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Pizza Hut® Pakistan, to be the first international food chain to sign an MFA and launch an IPO
[Karachi, May 19, 2017]: In an event held at the US Consulate, MCR (franchisee of Pizza Hut® Pakistan) announced signing an initial public offering and master franchise agreement and IPO proposal. MCR will be the first Pakistani international food chain to have done. With over 70 Pizza Hut® restaurants across the nation, it is the largest international fast food chain in Pakistan.
In addition, Aqueel Hassan, CEO of MCR, and Randall Blackford, Managing Director META Region of YUM! Brands, signed a master franchise agreement on behalf of the two companies giving MCR the rights to sub-franchise Pizza Hut® restaurants and expand even further.
The event was chaired by US Consul General Grace Shelton. Speaking at the occasion Consul General Shelton said, “Today we mark another successful American-Pakistani business partnership as we inaugurate this new partnership between Pizza Hut® and YUM! Brands, we are happy to celebrate Pizza Hut’s® growth as the largest restaurant chain in Pakistan”
Speaking on the occasion, Aqueel Hassan said, “We are proud to be embarking on this landmark expansion which takes forward our partnership with YUM! Brands. With 74 outlets operational countrywide, Pizza Hut® has become the first international food chain in the country that plans to go public and our next target is to take Pizza Hut® restaurants to many more districts of the country.”
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Pizza Hut® Pakistan, to be the first international food chain to sign an MFA and launch an IPO
[Karachi, May 19, 2017]: In an event held at the US Consulate, MCR (franchisee of Pizza Hut® Pakistan) announced signing an initial public offering and master franchise agreement and IPO proposal. MCR will be the first Pakistani international food chain to have done. With over 70 Pizza Hut® restaurants across the nation, it is the largest international fast food chain in Pakistan.
In addition, Aqueel Hassan, CEO of MCR, and Randall Blackford, Managing Director META Region of YUM! Brands, signed a master franchise agreement on behalf of the two companies giving MCR the rights to sub-franchise Pizza Hut® restaurants and expand even further.
The event was chaired by US Consul General Grace Shelton. Speaking at the occasion Consul General Shelton said, “Today we mark another successful American-Pakistani business partnership as we inaugurate this new partnership between Pizza Hut® and YUM! Brands, we are happy to celebrate Pizza Hut’s® growth as the largest restaurant chain in Pakistan”
Speaking on the occasion, Aqueel Hassan said, “We are proud to be embarking on this landmark expansion which takes forward our partnership with YUM! Brands. With 74 outlets operational countrywide, Pizza Hut® has become the first international food chain in the country that plans to go public and our next target is to take Pizza Hut® restaurants to many more districts of the country.”
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ADB $20 MILLION LOAN TO INCREASE CREDIT ACCESS IN PAKISTAN
Islamabad – 22 May, 2017: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 20 million loan to help Pakistan’s Khushhali Microfinance Bank (KMBL) to expand access to credit for agriculture-related borrowers and small businesses.
“Agriculture and small business are critical sectors in Pakistan’s economy that play a significant role in job creation and poverty reduction,” said Ms. Christine Engstrom, Director of ADB’s Private Sector Financial Institutions Division. “ADB’s assistance will help support KMBL’s goal to improve financial inclusion to these sectors through their extensive expertise and outreach to underserved populations.”
The ADB assistance will help KMBL — Pakistan’s largest microfinance bank — increase the provision of financial services to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) from 5,700 today to over 30,000 by 2020. Women are expected to comprise up to 25% of loan recipients. A separate technical assistance program will support the establishment of a MSME training academy as well as investments in Khushhali Microfinance Bank’s “technology up gradation” program.
“ADB’s support will deepen the market penetration of KMBL into the rural economy and enhance access to small businesses vital to economic growth and prosperity, says Ghalib Nishtar, President of KMBL. “In the past 16 years, KMBL has led the way towards financial inclusion by offering loans and savings products tailored to the low income segment of the market, and empowering women entrepreneurs belonging to the marginalized communities by creating awareness and providing opportunities of financial access through its value propositions.”
