4 decades of IT evolution in Pakistan led by Systems Limited

As the Information-Technology (IT) sector of Pakistan has achieved tremendous success, playing a pivotal role in national progress, over the past four decades. This innovative industry has nurtured innovative and robust enterprises in Pakistan. Among the key players of this dynamic industry, Systems Limited, is one exemplary organization, which has specialized in the most advanced technologies, to remain at the forefront, for over forty years now, to earn the stature of Pakistan’s premier technology provider.

In a message to all employees, the Chairman of Systems Limited - Aezaz Hussain congratulated his team on the stunning results achieved over the past four decades, with hard work and dedication. He emphasized on the impact of technology-led solutions, developed by Systems. These technologies ensure higher productivity with enhanced information-management, across all sectors of the industry, in Pakistan and other countries around the world.

Mr. Hussain underscored the importance of the export of IT services for the company’s growth, and of employee ownership for its sustained success. He also lauded the leadership of Asif Peer, CEO, Systems Limited, whose vision and business acumen has helped the company achieve new heights.

Looking ahead, Mr. Hussain stated the importance of maintaining strong technical capabilities and a commitment to innovate. “The base has been set and the future leaders today have the resource strength and financial backing to grow this company manifold,” he said.

To symbolize its spirit of innovation and continual reinvention, Systems Limited has marked this occasion by launching a new company logo. With a bold, sharp design, the new logo will improve Systems’ international brand recognition.

“Our new logo will enhance Systems’ brand identity in both domestic and international markets,” said Asif Peer, CEO and Managing Director, Systems Limited. “As Systems Limited continues to cement its position as a leader in technology and innovation, this new look will become truly iconic. For the past forty years, products and services bearing the Systems mark have stood for quality, creativity, and value, and our new logo will quickly become synonymous with technology solutions of the highest standard.”

For more information on how Systems Limited has enabled long-term success for its customers, please visit www.systemsltd.com.

Pakistani Students awarded second prize at Huawei Middle East ICT Skills competition 2017 held in Shenzhen, China

Huawei conducted "Huawei Middle East ICT Skills Contest - Final" in Shenzhen headquarters, 13 college student teams from 10 countries and totally 39 students participated in the finals. Pakistan was represented by two teams (six students) participating in the finals this year, after they successfully distinguished themselves from over 7,000 students from more than 50 Higher Educational Institutes all over Pakistan. They performed well in the finals, and both teams eventually finished at second position. They are Team 1: Ayyaz Ahmed and Muhammad Zubair of University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, and Noor Muhammad Malik of National University of Science and Technology Islamabad. Team 2: Shamim Iqbal from Virtual University, Fatima Rashid of University of Engineering and Technology Lahore and Shariq Malik from Lahore Garrison University. Ms. Chen Lifang, Vice President of Huawei, delivered the opening speech on behalf of Huawei, Mr. Fahmeed Akram, from University of Engineering Technology Lahore accompanied and mentored the students, won the Best Teacher Award. Mr. Kashif Hussein, Huawei authorized training partner in Pakistan, received the Best Partner Award for Corvit Systems. Winning students visited Huawei labs at its Headquarters and ICT Academy during their seven days sponsored tour to China. They were also awarded free Huawei certification vouchers, certificates, Huawei Mobile phones and other giveaways as a token of appreciation for their excellent performance in the finals.

DWP Group and LUMS Signed MoU for National Outreach Program

DWP Group and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the sponsorship of 100% scholarships to the needy students, through the LUMS - National Outreach Program Session 2018. A formal ceremony was organized at LUMS, where the agreement was signed by Mr. Muhammad Farooq Naseem – CEO of DWP Group and Professor DR. S. Sohail H. Naqvi - Vice Chancellor of LUMS in presence of other officials from DWP and LUMS.

DWP has committed to support this program, through which LUMS offers a scholarship endowment to those brilliant students, who are determined to enhance their knowledge and further develop their skills for a successful and brighter future.

DWP Group, a leading provider of consumer electronics products and LUMS - a top ranking educational institute of the country, have collaborated to contribute and promote this valuable academic initiative on a national basis. The company remains committed to contribute towards enriching the educational programs, which allow competent and enthusiastic youngsters to attain good quality education in Pakistan.

