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Waseet Comore
July 31, 2009.
Waseet launched its first French edition in the beautiful Comoros Islands on 31st of July 2009. The new edition will cover three main islands: Comore, Anjoin, and Moheli with 20,000 copies distributed weekly. In parallel, Dar Al Balad has also launched Layalina Magazine, Al Balad newspaper, and will be establishing Concord outdoor advertising and Quadre printing house, as part of the development plan initiated by Comoro Gulf Holding (CGH)
In 2006, Comoro Gulf Holding (CGH) has partnered with the Comorian people to assume the responsibility of developing Comoros Islands through establishing projects aimed at the progress and the growth of the Islands. CGH works also on marketing the Comoros to attract major investment and projects that would bring in both economic and social benefits to the people of the Comoros (infrastructure, housing for low income families, industry, agriculture, tourism…)
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Waseet Launches its Newest Creation, Waseet TV: Pioneering entertaining and interactive advertising through game shows
AlWaseet International, unveiled its newest creation, Waseet TV, on Wednesday the 17th of June 2009, describing it as “a station for new, groundbreaking entertaining advertisements.”
The group held a reception at the Intercontinental Phoenicia Hotel attended by 400 people. Among the guests were media advertising figures and businessmen from the Middle East, the Gulf, Africa and Europe.
The managing director of alWaseet International , John Fawaz, announced in his speech that Waseet TV is “the third member of the Waseet Family bearing the name ‘Waseet.’” However, he reminded the audience that “the Waseet family has become a lot larger. AWI Group has become a pioneering international media organization and a wide-ranging network that extends to Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf states. The group’s portfolio includes a number of printed, televised and digital media outlets, among them being Al-Hayat, Al-Balad, Laha and Layalina International, Marie Claire Arabia, Top Gear Arabia, What’s On, the Guinness Book of World Records series and Al-Jazeera International.”
“The whole story started in Kuwait in 1992,” Fawaz said, “when the advertising newspaper Waseet was released. Waseet quickly began to spread throughout the Middle East, North Africa and Europe and has currently spread to 35 cities in 12 countries, with 6.3 million copies read by 20.4 million. Today, It has become one of the most important free classified ad sources in the world and has established its position as an indispensable authority on all the products one wants to buy and all the information one wants to obtain in over 12 countries.”
But Fawaz continued by saying, “We are not satisfied with that; rather, we are seeking to continue to spread by opening new channels and by creating a three-dimensional force in the field of supplying diverse media services. These three dimensions consist of the printed Waseet and its sister companies: ewaseet.com and Waseet TV. The interaction between these three media outlets guarantees the public a complete media scope: print, digital and televised.”
He explained that “Waseet TV is an interactive station that uses simplicity as its slogan, much like the printed [outlets]….Waseet TV works by the principle which the newspaper became known for: simple and clear access…The trade-name is the same, but the television, which can be viewed for free and which offers a regional component, supplies more interface through game shows that draw in viewers who can participate in them, as well as through entertaining advertising. Waseet TV is keen on providing its viewers with the best shows in the region, allowing them to find new and one-of-a-kind products, displaying classified advertisements and supplying groundbreaking solutions to the advertisers.”
“Interactive advertising affords marketing specialists, and in light of prevailing economic uncertainty, a means to build a strong, healthy relationship with consumers,” he said, before promising that “Waseet TV will show groundbreaking resources that draw in the interest of viewers and, at the same time, respect the necessity of preserving balance between the values of the family and society.”
Fawaz concluded that “Waseet Televised, digital and printed [outlets] will always remain important and effective elements for helping the public come across their needs in diverse markets,”.
Waseet TV Manager Samer al-Gharib described the launch of the station as “a very important juncture for the media and advertising industry in Lebanon and Arab countries. This event is a new chapter in our success story and an essential step forward in the process of developing and broadening the scope of our project.”