Access to finance in Pakistan is limited, with only 24% of the adult population having a bank account with a formal financial institution, while MSMEs face difficulty securing financing from the banking sector.
KMBL has a nationwide presence in Pakistan with a network of 144 branches and the largest client base among microfinance banks in the country. At the end of 2016, KBL had over 550,000 active borrowers and managed a gross loan portfolio of over PKR 23 billion ($220 million).
ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, ADB is celebrating 50 years of development partnership in the region. It is owned by 67 members—48 from the region.
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Jazz Cements Leadership Position in Telecommunications in Pakistan
Jazz to become the first in offering 3G / 4G & LTE services
Islamabad – May, 22 2017: VEON, Global Telecom Holding (GTH) and Jazz, Pakistan’s number 1 digital company announced today the successful acquisition of the 4G license in Pakistan. The company will acquire the 10 MHz paired spectrum in the 1800 MHz band making Jazz the only operator to offer its customers access technology from 2G / 3G / 4G & LTE.
Jon Eddy, VEON’s Head of Emerging Markets said, “Investment in the auction shows VEON and GTH’s commitment to Pakistan. The acquisition of the 4G license will cement our position as the Number 1 telecom operator, in Pakistan, and will allow Jazz’s customers to enjoy the best voice quality, data experience and fastest connection in the whole of Pakistan.”
Aamir Ibrahim, CEO Jazz commenting on the win, “As a customer-obsessed company, Jazz will always provide the best possible customer experience to over 53 million Pakistanis who choose us as their preferred network. The purchase of additional spectrum is a testament to Jazz and its shareholders’ commitment to invest in Pakistan. Jazz wishes to acknowledge the role of Ministry of ITT, and PTA, for creating an enabling environment for this auction. With the addition of 4G services, our customers shall enjoy the best possible internet speeds in the country through our robust nationwide network.”
Following the direction of its parent company VEON, Jazz is moving towards becoming a digital telecom company. As part of its business ambitions, acquiring this license is a step towards building an enhanced digital eco-system in Pakistan.
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K-Electric Customer Care Excellence Wins Regional Award for Best Use of Technology
Karachi – May 20, 2017: Pakistan’s only vertically integrated power utility, K-Electric has won the ‘Best Use of Technology’ Award in the ‘Best Customer Innovation’ category at the Genesys G-Summit Middle East 2017 held in Dubai. This is the first time a Pakistani company has won an award at this regional platform.
Genesys is the world’s leading Customer Experience Platform serving more than 10,000 customers in over 100 countries. The award was given in recognition of K-Electric’s efforts to optimize overall customer experience including deployment of cutting edge technology, enhancing call handling capacity at contact center, building customer profiles, data analytics, decreasing the turnaround time for customer service representatives in logging and responding to complaints and enabling customers to share their feedback at the end of the call creating greater accountability.
The use of technology by K-Electric is not only one of its kind initiative in Pakistan’s utility sector but also the only end-to-end integration in the region making this a best in class customer care case study. During the Genesys G-Summit Middle East 2017, K-Electric was also showcased as a success story which was well appreciated by the attendees.
Congratulating K-Electric, Mohamed Afifi, Regional Director, Genesys Middle East said, “Impact of great customer experience serves as a key business differentiator, closely linked with the success of any organization today. K-Electric has taken a major lead to optimize its customer care operations by upgrading its infrastructure as well as investing in training and development of its customer care team as per global best practices of the industry. The award is testimony to K-Electric’s transformation into a forward-looking organization that is empowering the lives of millions every day in one of the largest cities of the world.”