The Chief Executive Officer of DWP - Muhammad Farooq Naseem stated that, “Education is one of the keys to socio-economic development. We encourage and support such valuable educational programs for bright students, who have the potential to excel and achieve their dreams through higher education. This agreement shall support all the talented youngsters, giving them a chance to study at a prestigious institution like LUMS, on full scholarship. DWP remains committed to help deserving students, who excel academically but have financial constraints. The company believes in persuading youngsters to develop a passion for learning through education.”

HUAWEI Expands Its Foothold in Sargodha

HUAWEI – a global leader in technology strengthened its foothold in Pakistan by adding another shining outlet to its network. The brand has opened its doors for the people of Sargodha at the Sargodha Trust Plaza. People thronged Zam Zam Mobile to show their admiration for HUAWEI’s innovative and cutting-edge products. This state-of-the-art brand outlet is poised to showcase HUAWEI’s exciting devices – beginning ofcourse with the revolutionary HUAWEI Mate 10 Series.

HUAWEI’s expansion in Sargodha comes at the same time as the entire country is showing a phenomenal response to the HUAWEI Mate 10 lite – which can be aptly called Pakistan’s favourite smartphone. The device’s sales have hit fever pitch as everyone is trying to get their hands on the world’s first smartphone with four cameras.

The launch was attended by Blueking, General Manager, HUAWEI Consumer Business Group – Pakistan flanked by the Retail Head, Steven and Muzaffar Hussain Paracha, CEO, Airlink. Other local representatives of Sargodha’s smartphone trade sector were also present on the occasion.

While commenting on the growing footprint of HUAWEI and love for its devices in Pakistan, Blueking remarked: “HUAWEI is fully committed to set innovative benchmarks in the smartphone industry. At the same time, we are opening up exciting avenues for people to experience our cutting-edge devices and revel in the HUAWEI shopping experience. The opening of our outlet in Sargodha is a testimony to the love that people of this beautiful city and the country at large have shown HUAWEI by choosing its devices.”

Appreciating the overwhelming response of its customers in Pakistan, HUAWEI seeks to ensure nationwide availability of highly innovative products, along with prompt after-sales service and support, through an increasingly larger network of outlets.

$250 million worth of MoU’s signed at Build Asia’ Exhibition

The 13^th Build Asia Exhibition, concluded successfully in Karachi, as it facilitated the signing of agreements worth 250 million US Dollars between numerous local and foreign companies participating in this mega event. The 3-day event being held at the Karachi Expo Center from 18^th till 20^th December, is the largest exhibition of construction, real-estate and housing industry, held annually by Ecommerce Gateway Pakistan, with the support of; ‘Constructors Association of Pakistan’ (CAP) and ‘All Karachi Marble Industries Association’ (AKMIA), as it focuses on the immense potential of this robust sector.

On the third day of the event, a large number of visitors and stakeholders of this industry participated enthusiastically. The event also featured a wide array of highly informative conferences, to provide a networking platform for engineers, contractors, builders, consultants, government officials, bankers, policy makers, stakeholders, other practitioners & professionals of this industry. Build Asia has also incorporated insightful forums like; ‘CPEC Construction Conference’, ‘Property Asia’, ‘StoneFair Asia’ & ‘Furniture Asia’.

Dr. Khurshid Nizam - President Ecommerce Gateway stated, “Over the past 13 years, this mega-event has successfully hosted over 50,000 visitors this year and provided a platform for a large number of foreign investors from 17 countries, to interact with local entrepreneurs for future business collaborations in Pakistan. This event has not only received a remarkable response this year, in fact, the local and foreign exhibitors have also pre-booked 72% of stall spaces for the next year’s Exhibition”.

More than 350 local enterprises and 550 foreign companies had setup more than 600 stalls to display their latest technological advancements, featuring their equipments, materials, services and techniques in the related fields. Build Asia offered the International and Pakistani business community a strategic launch-pad to access the vibrant Pakistani, Afghan, Chinese, Middle-Eastern markets and Central Asian Republics.

