Qatari SME - Fouj Cafe - opens its doors at Qatar Shell
Aug 22, 2016
Qatari Entrepreneur-owned cafeteria Fouj open a new branch in the Qatar Shell offices. The venture is a result of Qatar Development Bank and Qatar Shell’s ‘SME Business Opportunity’ initiative.
Doha, 22 August, 2016:
Qatari Entrepreneur-owned cafeteria Fouj will open a new branch next week, in the Qatar Shell offices. The venture is a result of Qatar Development Bank and Qatar Shell’s ‘SME Business Opportunity’ initiative.
As part of a nationwide strategy to support local small and medium enterprises (SMEs), Fouj Café won Doha office catering tender and signed a contract with Qatar Shell, in partnership with Qatar Development Bank (QDB), to provide food and beverage services for more than 700 employees. In addition, Fouj Café will also provide catering for Shell events.
Fouj Café is owned by a Qatari brother and sister partnership and creates international food with a Qatari twist. The original Fouj Café is located on Grand Hamad Street.
Qatar Shell’s ‘SME Business Opportunity’ initiative offers local SMEs the opportunity to participate in Qatar Shell’s tendering process. Last year, six new Qatari SMEs were awarded contracts with Shell, adding to the 14 contracts awarded between 2013 and 2015.
Commenting on the initiative, Ibrahim Mohammed Al-Emadi, CEO of Fouj Café, said: “This is our first business-to-business effort, and we will be offering more in the future. The new café meets Shell’s international standards, and we will apply those standards to our other locations in Doha in the future.”
In addition to Fouj Café, Inspection Technology (I-Tech) is successfully providing onsite welding inspection services and Social Media Solutions is managing Qatar Shell’s social media platforms, both as part of the SME initiative. The three other SMEs awarded contracts last year are also progressing: Cooper & Turner W.L.L for the manufacturing of stud bolts; Digital Print Centre for the manufacturing of safety boards and electric labels; and Chubb Fire, International Gulf Trading for the manufacturing and maintenance of fire extinguishers.
Commenting on the success of local SMEs, Bader Al Kuwari, Business Localization Support Manager at QDB, said: “The success of these six companies shows that local SMEs are capable of applying the international standards. This should encourage other big international companies in Qatar to give similar opportunities to local SMEs.”
Qatar Shell’s annual ‘SME Business Opportunity’ initiative has been growing year on year. In May 2016, more than 250 SMEs attended the fourth annual ‘Qatari SME Busi-ness Opportunities Workshop” to compete for further six contracts on offer, worth QR70 million. Contracts will be awarded in December.
In 2015, more than 150 Qatari SMEs attended the workshop, where more than 60 local SMEs showed their interest to compete for the seven business opportunities on offer. More than 30 local SMEs were shortlisted and invited to participate in Qatar Shell’s tender process that resulted in the awarding of six individual contracts. In 2014, 110 local SMEs and entrepreneurs participated in the workshop, and 33 SMEs qualified to tender resulting in the awarding of five individual contracts. In addition three contracts were awarded to local SMEs in 2013, the first year of the program.
QDB plays an important role by providing the SMEs and entrepreneurs with manage-ment, advisory and financial support. With a mandate to support Qatari SMEs, QDB works with its wide network of local partner banks to attract local SMEs to participate in this initiative.
Mohamed AbuJbara, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Qatar Shell, said: “Qatar Shell trusts local SMEs to deliver to the highest standard and we remain committed to supporting them to help bolster the private sector in the country.”
Qatar Shell and QDB won the Social Development Center’s Reyada ‘Outstanding Entre-preneurial Support’ Award in 2015 for their role in developing Qatari entrepreneurs and SMEs.
About Qatar Development Bank
Qatar Development Bank (QDB) was established in 1997 as the Qatar Industrial Development Bank, a 100% government-owned developmental organization. Its primary aim was to develop investments within local in-dustries, thereby accelerating growth and economic diversification in Qatar through support for private sector. Between 1997 and 2005, the bank expanded its portfolio, diversifying from its industrial base to include sup-port and guidance for a range of non-industrial sectors identified as key to the development of Qatar. Shortly afterwards, the bank revisited its mission statement to reflect the successful completion of its new strategic objective and changed its name to Qatar Development Bank. The State of Qatar, QDB’s sole shareholder, in-creased the bank's capital from 200 million to 10 billion riyals in 2008. Since that time, and reflecting the expansion of its mission and financial assets, QDB has launched a considerable number of strategic initiatives and programs, all designed to directly contribute to the economic growth and development of Qatar.
QDB’s strategy is entirely in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. It is focused on promoting and facilitating the growth of the private sector in Qatar within key economic channels. In turn, this support will enable the devel-opment of long term, sustainable social and economic benefits across the economy.
Aside from offering financial support, Qatar Development Bank is tasked with promoting entrepreneurship in the private sector, facilitating the development of key economic sectors through the provision of capital and advisory services. QDB has also launched several initiatives, including Al Dhameen program, an indirect loan facility to guarantee commercial bank loans to private sector companies, in collaboration with other banks and financial institutions.
QDB’s export arm “Tasdeer” program was created to develop and promote exports from Qatar,
providing export credit guarantees in addition to financial products and solutions designed to mitigate the risks imposed on local exporters. The bank also provides consulting services in business development to help entrepreneurs to prepare for business. This will include feasibility studies, the conduct of market research and the selection of appropriate techniques; fundamentally helping to develop the capabilities of SME owners to enhance and refine their skills in the market and establish strong ties with financial and non-financial support entities.
About Qatar Shell
Shell is the largest international investor in Qatar having invested USD 21 billion over the past decade. QatarEnergy and Shell have jointly delivered two of the largest energy projects in the world in Ras Laffan Indus-trial City. Pearl Gas to Liquids (GTL) is the world’s largest GTL plant and cements Qatar’s position as the GTL capital of the world. At an investment of up to USD19 billion it represents the largest single investment in the Shell Group’s global portfolio.
The Qatargas 4 Liquefied Natural Gas project (QE (70%) and Shell (30%) combines Shell’s global leadership in LNG with Qatar’s position as the world’s largest LNG supplier.
Shell has established a world-class research and development facility and a learning center, the Qatar Shell Research & Technology Centre, at the Qatar Science & Technology Park. Shell has a financial com-mitment to invest up to USD100 million on programmes in support of energy and the environment at the Cen-tre over a 10-year period.
Qatar Shell contributes to the objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030 not only through our economic in-vestments, but also through our investments in national talent and capability development, both internally through the professional development of our Qatari employees, and externally through our extensive Corpo-rate Social Responsibility programme, positively impacting Qatar, in partnership with Qatari institutions.
For more information, please visit: www.shell.com.qa, and to learn how we #ImpactQatar please follow us on Twitter: @Shell_Qatar and Instagram: shellqatar
For Media Enquiries
Farah Al-Ali Al-Maadeed
Media Relations Manager
Qatar Shell
Telephone: +974 4495 7415
Email: f.al-maadeed@shell.com