According to KE Spokesperson, “KE’s innovative and research-driven approach coupled with deployment of latest technology in various facets of its business makes it a world-class power utility. We constantly challenge ourselves to provide services as per the ever-evolving customer expectations and preferences. Deployment of world class solutions at KE call center operations brought real time consumer engagement analytics to help us understand effective engagement patterns to keep on optimizing customer experience. This award is yet another testament to our customer centric approach and we will continue to build positive and long-lasting customer relationships.”
The award recognizes the best and brightest in different award categories. Nominees from around the region were evaluated by an executive panel of judges for achieving exceptional customer experience across their industries and remarkable customer service innovation and transformation. Other winners of awards in different categories include Emirates, Saudi Telecom and Careem.
K-Electric (Formerly KESC) is Pakistan’s only vertically integrated power utility which manages the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity serving over 25 million citizens of Karachi and its adjoining areas spanning 6,500 square kilometers. K-Electric offers a wide range of customer care touch points from call center, centralized handling of complaints via web to dedicated customer care offices in 29 IBCs. In addition, it offers live chat service via SMS and complaint resolution 24/7 via email and social media forums. Moreover, mobile vans across the city are also mobilized to facilitate customers at their doorstep.
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UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND REALD ANNOUNCE THE MUMMY DAY ON SATURDAY, MAY 20th, 2017
Karachi May 17, 2017—Universal Pictures announced The Mummy Day, inspired by the upcoming action-adventure, which will launch at 12 P.M. PDT on Saturday, May 20. Audiences of all ages are invited to visit the enormous 75-foot, 7-ton sarcophagus, which will be revealed at the Hollywood & Highland gateway in Los Angeles.
The Mummy star Tom Cruise will be joined on stage by his fellow co-stars and director Alex Kurtzman to invite participants to enjoy The Mummy VR Zero Gravity Stunt Experience and The Mummy Escape Game at the complex. Fans can tune in and watch the revealing live on The Mummy Official Facebook page and Fundago’s Facebook page.
The Mummy arrives in cinemas across Pakistan and worldwide on June 9th, 2017. The largest single vertical structure ever assembled at the gateway, The Mummy sarcophagus measures 75 feet in height, 28 feet in width and weighs an astonishing 15,000 pounds.
“The Mummy has been such a labor of love for the hundreds of cast and crew who have worked for the past few years preparing its big-screen launch,” said Alex Kurtzman, Producer and Director, The Mummy. “When we built Princess Ahmanet’s sarcophagus for production, we had no idea that a replica of her ‘eternal’ resting place would one day find its home at the intersection of Hollywood & Highland. I can’t wait to celebrate her story with the fans on May 20.”
“The Mummy is cinematically spectacular with extraordinary action and visuals that are even more stunning and memorable in 3D,” said Mohsin Yaseen, GM Marketing, Cinepax Cinemas. “Erecting a 75-foot tall, 7-ton sarcophagus at one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations is the perfect way to launch this epic event. The 3D in The Mummy is mind-blowing, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience it on one of our RealD-equipped screens worldwide.”
The Mummy Zero Gravity Stunt VR Experience goes behind the scenes with Cruise and Wallis as they perform the intense Zero G stunt as seen in The Mummy, allowing guests to experience the world of The Mummy in a way they could only imagine.
Moreover, In The Mummy Escape Game, an immersive live-action fan experience that also makes its world premiere at The Mummy Day, guests will be recruited as security guards and enter the sweeping story of The Mummy by travelling through multiple rooms to solve the puzzle and defeat the game.
The creative team on this action-adventure event is led by director/producer Alex Kurtzman and producer Chris Morgan, who have been instrumental in growing some of the most successful franchises of the past several years. The Mummy is being released in Pakistan by FootPrint Entertainment the movie distribution arm of Cinepax Cinemas on 09th June 2017.
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UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND REALD ANNOUNCE THE MUMMY DAY ON SATURDAY, MAY 20th, 2017
Karachi May 17, 2017—Universal Pictures announced The Mummy Day, inspired by the upcoming action-adventure, which will launch at 12 P.M. PDT on Saturday, May 20. Audiences of all ages are invited to visit the enormous 75-foot, 7-ton sarcophagus, which will be revealed at the Hollywood & Highland gateway in Los Angeles.