“The TV industry has undergone a dramatic evolution over the past few years,” he continued. “Not only has it taken advantage of satellite broadcasting, but it has also developed its techniques and programs. Today, we bring to you the latest innovation in this field: ‘Advertainment.’”
“Advertainment is a new concept on which Waseet TV will be based. It is characterized by the fact that it answers the needs of the main parties involved in the world of television, namely the viewers and the advertisers.”
Gharib stressed that “both viewers and advertisers will find something they like in Waseet TV, which provides viewers with a space for amusement and entertainment while granting advertisers enough space to display their goods in an attractive package.”
He went on to emphasize that “the Waseet TV team is dynamic and creative and its administration knows what it wants, thus leading to this innovative concept.”
In conclusion, Gharib said, “We have not tried to attract star presenters from other channels; rather, we chose to focus on those who have both talent and competences, for we are sure we will develop together and become the stars of tomorrow.”
Raouf Khalifeh, the Marketing Director of Alwaseet Intl. described it as a “24/7 station with a grid that encompasses a broad range of entertainment programs, advertising and offers for the best deals on innovative products or products to be found on the market or on Waseet TV Shop.”
The flyer further divided programs into categories tailor-made to suit the needs of advertisers in Waseet (print edition), its readers and the TV station’s viewers:
TV shopping: Where specific products linked to Waseet shop are sold.
Advertainment: Where viewers are offered various types of entertainment and where advertisers get to display their products in an entertaining fashion.
Infomercial: Where advertisers can exhibit their latest news and activities.
Members of the audience also took part in entertainment games to be aired on Waseet TV in addition to a lottery with a Nissan Altima as the grand prize.
The ceremony was hosted by prominent media presenter Tony Abu Jaoudé and his wife, Carla.
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Ewaseetjobs.com develops strategic partnership with Simply Jobs Group
Dubai, March 2009
Ewaseet.com, the number one classified ad web portal in the Middle East and online division of Al Waseet International has announced that it has agreed to strategic partnership with the Simply Jobs Group UK. Ewaseet has built several portals ranging from classifieds, Auction, online store, real Estate, Jobs and Automotive. The portals include various Services to meet today’s growing online market especially in the MENA and Gulf. Ewaseet.com is currently covering 38 operations - 35 cities - 12 countries in the Middle East North Africa and Europe, and has over 2.2 million visitors per month.
The deal with Simply Jobs Group will provide UK businesses and recruitment agencies the opportunity to recruit for vacancies in the Middle East through ewaseetjobs.com as the region looks to attract the leading skilled workers from across the World, especially at a time when many of the world’s top companies are establishing offices in the UAE and other Gulf countries.
ewaseet.com now holds the license to post other market leading jobs in the Simply Jobs Group portfolio such as Simply Sales Jobs, Simply Marketing Jobs & Careers in Recruitment, a development that will see The Simply Jobs Group Sites translated into a number of languages including Arabic, French & Polish.
Online Business Manager of ewaseet.com, Hani Najjar is enthusiastic about the potential of the partnership commenting,” ewaseetjobs.com provides jobseekers and recruiters with a solution to their recruitment needs. We are aiming for more than 1,000 fresh job listing per month and around 100,000 job seekers by end of 2009. Due to the continued development in the MENA region there is also a big demand for skilled professionals, and our partnership with Simply Jobs Group will ensure a professional starting point for the job portal”.
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Waseet Launches Its First Edition In Europe
Waseet Warsaw , Poland
AlWaseet International (AWI) took a significant step forward this week by launching the first Waseet edition in Warsaw, Poland. Waseet is the first Free Weekly Classified publication, with a weekly circulation of 200,000 copies distributed door to door in residential and commercial areas in Warsaw. With a coverage that currently extends to 12 countries, Waseet is distributing 6 million copies and is read by 22 million every week.
“If something is available to buy, you will surely find it in Waseet” that is how Waseet is perceived by people in more than 38 cities. For the past 17 years, Waseet has been a solution provider for people to buy, sell, and get informed about the best offers, products and services in town.
