Sheikha Lubna reiterates UAE's commitment to protecting consumer rights

Dubai, May 17, 2007: The United Arab Emirates ranks fourth in consumer confidence according to the second Global Online Consumer Confidence Survey conducted by market research leader The Nielsen Company in 46 countries. The only countries to score higher than the UAE are India, Norway and Denmark.

This was revealed at Nielsen's annual Consumer 360 conference held in Dubai, today. The 2007 edition of the event, held under the patronage of Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qassimi, was themed 'Winning Today, Transforming Tomorrow' and was the second such conference in the Middle East.

Delivering the keynote address, Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna reiterated the UAE government's commitment to consumer rights as the country makes its transition from being a regional business hub to a global business hub. "Consumerism is of significant importance in the industry, and the government and businesses are working together to address those areas that concern consumers. This is to make the UAE a destination where consumers are safe, happy and comfortable - to visit or live, to work or relax, to shop or play."

"Everyone remembers number one.  Being number one is a tall order, yet it is worth pursuing," she added, quoting His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.  

Speakers at the conference included Jan Zijderveld, Chairman of Unilever North Africa and Middle East; Osman Sultan, Chief Executive Officer of du; Ahmed Khan, Retailer Services Director, Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan of Nielsen and Lennart Bengtsson, President, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa of Nielsen. The Conference was followed by a panel discussion with Richard R. Evans, Commercial Vice President, Middle East and Africa of PepsiCo International, joining the speakers as a guest panelist. 

Bengtsson stressed on the need to closely monitor returns on investment. He said: "Future challenges will be centred on margins as they are likely to decline due to increasing cost pressures from raw materials, labour, real estate and fuel. Currently, with high growth rates, companies are able to maintain and grow their margins due to economies of scale. However, they need to be wary about market slowdown and increased costs. When that occurs, there should be an active involvement of the board members to look at ROI on every investment made in the company. This is an area in which actionable consumer insights have a major role to play."

Piyush Mathur, Regional Managing Director, Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan of Nielsen urged companies to pay particular attention to reaching out to consumers during 'moments of truth' like lost credit card, cancelled flight, mishandled/late baggage arrival or delayed supplies to a retailer. "During these situations, the long term relationship between a business and its consumers can change significantly - for better or worse. When organisations realise that they need to support their consumers during these moments of truth and get their frontline staff to put the customers needs ahead of company's and employee's agenda, they have made a partner for life."

The Conference was attended by over 100 business leaders spanning a wide range of sectors.

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About The Nielsen Company
The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek), trade shows and the newspaper sector (Scarborough Research). The privately held company has more than 42,000 employees and is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA.

For further information please contact:
Kim Pinto                                                                 
ASDA'A Public Relations 
T: +971 4 3355969  
F: +971 4 3344410  
E: k.pinto@asdaa.com 

Siddhartha Ghosh
The Nielsen Company
T: +971 6 5724848
F: +971 6 5728155
E: siddhartha.ghosh@nielsen.com

© Press Release 2007