Bahrain Duty Free Issue No. 14 | November 2011
Bahrain D ut celebrates y Free 2 in busines 0 years s! ens
Coaching shop re-op
New Appointments nd Cash
s Toys a te a n o D e e r F Duty
Message from the GM Dear All, Bahrain Duty Free (BDF) is proudly celebrating its 20th anniversary. During this time it has been a truly success story and continues to be so, for Bahrain International airport, shareholders, customers, suppliers and team members. This success has been built on many different factors with the BDF “employees” being a key one. BDF can have the newest shop or the nicest fragrance but at the end of the day it is down to the whole BDF team that is crucial in making the final sale. So I am honored as GM to congratulate you all on this very special occasion and wish you all the best for next 20 years.
an
Garrett Coog
ager
General Man
Speaking of the future we are currently in discussions with Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) about the proposed airport expansion and I believe the expansion will be a super opportunity for both BDF and BAC to create a new Duty Free shopping experience that will contribute to BDF’s vision of becoming the premier duty free retailer in the Middle East. The timelines of the expansion will soon be clarified but potentially 2013 looks like the period when BDF’s shop changes will start taking place. In the meantime please continue to be proud of the shopping environment that BDF offers. Our current business environment remains challenging and highlights the need to fine tune our business and to constantly look at ways of doing our work in a more effective manner or encouraging our customers to spend more. Going forward into 2012 our sales budgets will be based around the number of our customers and the amounts they spend in our shops. So selling a mascara to the customer buying the fragrance or a case to the customer buying the mobile phone will make a big contribution. Remember, every little helps. I would like to congratulate Sadiq Ismail for suggesting “In Touch” as the new name of our company newsletter. In this edition of “In Touch” please enjoy the articles about our colleagues with BDF for 20 years and much more. Finally, I would like to thank Karl Sutcliffe for his contributions in his position as Head of Purchasing & Logistics and wish him the best in his new exciting role with ARIME in China. I would also like to welcome Deirdre, Shibu, Ross and Mohamed Waqqas to BDF. Keep up the great work and remember to be truly customer focused :) Garrett
Company News Bahrain Duty Free Donates 20 0 Toys to Muqabah Charity Society Bahrain Duty Free recently donated two hundred children’s toys to the Muqabah Charity Society to support the “Make A Child Happy” campaig n which is organized by the society. Speaking on the occasion, Garrett Coogan, the General Manager of Bahrain Duty Free said, “Bahrain Duty Free is one of the pioneerin g companies to serve the Bahraini community and it is our pleasure to extend a helping hand to assist in providing joy to the needy children.” Mr. Ali Zaki, the President of the Muqabah Charity Society said, ”We would like to express our most sinc ere thanks and appreciation to Bah rain Duty Free management for their support of our “Make A Child Hap py” campaign. Such a generous gest ure certainly indicates the compan y’s eagerness to contribute to the welf are of the Kingdom in general.
$ 25,000 Bahrain Duty Free Donates US to Somali Famine Victims es, Bahrain commitment to humanitarian caus In response to the call of duty and through 00 25,0 US$ ated has recently don Duty Free Shop Complex (BDFSC) n to paig cam ’s stry Indu & ce mer Com r of participation in the Bahrain Chambe of one cing rien le of Somalia who are expe raise funds and support for the peop g bein try coun the in le a, with millions of peop the most severe food crises in Afric at risk of starvation. ir, Mr. the Company’s headquarters in Juffa At a meeting that took place at to ated don unt amo the for ue ented a cheq Dominic Carroll, Head of Finance pres of ence pres Executive Officer of BCCI, in the Ebrahim Ahmed Al Lengawi, Chief and I BCC from ies tions, Committees & Stud Khaled A. Al Merbati, Manager Rela etary. Secr rd Boa SC’s Abdul Wahid Noor, BDF Kingdom of Bahrain for the relief ation campaign, promoted by the don I’s BCC in tion going icipa part s FSC’ the famine and hardship they are Dominic Carroll stated that, “BD viate their suffering as a result of alle to them with d stan to s”. and ctive of our brothers in Somalia and humanitarian goals and obje towards participation in the noble through, stems from our obligation
Coaching Shop Re-Opens In line with the continuing efforts to provide increasing services to our customers, we have recently refurbished our shop in the Coaching Area at the Bahrain Inte rnational Airport. This refurbishment is in line with the company’s increasing focus on customer service and providin g a simply better shopping experience for our valued custome rs.