According to John Fawaz, Managing Director of Alwaseet International, “Continued corporate expansion is high on our priority list as we drive the business forward. It is our aim to have100 operations by the year 2012, and it is through franchising and corporate expansion that we will achieve our goal. Poland was an ideal opportunity for us to mark our entrance into Central and Eastern Europe; we believe that the market potential in Poland is substantial, and suitable for our business model. Central and Eastern Europe constitute the main focal area for Waseet and our aim is to enter countries with strong potential for economic growth, yet not totally saturated.”
Makram Fata, General Director for Waseet Poland commented “Expanding internally within a country is the main strategy of Waseet, as this will insure creating a publication dedicated to each city. Our next step will be launching another 4 editions in the 4 major polish cities, and therefore increase our reach. Poland will be our starting point to expand into neighboring countries like Romania and Bulgaria.
Alwaseet International is a leading International Media group with an expanding network in Europe, Africa, Middle East and GCC. Operating from Dubai Media City, AWI has a diversified portfolio of Print, Digital, and Visual Media. AWI publishes Waseet free weekly classified in 12 countries, and manages ewaseet.com, one of the most visited classified engines in the region. Since 1992, AWI Group has built one of the biggest media networks in the region, with offices in 38 cities, and a workforce exceeding 6,000 employees.
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Waseela Reef Damascus
It is with great pleasure that we announce to you the launching of the 6th WASEELA Syria Edition of Reef Damascus. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Syrian Team, the paid 24 page Reef Damascus Edition was successfully launched on the 20th of December with 100,000 copies.
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Waseet, Free Classified Newspaper, Launched in Lagos
Lagos, Nigeria. December 12, 2008
Waseet, a freely-distributed weekly classified publication, will be formally launched in Lagos, Nigeria, on Friday, December 13, 2008. The newspaper which offers a range of classified ads for people to buy, sell and get informed, has no cover price, and is given out free every week.
Published in Nigeria by Adwise Integrated Resources, a Nigerian media solutions company, under franchise from alWaseet International (AWI), a Dubai-based international publishing conglomerate, Waseet is targeting a 150,000 copies print run in the first phase. The franchise agreement was signed on November 10, 2008, in Dubai, between alWaseet International and Adwise, represented by its Chairman, Mr. L. Kolawole Abiola.
The publishing of Waseet in Nigeria will begin in Lagos, with plans to expand to other major cities, starting with Abuja and Port Harcourt. Waseet Lagos will have two editions right from inception – the Island and Mainland editions, and both will be published and distributed simultaneously.
Mr. John Fawaz, Managing Director of AWI said: “Waseet Lagos fits perfectly into our aggressive expansion plan aimed at reaching 100 Waseet publications by 2012. Our plan is to franchise Waseet newspaper in Eastern Europe, Africa, India and South-East Asia. Waseet Lagos will be the 7th publication in the African continent after Egypt (5 publications) and Khartoum (Sudan)”.
With a starting circulation of 150,000 copies, Fawaz predicted that Waseet will become the largest distributed newspaper in Nigeria within a short period of time. He promised that Waseet will transfer its business know-how and expertise to the (Nigerian) franchisee.
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WASEET WARSZAWA
We proudly announce the launch of the highly anticipated Waseet Warsaw, today November 23rd, 2008.
The first edition of Waseet Warsaw featured 2,400 classified ads, and 96 commercial contracts throughout 24 pages.
The launch of the new edition was made successful thanks to the joint efforts of many departments and people from AWI and Waseet. A special acknowledgment goes to the Operations Development Department who played a big role in setting up the new branch
Waseet Warsaw marks the entrance of Waseet into the European market, and it endorses the expansion strategy of AWI to build its brands internationally.