The Mummy star Tom Cruise will be joined on stage by his fellow co-stars and director Alex Kurtzman to invite participants to enjoy The Mummy VR Zero Gravity Stunt Experience and The Mummy Escape Game at the complex. Fans can tune in and watch the revealing live on The Mummy Official Facebook page and Fundago’s Facebook page.
The Mummy arrives in cinemas across Pakistan and worldwide on June 9th, 2017. The largest single vertical structure ever assembled at the gateway, The Mummy sarcophagus measures 75 feet in height, 28 feet in width and weighs an astonishing 15,000 pounds.
“The Mummy has been such a labor of love for the hundreds of cast and crew who have worked for the past few years preparing its big-screen launch,” said Alex Kurtzman, Producer and Director, The Mummy. “When we built Princess Ahmanet’s sarcophagus for production, we had no idea that a replica of her ‘eternal’ resting place would one day find its home at the intersection of Hollywood & Highland. I can’t wait to celebrate her story with the fans on May 20.”
“The Mummy is cinematically spectacular with extraordinary action and visuals that are even more stunning and memorable in 3D,” said Mohsin Yaseen, GM Marketing, Cinepax Cinemas. “Erecting a 75-foot tall, 7-ton sarcophagus at one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations is the perfect way to launch this epic event. The 3D in The Mummy is mind-blowing, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience it on one of our RealD-equipped screens worldwide.”
The Mummy Zero Gravity Stunt VR Experience goes behind the scenes with Cruise and Wallis as they perform the intense Zero G stunt as seen in , allowing guests to experience the world of The Mummy in a way they could only imagine.
Moreover, In The Mummy Escape Game, an immersive live-action fan experience that also makes its world premiere at The Mummy Day, guests will be recruited as security guards and enter the sweeping story of The Mummy by travelling through multiple rooms to solve the puzzle and defeat the game.
The creative team on this action-adventure event is led by director/producer Alex Kurtzman and producer Chris Morgan, who have been instrumental in growing some of the most successful franchises of the past several years. The Mummy is being released in Pakistan by FootPrint Entertainment the movie distribution arm of Cinepax Cinemas on 09th June 2017.
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IDC: Huawei continued to lead the Chinese smartphone market in Q1 as it became top vendor by shipments
Lahore 17th May, 2017: According to the latest quarterly China mobile phone tracker report from International Data Corporation (IDC) on May 4, shipments in the Chinese smartphone market grew 0.8% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2017. Huawei delivered strong results with shipment of 20.8 million, up 25.5% from a year earlier and ranking No. 1 in the country.
The data show that in addition to Huawei’s growth, shipments of OPPO and VIVO also increased but Apple, Xiaomi and other brands saw sales decline, among which Apple suffered the largest slump, down 26.7% year-over-year. IDC expects overall growth in the Chinese smartphone market in 2017 to be lower than in 2016, which saw growth of 8.6%. The first half of the year will see a flat trend and growth will pick up in the second half.
IDC believes cyclical changes led to the slowdown in China’s smartphone market in the first quarter. Firstly, the overall market saw weakness in the quarter due to cyclicality, with the Spring Festival holiday season prompting a stagnation of shipments across channels. Secondly, as phone makers increased shipments in the fourth quarter of last year, pushing inventory to a higher level, in the first quarter they were actively cutting capacity and consequentially reduced new model launches. To clear inventory for upcoming Spring/Summer new product releases, vendors will digest existing models. Despite this, consumer demand for smartphones remains strong, especially for upgraded devices.