Bahrain Duty Free holds staff gathering to articulate es new Vision, Purpose and Valu f gathering on 27th July, at the Bahrain Duty Free held a special staf where General Manager Garrett Regency Inter Continental Hotel, Vision, Purpose and Values. Coogan revealed the company’s new 2 sessions, was attended by into d The event which was segmente staff. over 250 of the Bahrain Duty Free articulated the new direction In the first half of the night, the GM undertake with the objective of that Bahrain Duty Free is going to Service Excellence Organisation, turning Bahrain Duty Free into a of everything we do. To do that, where the customer is at the centre revisit the strategic direction as Garrett explained, it is important to that objective in mind under a well as culture of the company. With the following key points were banner of “Forward Together”, ; ress focussed on in his main add il company, to be a great place to
r focused travel reta Our Vision - To be a truly custome in the Middle East.
omers by offering the Our Purpose - To win and keep cust
work and to be the premier travel
retailer
rience.
simply better shopping expe best of Bahraini hospitality and a
ble، Leadership، Change Orientated،
onsi Our Values - Customer focused، Resp
Working together، Innovation.
team activities host of games, entertainment and alising and team building, with a soci f a great meal staf ying nd enjo arou red team cent Free y was Dut The second half was wound up with the ing even The . ners win the for r offe undertaken. There were prizes on together.
`Staff lend a helping hand to retail team during Eid In order to capitalise on the Eid traffic at the airport and to assist the retail team during the busy Eid period, the following staff from other departments were rostered to help out at the Airport Duty Free shops. The company would like to thank all of you for your team spirit and enthusiasm in making the Eid period a sucessful one for Bahrain Duty Free. The following were the staff who were involved: 1.
Isa Salman Isa (IT)
2. Hassan Ishaq (Inventory management) 3. Nenita Santos (Inventory management) 4. Hussain A. Jalil (Accounts) 5. Ahmed Saleh (Purchasing) 6. Zainab Ali Haji (Accounts) 7.
S. Sadiq Baqer (IT)
8. Ali Hamza (Purchasing) 9. Nadeem Mohammed (IT) 10. Khalid Ismael (Accounts)
11. Bincy (Inventory Management) 12. Nadeen Jameel (Purchasing) 13. Ahmed Hassan (IT) 14. Abdulla Yahya (Purchasing) 15. Hussain Quraishi (Purchasing) 16. Ryan Ocampo (Accounts) 17. Virgencita Castro (Purchasing) 18. Ali Masood Ali A.Aziz (Inventory Management) 19. Ahmed Jassim (HR) 20. Durriya Mohammed (IT) 21. Shanika (Accounts) 22. Annie Penola (Inventory Management) 23. Yahya A.Rahman (HR) 24. Alaa Mohamed Frouten (Inventory Management) 25. Cristina Tores Varona (Purchasing) 26. Delia Santos (Purchasing)
Company News
New Appointments
Shibu Abraham has recently joine d us as the Senior IT Manager for Bahrain Duty Free. Before heading to Bahrain Duty Free he was an IT Manager for a leading logistics gian t named Agility based in Bahrain. He has also worked with PDO (Pet roleum Development of Oman), Muscat as a Senior Contract Man ager in the role of Delivery Lead for a portfolio of projects using .NET technology. He has worked as a Senior Software Engineer with Allia nz Insurance based out of their offshore development center in India and has worked in various capacities with software companies like Hifx Solutions , IME - Dubai, across industries like Insurance, Ban king, Transportation and logistics and Retail. Shibu has managed IT Projects, IT support (Internet and Intranet applications) in .asp and Data war ehousing technologies. Shibu has great exposure to the SEI CMMI model. He studied B.Sc . Computing from The Robert Gord on University, Aberdeen. UK. In addition, he has over 9 years’ expe rience in the IT industry and has worked in Bahrain, Oman, India, UAE and UK. His areas of expertise are: • IT Operations Support and Managem ent. • Infrastructure & S/W developm ent analysis, design, deployment, support. • IT operational policies and procedur es design and implementation.