See us next in Romania…
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“Power of Three”: Print, Online, TV
Waseet Mid Year convention 2008 – Cairo, Egypt
alWaseet International (AWI), recently hosted its Mid Year Convention from 3rd to 6th August 2008 in Cairo. The slogan of this year’s convention reveals the strength of Waseet as a 3 way media: Print (with the weekly Waseet publication), the online (ewaseet.net), and soon TV (with Waseet TV)
Waseet TV will offer a unique concept built on the interaction with the viewer through ‘Advertaining’ programs. Viewers can primarily place classified ads, buy products, and participate in interactive game shows.
Bashar Kiwan, CEO, alWaseet International expressed his delight in hosting the company’s successful bi-annual convention Cairo. “The power of Three represents the main pillars of our Business today, and a great proof of Waseet becoming a comprehensive media tool for advertisers.
The convention included alWaseet’s Board of Directors Bashar Kiwan, Chief Executive Officer, Majed Suleiman, Chief Operating Officer, John Fawaz, Managing Director, Marwan Dimas, Executive Manager of AlWaraniya Group, Elie Wakim, Magazine’s Manager UG, in addidion to the GMs and EMs of Waseet’s 29 branches across 10 countries.
“Our international expansion into new markets like Poland and Nigaria upholds our vision as an international company. Today, we feel that our extentise experience and our regional network, allow us to venture into a new media, and present new concept of Television stations. We have a solid team working on the developing the Waseet TV, and creating its unique identity. Our focus will always be strengthening the core functions of our business and maintaining our strategic leadership position in the MENA region as we enter new markets in 2008/2009,” said John Fawaz, Managing Director, alWaseet International.
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Waseet Muscat, the latest Waseet edition to join our expanding network!
On June 28th, 2008, we celebrated the launch of our 32nd Edition: Waseet Muscat.
The Issue Zero was released with 24 pages, 120 contracts and 1,188 Classified Ads.
The new edition covers Oman’s capital and main suburbs with 100,000 copies distributed door to door every Friday & Saturday. Other branches in Oman are yet to come, including the English edition soon.
Waseet Muscat edition is the joint effort of the AWI Operations Development department headed by Maher Nassar, Please and the fully dedicated Muscat team headed by Mahmoud Edriss for Circulation, Kacem Ben Ahmed for Sales, Adel Ismail for Finance, Khaled Fares for Production, Paluck Sunger for HR and each & every person who worked hard to make this happen. The new branch will be managed by Said Al Harithy
Mabrouk!
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Saturday, 7th of June 2008
The launch of Waseet Al Ain
On June 7th, we celebrated the first Issue of Waseet Al Ain, and UAE’’s 4th Waseet publication.
For the past few years, Waseet Abu Dhabi was catering to Al Ain readers and advertisers, but with the increasing need of the market, a separate edition was needed to be dedicated to Abu Dhabi’s second biggest city. With 75,000 copies distributed weekly to residential and commercial points, Waseet Al Ain will be among the very few print channels fully committed to the residents of Al Ain.
The inauguration of the new branch is the fruit of effort and dedication of Abu Dhabi’s team, headed by William Suleiman and his devoted team. Following the launch of the first issue, a tactical campaign will tag along to create awareness and promote the classified ads to Al Ain readers who are already familiar with Waseet Abu Dhabi. The promotion will feature a raffle draw on one Ford Focus 2008 and other instant prizes.
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Friday, 29th of February 2008
Waseela Hael: The latest Waseela edition in KSA
The Waseela KSA team launched the latest Waseela edition in Hael.
Waseela Hael is the 9th edition in KSA and was launched on Friday, 29th of February, with a total Circulation of 50,000 copies weekly.
Waseela Hael will be initially managed by Riyadh Branch and will effectively contribute to the continuous growth of our group. The real credit in this achievement goes to many people:
- Mahmoud Edrees who was operated all the pre-launching scanning of the city and trained the circulation team of Hael.
- Waseela Riyadh head of Departments: Mustafa Shaaban, Ashraf Tolbah, Jamal Khalil, Saqr Otaibi and Muhammad Huraisi for their support.
