03 September 2005
Kuwait City - Landmark group announced the launching of its new name and logo at a press conference held at its Salmiya outlet Wednesday. Manish Khanna, manager of the group, said "Landmark group will henceforth be known as 'Centrepoint.'" The objective behind the brand remodeling exercise is to bring about a synergy in all its outlets, spread across the GCC countries and Jordan. He further added there are about 350 outlets of Landmark in the region, and each operates under a different name with an ambience of its own. Kuwait is the first country to experience Landmark's brand-image overhaul, "as Kuwaiti customers and media have given us the best patronage and support of all the countries in the region." Sunil S. Nayak, Chief Operation Officer of Landmark group, said "the board has made the decision of replacing the former brand name with Centrepoint to create a strong and unified image as one of the largest retailers in the Middle East and thus impart unique and pleasurable shopping experience to its customers.
" Talking briefly about the group's history he said "Landmark started operations in 1973 in Bahrain, with the objective of growing consistently and penetrating into the market through customer satisfaction and valued service. Today it has presence in all the GCC countries and Jordan, with 350 outlets. The retail chain caters to all aspects of life. The group began operations in Kuwait in 1996, with a single outlet at Al Rai." "The group has 5 segments or '5 concepts' aimed to serve customers better: Juniors, dealing with children's requirements, Shoe Mart for foot wear and leather accessories, Splash, a one stop shop wardrobe solutions, Home Center for furniture and home accessories, and Life Style for cosmetics and gift items. As the rationale behind the name, he explained that it represents the amalgamation of the 5 concepts under one roof. The logo, he said, is dynamic, trendy and colorful.
The group aims to synergize all its outlets across the region under the brand name 'Centrepoint', reflecting a similar image, underscored by the baseline 'Spirit of shopping,' by 2006. "And so a person shopping at UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, or any of the GCC countries will share the unique 'Centrepoint' shopping experience." The brand overhaul will also touch areas of service and quality. All the outlets have been given a new ambience designed to enhance the joy of shopping. Centrepoint's 'loyalty programs' will see more surprise offers and schemes for customers. The 'privilege card,' an incentive program wherein a customer making a purchase of KD 10 will get a gift voucher worth KD 1, usable at any outlet in Kuwait, will soon become internationally acceptable at all the Centrepoint outlets.
Sean Lynch, Retail Operations Manager, said "the privilege card has been made instantaneous, and customers can avail the incentive immediately from special counters set up in-house." He added, Centrepoint has invested in the latest training techniques for its staff, and training programs will be an ongoing process in all of Centrepoint retail outlets."Answering questions, Sunil S, said "the change in brand image, does not mean the concepts and the core brands would also change. They would remain the same, though they would be more focused towards serving customers on a broader sector.""Since the company has been growing at a rapid pace, it is implied that Centrepoint will be bringing in several new offerings to add color to the lives of our patrons.""From a point of view of staff, the idea of being part of an international brand will increase their motivation level. They will be adequately trained, not only with reference to their jobs, but Centrepoint also places special emphasis on developing them in all areas and aspects of their lives. All the above will result in a better understanding of customer behavior and needs, and this will narrow the service gap drastically."
Kuwait City - Landmark group announced the launching of its new name and logo at a press conference held at its Salmiya outlet Wednesday. Manish Khanna, manager of the group, said "Landmark group will henceforth be known as 'Centrepoint.'" The objective behind the brand remodeling exercise is to bring about a synergy in all its outlets, spread across the GCC countries and Jordan. He further added there are about 350 outlets of Landmark in the region, and each operates under a different name with an ambience of its own. Kuwait is the first country to experience Landmark's brand-image overhaul, "as Kuwaiti customers and media have given us the best patronage and support of all the countries in the region." Sunil S. Nayak, Chief Operation Officer of Landmark group, said "the board has made the decision of replacing the former brand name with Centrepoint to create a strong and unified image as one of the largest retailers in the Middle East and thus impart unique and pleasurable shopping experience to its customers.
" Talking briefly about the group's history he said "Landmark started operations in 1973 in Bahrain, with the objective of growing consistently and penetrating into the market through customer satisfaction and valued service. Today it has presence in all the GCC countries and Jordan, with 350 outlets. The retail chain caters to all aspects of life. The group began operations in Kuwait in 1996, with a single outlet at Al Rai." "The group has 5 segments or '5 concepts' aimed to serve customers better: Juniors, dealing with children's requirements, Shoe Mart for foot wear and leather accessories, Splash, a one stop shop wardrobe solutions, Home Center for furniture and home accessories, and Life Style for cosmetics and gift items. As the rationale behind the name, he explained that it represents the amalgamation of the 5 concepts under one roof. The logo, he said, is dynamic, trendy and colorful.
The group aims to synergize all its outlets across the region under the brand name 'Centrepoint', reflecting a similar image, underscored by the baseline 'Spirit of shopping,' by 2006. "And so a person shopping at UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, or any of the GCC countries will share the unique 'Centrepoint' shopping experience." The brand overhaul will also touch areas of service and quality. All the outlets have been given a new ambience designed to enhance the joy of shopping. Centrepoint's 'loyalty programs' will see more surprise offers and schemes for customers. The 'privilege card,' an incentive program wherein a customer making a purchase of KD 10 will get a gift voucher worth KD 1, usable at any outlet in Kuwait, will soon become internationally acceptable at all the Centrepoint outlets.
Sean Lynch, Retail Operations Manager, said "the privilege card has been made instantaneous, and customers can avail the incentive immediately from special counters set up in-house." He added, Centrepoint has invested in the latest training techniques for its staff, and training programs will be an ongoing process in all of Centrepoint retail outlets."Answering questions, Sunil S, said "the change in brand image, does not mean the concepts and the core brands would also change. They would remain the same, though they would be more focused towards serving customers on a broader sector.""Since the company has been growing at a rapid pace, it is implied that Centrepoint will be bringing in several new offerings to add color to the lives of our patrons.""From a point of view of staff, the idea of being part of an international brand will increase their motivation level. They will be adequately trained, not only with reference to their jobs, but Centrepoint also places special emphasis on developing them in all areas and aspects of their lives. All the above will result in a better understanding of customer behavior and needs, and this will narrow the service gap drastically."
By Valiya S. Sajjad
© Arab Times 2005