The exhibition took advantage of government’s liberal investment policies to attract maximum foreign investment in Pakistan, where foreign investors can hold up to 100% equity in several economic sectors. As a result of this annual series of exhibitions, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the Country has increased substantially. Thus, Pakistan has gained the stature of an attractive destination for investors from developed countries. This event helps in Value-Addition, productivity-enhancement and cost-reduction in the industry. For further information please visit; www.buildasia.net.

Mustafa Kamal visits ‘Build Asia’ Exhibition on the 2nd day.

On the second day of the 13^th Build Asia Exhibition, Syed Mustafa Kamal, Chairman PSP visited the 3-day event being held at the Karachi Expo Center on 18^th to 20^th December. It is the largest exhibition of construction, real-estate and housing industry, held annually by Ecommerce Gateway Pakistan, with the support of; ‘Constructors Association of Pakistan’ (CAP) and ‘All Karachi Marble Industries Association’ (AKMIA), as it focuses on the immense potential of the Building and Construction sector.

Provincial Minster for Information Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Sindh Chief Minister’s Advisor on Katchi Abadi’s & Development – Mr. Murtaza Ali Baloch inaugurated the event, where more than 350 local enterprises and 550 foreign companies have setup more than 600 stalls to display their latest technological advancements, featuring their equipments, materials, services and techniques in the related fields. Major participation has been seen from 17 progressive nations, including China, Iran, Italy, etc.

Over the past 13 years, this mega-event has successfully provided valuable opportunities to overseas exhibitors and a platform for foreign investors to interact with local entrepreneurs for collaborations, joint ventures, transfer of technologies and appointing agents, distributors and partners in Pakistan. The event also features a wide array of highly informative conferences, to provide a networking platform for engineers, contractors, builders, consultants, government officials, bankers, policy makers, stakeholders, other practitioners & professionals of this industry. The 13^th Build Asia has also incorporated insightful forums like; ‘CPEC Construction Conference’, ‘Property Asia’, ‘StoneFair Asia’ & ‘Furniture Asia’.

Build Asia offers the International and Pakistani business community a strategic launch-pad to access the vibrant Pakistani, Afghan, Chinese, Middle-Eastern markets and Central Asian Republics. The exhibition will take advantage of government’s liberal investment policies to attract maximum foreign investment in Pakistan, where foreign investors can hold up to 100% equity in several economic sectors. As a result of this annual series of exhibitions, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the Country has increased substantially. Thus, Pakistan has gained the stature of an attractive destination for investors from developed countries.

The key participants also include the suppliers and manufacturers of; Fire Fighting & Alarm Systems, Scaffolding Systems, Glass Partitions, Fibre Glass, Gypsum & Asbestos Products, Housing Loan Financers, Insurance Companies, Telecom Systems, Kitchen Equipment, Lightings & Fans, Doors & Windows, Handles & Knobs, Paints & Varnishes, Pipes & Fittings, Steel products, Waste Management, Swimming Pool Equipment, Water Purification Plants, Waterproofing & Insulation, Finishes & Facades, Sealants & Adhesives, and many others.

The Build Asia Exhibition attracts over 50,000 visitors and learned speakers, including; Government regulators, policy-makers, Engineers, Architects, Town Planners, Academia & Scientists, Interior Designers, Real Estate Agents, Building Material Suppliers, Project Managers, Contractors and many other stakeholders of the industry like; FWO, Constructors Association of Pakistan, ABAD, PEC, Engro Polymers and Pakistan Stone Development Co. This event helps in Value-Addition, productivity-enhancement and cost-reduction in the industry. For further information; www.buildasia.net.

A.G. E Industries partners with Elahi Group of Companies to excel in the Cable Market

A.G.E Industries Pvt. Ltd – a trusted name in the Cable Industry in Pakistan, has now partnered with the Elahi Group of Companies (EGC) with the objective of increasing investments in their infrastructure to further excel in the cable industry after its acquisition of M/s Steel Complex Pvt Limited Pakistan’s leading aluminum conductor wire & PC Stand manufacturer.

The Elahi Group of Companies has decided to invest in A.G.E Industries and will bring its long-serving expertise to the organization. With this partnership, A.G.E is poised to becoming a formidable force in the cable industry utilizing Elahi Group’s expertise and specialization in supply chain business segment. EGC’s expertise include; procurement of raw materials for different manufacturing concerns including steel & aluminum wires, house hold appliances, transformer industry and food products, inventory management, storage and logistics of huge volumes.