- Khairan Rashedi who supervised this operation and will continue overseeing Hael for the coming months
Tarek el Fahd, KSA country Manager and Maher Nasaar Nassar & team (Operations Development) were also the driving force to launch the operation successfully as on time and as planned.
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Friday, 25th of January 2008
Waseet Saiid: the 5th Waseet edition in Egypt
Waseet Cairo had a very successful launch in 2002, followed by Waseet Alexandria in 2003 and Waseet Delta in 2004, and Waseet Classified in 2006. On Friday 25th of January 2008, we optimistically celebrated the launch of our 5th edition in Egypt: Waseet Saiid.
Waseet Saiid is the result of effort and dedication of the fully committed Egypt team headed by Adham Saleh. The new edition will cover the provinces of Asyout, Meniah & Suhag, with 150,000 copies distributed door to door every Friday and Saturday in residential and commercial areas.
Many people contributed to the launch of the new edition, to name few: Anas Wanees, Waseet Saiid Acting Branch Manager along with his team, and the Operations Development dept at AWI
Mabrouk and Good luck
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Dubai, 11 February, 2008
 AlWaseet International’s 8th Convention Affirms Geographical Expansion Plans Outside of the MENA Region for 2008
alWaseet International (AWI), publisher of the weekly classified ‘Waseet’ recently hosted its 8th Convention from 27th to 31st January 2008 in Bahrain. Strategic plans for 2008 to expand beyond the MENA region were unveiled.
John Fawaz, Regional Managing Director, alWaseet International expressed his delight in hosting the company’s successful bi-annual convention in Bahrain. “Our theme for this year “Unity is Achievement” represents our vision as we look to expand beyond the MENA region, while staying focused on the backbone of our business.”
The gathering included alWaseet’s Board of Directors, Sheikh Sabah Jaber Mohamed Al Sabah, Bashar Kiwan, Chief Executive Officer, Majed Suleiman, Chief Operating Officer, representatives from Waseet’s 25 branches across 9 countries, as well as representatives from Layalina magazine.
“As we look to uphold our vision, we understand that our employees are our key assets. We therefore are committed to investing in the knowledge and skills of our employees, as well as recruit new talent, as we continuously build on our core values of leadership, integrity, efficiency, corporate social responsibility and human capital. By strengthening the core functions of our business we will maintain our strategic leadership position in the MENA region as we enter new markets in 2008,” said Bashar Kiwan, Chief Executive Officer, alWaseet International.
The simple yet highly effective formula of Waseet combined with a passion to succeed, has created the most respected classified advertising brand in the region, with a distribution of over 5.25 million copies each week . With coverage that currently extends to 26 Arab cities, the Waseet classified is available in both Arabic and English.
- AWI PRESENT THEIR FRANCHISE MODEL AT THE FRANCHISE ME EXHIBITION
The alWaseet International team joined their Managing Director, John Fawaz during March when he delivered a captivating presentation on the development and future plans for Waseet at the Franchise ME Exhibition, Dubai World Trade Centre. Waseet is the first publication in the region to franchise.
With Waseet's highly recognizable brand, sophisticated circulation and demand in the international marketplace, franchising has become a crucial step in the company's expansion plans. And with alWaseet International’s experience and success in international expansion, the company is well equipped to establish a lucrative business model that can be emulated and successfully operated anywhere in the world.
The Franchise Department of AWI has developed its model for the international market with the expert help of the Franchise Development Services (FDS), who have been recognized since 1981 as world leader in providing a total range of services to the franchise market.
According to Roger Nasrallah, Development Director of AWI, “ The Franchise exhibitions form a crucial Marketing opportunity for us. These exhibitions are usually attended by entrepreneurs, and companies are seriously looking to invest in a franchise business. And through such events, we will be able to gain exposure in various countries”
- July 13 – 15, 2007
 Mid Year Convention predicts great results for 2007
alWaseet International (AWI) held its Mid Year Convention from July 13 – 15 in Limassol, Cyprus. Gathering their General and Executive Management team from across the MENA region, the delegates explored ‘The Key to Success’, which was the chosen theme of the conference. Around 37 managers were joined by Bashar Kiwan, CEO, Majed Sleiman, COO, and John Fawaz, MD, for the event.