Shibu Abraham
Deirdre Spillane ry Bahrain Duty Free team as Luxu Deirdre Spillane recently rejoined ing hav Free history with Bahrain Duty Category Manager. Deirdre has a marketing from 1999 to 2001. She and PR in us with previously worked r on Perfumes & Cosmetics, where afte later moved to purchasing as buyer for ble onsi oted to Senior Buyer resp 2 years in her new role, she was prom lry. Jewe and ion Fash , Perfumes & Cosmetics E s with Bahrain Duty Free to join ARIM In 2008, Deirdre briefly parted way till e offic head in Manager and worked as Perfumes & Cosmetics Category . September of 2011
Snapshots in time 1991 to 2011
Awards & Accolades
er, over the years
Recognition from the world ov 1995 “Airport/Land-Based Retailer for the year” at the Frontier Awards in Cannes.
1997
2002
2003
2004
“Airport/Land-Based Retailer for the year” at the Frontier Awards in Cannes.
“Best Marketing Campaign of the year by a Retailer” at Frontier Awards in Cannes.
“Best Marketing Campaign of the year by a Retailer” at Frontier Awards in Cannes.
“Best Marketing Campaign of the year by a Retailer” at Frontier Awards in Cannes.
2005 Silver Award “Best Duty Free in Middle East & North Africa” at the MENA awards in Dubai “Airport/Land-Based Retailer for the year” at the Frontier Awards in Cannes. “Best Marketing Campaign of the year by a Retailer” at Frontier Awards in Cannes.
Cover Story
2009
2006
2008
2010
2007
Platinum Award “Best Duty Free in Middle East & North Africa” at the MENA awards in Dubai.
Gold Award «Best Duty Free in Middle East & North Africa» at the MENA awards in Dubai.
Platinum Award “Best Duty Free in Middle East & North Africa” at the MENA awards in Dubai.
Platinum Award “Best Duty Free in Middle East & North Africa” at the MENA awards in Dubai.
eGovernment Excellence Award 2010, eEconomy
Highly Commended “Airport/Land-Based Retailer for the year” at the Frontier Awards in Cannes.
Best Marketing Campaign of the year by a Retailer» at Frontier Awards in Cannes.
With us all the way....
I feel lucky and fortunat e to become a part of Bahrain Dut y Fr until now, fo ee team r 20 years working in this company I still feel the ener enjoyment an gy d excitement.
Ana Marie R. Barlaan aini Duty Free Ana Marie R. Barlaan joined Bahr day one. She on here was and Shops (BDFS) in 1991 t in Electronics stan Assi s Sale as er care her ed start for five years Department, where she worked as Retail inted (1991-1996). She was then appo re she whe 10) 6-20 (199 s year teen Administration Supervisor for four ies, sales, product bilit onsi resp e rativ inist adm day looked after the day to s sales and customer service operation support and handling of all after for bles uma cons r monitored the majo received by the company. She also . floor the shop Ana Marie was appointed as an Executive Secretary in Bahrain Duty Free Shops in October 2010. Although new to the executive office administration she had been the Administration Supervisor in Retail from 1996 and gained a firm understanding of the Retail aspect of the er. operation over her twenty year care
e t tim grea Free a d e ha Duty t I hav Bahrain o be par t e h d t wi rou Duty Fre p I’m ain r and h a e B of th . team
ERI
IX N FEL S I PER
F ASHRA I L A E ABD ED ALI M A H O M
ous etary, Ana Marie carries out vari In her new role as Executive Secr is She nce. Fina of Head and ager Man secretarial duties to the General any in s urce Reso g Head of Human also involved in assisting the Actin S Board of Directors meeting. BDF and it Aud , Bird the for ion preparat
How is your new office? Busy, exciting and challenging!