A.G.E. Industries (Pvt) Ltd was established in 1968, and has been a trusted name in cable industry ever since. A.G.E. Cables is manufactured as per British Standard Specification (BSS) and International Electro Technical Commission Standard (IEC), Geneva, Switzerland. The group has also been awarded ISO: 9001-2008 and ISO: 1400-2004 certifications. A.G.E Industries is the first company in Pakistan to produce XLPE cable on triple Extrusion line.

Faisal Yousaf Zia, CEO of A.G.E Industries and Yazdani Zia, his Director, both feel that this is the right strategic fit for the company to propel it into the next stage of development for A.G.E, leveraging EGCs’ expertise and specialization in a variety of segments, especially in steel & aluminum wires.

The CEO of EGC – Mr. Danish Elahi stated: “This partnership between Elahi Group and A.G.E Industries is a significant step taken towards the growth of both the enterprises. EGC has been operating in Pakistan for over four decades and has a strong track record with suppliers, creditors, and customers. EGC enjoys a relationship of trust and immense respect with all stake holders, and we look forward to the same with A.G.E.”

DWP Group recently Hosted a Golf Tournament at DHA Country and Golf Club-Karachi. “Bringing out the Best in Each Other “

DWP Group organized annual DWP Golf Tournament for its valuedguests at the DHA Country and Golf Club.The event fielded 100+ top golfers from the corporate sector of Karachi competing for a total of 12 trophies &accompanied prizes. The tournament had 3 prizes each for Gross and Net score over two categories of high handicappers and low handicappers.  Registrations began at 7:00am and gunshot tee-off was at 8:30pm. In the end, prizes were distributed among the winners and outstanding performers.

DWP targets to develop the event into one of the premier corporate golf events of Pakistan. Once again the event successfully attracted a diverse segment of the country’s corporate and business sector, making for a well competed tournament, providing healthy entertainment and promoting golf in Pakistan.

Mr. Farooq Naseem, Chairman & CEO DWP Group, along with Directors of DWP Group – Mr. MurtazaMandviwala, Mr. AftabTapal& Mr. TalibHalai, hosted the Golf Tournament and distributed prizes among the winners of the tournament. Mr. Rohail Bashir (COO- DWP Technologies) shared his thoughts about DWP’s upcoming business activities and commitment to flourish the entity by providing cutting edge products and services to the Pakistan market.

Kashif UlHaq (Country General Manager-CISCO systems), MunibKhawaja (VP-IT Business Pakistan & Afghanistan APC By Schneider Electric), Waqar Lodhi (CM Sales LENOVO – Pakistan & Afghanistan) spoke about strategic importance of Pakistan market. They also shared high level plans of extending their premium products & services to address exponential growth in Pakistan.

DWP Group is a leading business entity in Pakistan with core focus in Consumer Electronics (GREE ACs, EcoStar TVs and EcoStar Home Appliances) and Technology- Power (UPS, Solar and Batteries), System Integration (Lenovo&DELL|EMC), Networks (CISCO), Document Technology (XEROX), Healthcare (PHILIPS) and HVAC (GREE).

3-day Construction Expo to explore CPEC Opportunities for local industry

Build Asia 2017 International Building and Construction Industry Exhibition incorporating CPEC Construction Expo, Stonefair Asia & Furniture Asia is taking place from 18^th to 20^th December 2017 at Karachi Expo Centre.

The Exhibition, which is expected to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Sindh, is showcasing 250+ international and local brands in 475 booths and it is a pleasure to see 350 Foreign Delegates from 17 Countries including China, Iran, Italy and many other countries.

Build Asia International Exhibition will be the platform for local and foreign companies to discuss collaborations, joint ventures and other possible avenues. The objective of 13th Build Asia 2017 is Value Addition in the Construction Industry to increase the productivity, decrease costs and introduce latest technologies in Pakistan.

13^th Build Asia shall have products of different exhibiting Companies including; Construction Machinery & Material, Steel Products, PVC Products, Marble and Furniture related Products & Machinery.