Huawei, the world’s No.3 smartphone maker, maintained its dominance in the Chinese market with year-over-year growth of 25.5% thanks to the brand’s stronghold in the mid-tier and high-end segments: it has consolidated its position in the premium market with offerings including the P-series and Mate-series. The IDC report shows the Honor sub-brand also delivered strong results in the middle market, with market share posting double-digit growth.
Against the backdrop of a slowdown in the smartphone market, the competitive landscape has seen competition intensify as consumers are showing robust demand for smartphones, especially for upgraded devices. To meet consumer demand, manufacturers are maintaining a rapid pace of product iterations and upgrades, continuing to step up marketing efforts, which are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
First, Chinese vendors are striving to disrupt the extant competitive landscape in the higher-end segment. Although Apple has been dominating the high-end market, tier-one domestic smartphone brands are rapidly increasing their market share in the premium segment. Chinese players can only gain advantages in future competition after securing a stable position in the middle- and high-end market.
Second, the rapid expansion of offline experience stores is now a key battleground. In the past year, top Chinese phone brands have paid more attention to offline channel expansion and been planning the construction of experience stores. For example, Huawei opened more than 1,000 brand experience stores in central business districts of key cities; OPPO is accelerating the rollout of flagship stores in select locations of tier-one and tier-two cities; and other vendors are also expanding offline experience stores.
IDC believes that as users pay more attention to brand experience, smartphone experience store should be more focused on how to build close relationships between brands and their users and provide those users with a variety of experience-based services.
For more information, visit Huawei Consumer Business Group online: Click Here
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Dawood Public School celebrates Aameen Ceremony
The Aameen ceremony was conducted by the Quran Department after the completion of “Nazra Quran”
Karachi – May 16, 2017: The students, along with their mothers, teachers & staff celebrated their completion of ‘Nazra Quran’ which they had started in class I, at an Aameen Ceremony at Dawood Public School. The ceremony comprised of several activities including Qirat, Hamd, Naat and documentary on the topic of “Golden Age of Islam”.
The spirit of the event reflected the school’s focus on Islamic studies as well as other subjects. Islamic teachings are an integral part of the curriculum at Dawood Public School. Being an all-girls school, the institution has a Quran department comprising female Islamic Scholars (Aalimas and Qaarias) that impart Islamic learning to students of all classes. The department also conducts exams moderated by external independent scholars to award students with certificates of completion of “Nazra Quran Course” in which special attention has been given to intonation (Tajweed) and practicing principles of Islam to give students the knowledge of Islam.
On this auspicious occasion, Ms. Mahvish Roshani, Principal, Dawood Public School addressed the audience. She said: “Our school gives equal importance to Islamic and contemporary learning. Therefore, courses like “Nazra Quran” and activities like “aameen ceremony” adhere our students to practice Islam freely which, on the other hand, shows the importance given to Quran learning at Dawood Public School. We believe since Dawood Public is an all-girl school, it’s a matter of high importance to have only female scholars teaching our students allowing them to learn freely about Islamic teachings.”
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Jazz Awarded for Excellence in Service Delivery
Islamabad – 15 May, 2017: In recognition of its customer centric approach to business, Jazz has been awarded with the Service Appreciation Award at this years’ Service Punch: The Service Conference organized by Active8. It provides a unique learning event and knowledge sharing platform dedicated to excellence in service and the customer experience.
The awards were based on a survey by rozee.pk for best service providers in different sectors. The ceremony was attended by a large number of CEOs, businessmen and delegates along with members of the Pakistani business community.
While receiving this honor, Nauman Fakhar, Head of Customer Care and CEM – Jazz, stated, “This award is a testament to Jazz’s customer obsessive approach. From planning to new service initiation to customer support, we believe it is imperative to think from the customers’ point of view. Offering innovative and reliable solutions to everyday needs and ensuring 24/7 support throughout this process is our way of ensuring high level of satisfaction amongst our customers.”
At the conference, Nauman Fakhar also presented the working behind Jazz’s customer obsessed business approach and how constant innovation along with service reliability is key to increased customer retention and growth.
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