What have been the highlight of
MARIA ESP ELITA COLINARES
senger One day I caught a pas stealing chocolate and interestingly, he was the CCTV engineer who installed e!!! Fre y Dut in Bahrain
your 20 years with BDF
iler such as Frontier Retailer of the Achieving the Oscar awards for Reta Best Duty Free in the Middle East and n paig Year, Best Marketing Cam Retailer awards.
ISHAQ ALI ABDULLA HUSAIN
Your best moment?
our shift (Shift I) was on duty to open I consider the best moment is when ed to open even though not all the the Shop on 29 October 1991 we need s. On day one, all the team were orm unif staff were wearing the company and office and management) to serve together (shop floor, stores, back honored to be and d ilege priv very I’m . shop assist every passenger in the celebrating the 20 years anniversary. part of the Bahrain Duty Free Team
duty?
Any interesting incidents while on
t long queue of some charter fligh Remembering the big rush and s, item ics tron Elec for e value rang passengers aiming to purchase good a in skin care products giving BDF Gold Jewelery, Cognac and certa massive sale.
Are you part of any Committees or
Teams?
ghts represent the staff to gather thou I joined the Social Committee to ld enjoy. and ideas for social events they wou
pany?
What are your wishes for the com
in ion and be a proven major player To win more awards and recognit and grow to inue cont Duty Free will Retail industry. I wish that Bahrain e. mor or rs 100y ed exce fully hope
? What would you like to see improve
d Year ond ‘Best Duty Free’ in the worl We were voted as Retailer of the ing exist and rs ome cust ed valu our in 1995, 1997 & 2005, and we need c rds. In addition, to practise our basi travellers to be aware of these awa lly, Fina . pany com the of y polic the g standards and be consistent regardin nt the necessary changes correctly. we need to know how to impleme
to rd wa any d r o f ok omp e an II lo the c mor onal g e se ievin rnati d e ach re int on an rds. mo gniti e awa o rec ellenc exc
AMUR SANO GHANIM OR AL UFI
EL AE BEH M S I AM SH to be part I feel very proud ty Free Du in of the Bahra ted my Team since I comple Duty the all , ars ye 20 sors and managers ,supervi good a ve ha all the staff d, understanding an rd work cooperation and ha ve ha we y wh that’s awards. achieved the best an Our company has tion in uta rep g din an tst ou e fre ty du s ail ret world industry.
MOHAMMED FARHATH
Cover Story
Staff who have been with us since the begining ID
EMPLOYEE NAME
6
Ana Marie Barlaan
17
Maria Espelita Colinares
706
Ali Akbar Peer Mohamed
56
Raquel Bernadette Manlapaz
104
Amelita D Elardo Elardo
114
Felix Neri Peris
117
Ishaq Ali Abdulla Husain
120
Karma H. Mammah
144
Elma A. Flores
146
Mohamed Ghouse Farhath Basha
147
Ashraf Abdeali Mohamed Ali
734
Ismaeel Shambeh Murad Ali
121
Majeed Nalladam Kandiyil
723
Isa Bader Ghaith Bader
724
Amur Ghanim Sanoor Alufi
ng event The most interesti Bahrain en wh s wa , for me an ed eiv rec Duty Free award as the “Best ar “ for Retailer of the Ye 7 and 199 5, 199 ars the ye 2004.