The theme was used as the basis for an evaluation of performance and an exchange of work practices with each department introducing their key business indicators which will be used to measure progress. With coverage that currently extends to nine countries the Waseet classified which has both Arabic and English versions, is already read by 20 million every week.
Bashar Kiwan, CEO of alWaseet International spoke about the Mid Year Convention, “This is something we hold annually during the summer months. It gives us a chance to evaluate the Q1 and Q2 performance whilst at the same time fine tuning the business plan for the remainder of the fiscal year. Waseet is a strong brand, and our sales figures reflect this, but these kind of results really bear testimony to the dedicated team who are running the 27 operations across the region.”
The simple yet highly effective formula of Waseet combined with a passion to succeed, has created the most respected classified advertising brand in the region, with a weekly distribution of over 4.8 million copies.
John Fawaz, Managing Director, AWI added, “The convention was a great success and Cyprus, an extremely appropriate venue as we have identified it as one of the next targets for extending the Waseet Operations
- Saturday December 9, 2006
 AlWaseetintl.com won the bronze award for the best corporate website in the UAE pan Arab Award. The website was developed by born interactive Lebanon, and launched in September 2006. The UAE Web Awards is a first-of-its-kind award dedicated to honor talented web developers and designers in the UAE and to safeguard the integrity of their Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry, the awards were organized jointly by BSA and UAE Web Awards
- Tuesday November 28, 2006
 AlWaseet International (AWI) took a significant step forward this week when they signed their initial franchise agreement with The Middle Advertisement Limited, Nigeria, during the Ifra 2nd Newspaper Publishing Conference in Abu Dhabi, in the presence of Sheikh Sabah Jaber al Sabah, Bachar Kiwan, Majed Sleiman, and John Fawaz. With coverage that currently extends to nine countries the Waseet classified which has both Arabic and English versions, is already read by 20 million every week.
John Fawaz was one of the main speakers during the IFRA conference, presenting the Business Model of Waseet as a thriving model for a regional classified publication.
During the presentation, John emphasized on the current operations and the upcoming ones that will add value to the Waseet sevices. He also proclaimed the signature of Memorandum of understanding for the first Waseet franchise in Nigeria.
- Monday September 6, 2006
Launch of Waseet Classified Dubai, the 24th Waseet Publication, and the 3rd English Classified after Kuwait and Cairo. With a circulation of 200,000 copies weekly, Waseet classified caters to the residents of Dubai, a mix of different nationalities, English speakers, which constitute a mobile and dynamic population. The publication is managed by the Waseet Dubai branch, headed by Samer Khoury as Branch GM, and Marwan Ayoub as Sales Manager. All functions are supported by the AWI different departments to insure optimal results.
- Thursday August 31, 2006
Waseet Al Madina Al munawara launches its first issue. This is the 6th publication in KSA, after Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Assir, and alQassim. Alwaseela KSA is one of the biggest operations of AWI, with a total circulation of 1,050,000 copies weekly. Waseet team in KSA is lead by Tarek el Fahd, based in Riyadh, assisted by the branch managers of Jeddah, and Dammam. AlMadina Operation is managed by Amjad Ebech, who is also running Jeddah, and Aseer. The sales team is supervised by Mulham Fadel, who is ready to fulfill his task successfully, and track a satisfying sales record.
- August 12 - 14
AlWaseet International hosted its mid year convention in the beautiful Bloudan Grand Hotel, in Syria, from August 12th till 14th.
55 managers from 9 countries flew to Syria to take part of the yearly convention to present the mid year performance evaluation of their activities. And for the first year, the convention was held under the name of Alwasset International the holding company of Waseet activities. Besides the workshops, and training sessions, a full entertainment day was also organized by the UG team to add a traditional Syrian flavor to the convention!!
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