersales services. Another challenge we faced was the requirement of a stable partner, and then LG, which has become like a family for us, came along. The numerous hypermarkets have also made things challenging, and the competition now is much more than before. “The market today is such that if you don’t innovate you’ll be left behind because the times, business and competitors are changing. It’s very important that we put our A game on the table all the time and if we fall even a little bit behind, we’ll be left out. So, we would like to end by saying a big thank you to our customers, dealers and hypermarkets for their marvellous support.”
47 > QATAR TODAY > JUNE 2017