DEPARTMENT Finance - Accounts Retail - Beauty Advisor Finance - Inventory Managment Retail - Supervisors Retail - Merchandisers Retail - Shift 4 Retail - Administration Retail - Shift 1 Retail - Supervisors Retail - Shift 3 Retail - Supervisors Finance - Cash Office Finance - Cash Office Finance - Stores Finance - Stores
I’m proud to be part of Bahrain Duty Free because I‘ve se en the improvement and growth of the company .
RAQUEL BERNADETTE
ES
10/14/1991 10/17/1991 10/22/1991 10/25/1991 10/26/1991 10/26/1991 10/26/1991 10/26/1991 10/26/1991 10/26/1991 10/26/1991 10/26/1991 10/27/1991 10/30/1991 11/02/1991
I’ve worked w ith Bahrain Duty Free for 20 years and it is really chal lenging but I’ve got a gr eat support network in m y managers and colleague s. Everyone at BDF mak es you feel part of the te am and the people I work with here go a long way towards explaining th e reasons why I have be en here for 20 years.
ISA BADER AMELITA ELARDO
ALI MO AKBAR HAM P ED EER
ELMA A. FLOR
JOINING DATE
use ud beca and pro in Duty Happy ra of Bah I’m part nder good u d n a e Fre ent m e g a man
A H. KARM AH MAMM
GHAITH
ppy ve a ha d to ha o o g g in ’s It ork ment w environ rent fe if d with gain lities. I nationa e, wherever I g s d knowle ether as a sale r h o w r , o rk is wo perv nt, a su assista r. e andis in a merch I am working y Presentl ffice, finance ho the cas nt. I am e g rt a dep m as I am gettin l thankfu ort from the pp good su ent. em manag
IYIL ED MAJE DAMKAND A L L NA
Meet the Team
In-Flight Department & Sea Port Can you give us a brief description and its members?
of your team
ed/ Mustafa/ We are 4 members in In-flight (Ahm ort team Seap Raed/Yaqoub) & 9 members in adiq / tif/S e/la /Jos ssim n/Ja (Agn elo/ Binu /Hu ssai have three We elf. mys by led is h whic hijil) Sanjay/S and Khalifa) and outlets; two ports (Mina Salman Air). rain (Bah ent pres at one airline
g in flight What is the primary challenge facin department?
ity for learning, Challenges are a great opportun primary challenge that one The ent. growth, and improvem ating crew to treat sales comes to mind for in-flight is educ which will immensely ard, onbo ice as part of the normal serv into customers/shoppers help in the transition of passenger tion. situa win and from then on it’s a wine is getting the leng chal ary prim the orts As for Seap of the special ors /sail crew message across to the ship downtown. from ngs savi all of t mos and offers/exclusives
and key initiatives What are the major products provided? the right product mix taking into
It is very important to have estinations/floor limits/average consideration; passenger profile/d tives, the Air Shop magazine plays spend per head, etc. As for key initia message portraying the choice/ g a major role to convey that stron essential product for the day to day variety on offer and the right and omer’s” shop window. Other key traveler. The magazine is “the cust crew on first hand information the ate educ to initiative is training, oving their confidence to make that and product knowledge thus impr extra sale onboard. uct mix plays an important role As for Seaports, again the right prod passenger profile. Key initiatives as to nature of the business and Bahrain such as souvenirs and from are special offers and exclusives savings” from downtown and getting that message across of “the -free ports. duty the why it becomes a must to shop at
k?
What is the busiest day of the wee
orrow Is Often the As the Spanish proverb goes; “Tom the case in Bahrain not is h whic k”, Busiest Day of the Wee are at the time days est Duty Free. With In-flight, the busi azine/products onboard. Mag New the of g chin of new listing and laun of sales. It’s during days the best As for Seaport the busiest days are s. visit iers’ Carr the Cruise liners and the US
k ever?
What was the funniest day at wor
staff and the unanimous answer I put forward this question to the that staff enjoy their work and was “every day”. It is good to know our team spirit. for company which is a great booster free is a vibrant, diverse and Would like to add… Bahrain duty opportunities but also with a re futu of lot a successful retailer with ident that as it has in the past, in lot of future challenges. I am conf will rise to those challenges and Free Duty the future as well Bahrain in the Middle East. continue to be “the premier retailer”
Could you provide a brief overview of your journey to where you are today? A Journey of thousand miles begins with a single step. I started my career soon after school at PriceWaterhouseCoopers as a Trainee Accountant. Having qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant, I moved in to the industry as a banker. Being a risk taker, with a craving to change I wasn’t confined to a particular industry and worked in many countries. And here I am today with Bahrain Duty Free.
Can you tell us about your role and responsibilities?
Interview with Sanjaya Senaratne
Well, presently I’m in a new position created a couple of months ago, as the Business Process Controller & Treasury Manager. The primary function of this position is to look into the business processes of the Company, which is a new concept to our organization. On the treasury front I manage the single two largest assets of the company ie investments & banks which accounts for over 80% of company’s assets that generates almost half of our profit. In addition, I am also responsible for co-ordinating the audits, which very well compliments the role on business processes.
Tell us a little bit about the new procedures project you operate? Business Processes are not confined to one particular department.
Event Snapshots
Ramadan Ghabga Ramadan A photo collage of the at the Elite d Ghabgha that was hel hotel, Muharraq.
Each department has its own processes let it be Purchasing, Retail or Finance. Some of the processes are spread over more than one department. The objective of this role is to re-visit all current processes with the view of improving them to enhance efficiency, document the same and ensure compliance. We embarked on this mission with the Purchasing department and we are half way through.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? Satisfaction of developing a team, through job enrichment, job empowerment and encouraging them to work independently without boundaries! My biggest strength is the capability of the Accounts team to point out my mistakes, without which we wouldn’t have turned around this department to “what it is today” from “where it was”. I humbly take this opportunity to thank all members of the Accounts team for their unprecedented support and team work!
What are the key points that you would consider as challenges in your current business environment? The best time to fix the roof, is when the sun is shining! The environment itself is a challenge as it changes all the time, without notice & cannot be predicted. Changes can come from many directions, so as individuals and as a company we need to be equipped & geared to face change.
Where do you see Bahrain Duty Free in the next 5 years? Celebrating the 20th anniversary, BDFS is a business built on strong fundamentals and has grown steadily over the years, which is perceived to be one of the best performing stocks in the Bahrain Bourse. With all the current developments within the organization I am sure BDFS will grow from strength to strength in the coming 5 years.
Before we finish...
The Wall
A cleaner, nicer logo The Bahrain Duty Free logo has been given a touch-up! With a view to enhancing the visual expression of the Bahrain Duty Free brand, a cleaner and contemporary version of our logo has been developed. The revamped logo will now be rolled out in phases across all the brand touch points so that the consumer experience in unified and consistent. We also have a 20th anniversary theme logo. You’ll notice these in the coming days and weeks in our internal and external communication.
A wedding in the family
r is... And the winne
Our best wishes to Ahmed Abdullah Ali Bushara, Admin Clerk - Warehouse, who got married recently
New Babies! Congratulati ons!!!
The Bahrain D uty Free family is growing. Th new babies in e following st to their lives. aff welcomed - Salah Abdo Fath Alrahman (Cash office) ha - Archana Nai d a baby girl r (IT Departm ent) had a ba - Sayed Helal by girl Shubbar (Retai l Department) - Hameed Moh had a baby bo ammed Jawad y (Purchasing D epartment) ha d a baby boy
Sadiq Ismail
,
was om purchasing sletter Senior Buyer fr ew ‘N e th of r winne with the adjudged the up e tion’. He cam pe m Co g in Nam ‘In Touch’. winning name e. Keep the Sadiq! Welldon ns tio la tu ra Cong will receive a flowing. Sadiq es ic ju e tiv ea cr entry. for the winning prize of BD20
Birthdays Layla Shames, Shop Floor Manager and Marwa Abdulla Sales Assistant, celebrated their birthday recently. We wish them both a great year ahead.