A one day conference is also being organized with the exhibition having a theme “CPEC: Opportunities for the Construction Industry” to prepare and act on the true potential of the multi-billion dollar collaboration. The Conference includes speakers from Chinese Consulate, Pakistan Stone Development Company (PASDEC), Frontier Works Organization (FWO), Constructors Association of Pakistan (CAP), Association of Builders & Developers (ABAD), Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) and Engro Polymers & Chemicals Ltd (EPCL),.

This 3-day Exhibition is organized by Ecommerce Gateway Pakistan and has active support from Constructors Association of Pakistan (CAP) and All Karachi Marble Industries Association (AKMIA) and expected to be visited by 50,000 Businessmen from all over Pakistan.

Learn Fantastic Ways to Take Selfies with HUAWEI Mate 10 lite from UrwaHocane

The cat is out of the bag as UrwaHocane has spilled secrets of taking amazing selfies with the HUAWEI Mate 10 lite. Urwa, our very own selfie superstarhas found her perfect Mate in HUAWEI Mate 10 lite and dazzled the world with her fabulous selfies. The VJ-turned-star and one of Pakistan’s leading actors tells exciting gimmicks about HUAWEI Mate 10 lite through which anyone can take stunning selfies!

1.      Look Your Best!

To begin with, one should look their best! With all the right accessories, one should always take a test selfie and check how they look. With HUAWEI Mate 10 lite’s 13-megapixel front camera paired with a 2-megapixel dual camera every shot is amazing! It also has a 16-megapixel rear camera that has a 2-megapixel secondary camera for those remarkable photos.

2.      Use the Sunlight Well

To look more natural and beautiful, it is important to know how to use the sunlight. The 4.0 Beautification Filter adds that glamour to your selfies and makes you look pretty.

3.      Be spontaneous& open in busy areas

When surrounded with lots of people, it’s good to pose in open spaces. Being spontaneous adds an edge to your photos. The HUAWEI Mate 10 lite’s camera comes loaded with a wide-aperture mode that takes crisp images and enhances the look and feel of your photos.

4.      Use the Smart Selfie Toning Flash to glow in your selfies

Now you don’t have to be afraid of the dark for the HUAWEI Mate 10 lite has a Smart Selfie Toning Flash. Say goodbye to dark selfies or photos that are too bright because of the flash – for the toning flash adds a natural glow to your selfies.

5.      Take spectacular Bokeh portraits

Everyone loves taking bokeh portraits as the blur background lets you stand out in your selfies. The HUAWEI Mate 10 lite is superb for it. Just before you click your incredible selfie, activate the Portrait Bokeh Effect to enhance your photos.

Check out the video on this link (YouTube Link) and get your hands on the HUAWEI Mate 10 lite for just PKR 29,999/- and take splendid selfies.

The World’s Most Intelligent Phone HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro is Now Available in Pakistan

HUAWEI Pakistan is thrilled to announce that the Superphone era is commencing with the availability of HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro in Pakistan. Last week, HUAWEI opened pre-booking for the HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro and fans thronged to the market to get their hands on it. The world’s most intelligent phone offers an intelligent lifestyle – setting a new benchmark in smartphones through the introduction of mobile Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The HUAWEI Mate 10 Series has garnered phenomenal traction for its cutting-edge features that offer the best of everything – from camera to design and power-packed performance. The flagship, HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro runs on a Kirin 970 chipset, which is the world’s first AI-capable smartphone processor. It’s entry has revolutionized the smartphone industry – taking it from smart to intelligent!

On the photography front, HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro breathes a new life in your photos. Its Leica co-engineered dual lenses capture stunning imagery with its 12-megapixel RGB sensor and 20-megapixel Monochrome sensor. It also has the world’s largest aperture of f/1.6 – a new development for smartphone photography. But the photographic prowess goes a notch higher with the AI-powered camera capabilities. The camera intelligently senses 13 objects and adjusts its settings automatically through the AI-powered Real Time Sense and Object Recognition. It also comes loaded with AI-powered bokeh effects – adding new life to your portraits while capturingcolours in all their vibrancy through its Vivid mode.

When you’re done taking amazing photos and shooting spectacular videos, relive those memories in brilliant detail on the 6-inch 18:9 OLED screen. With all that data, it doesn’t run outta space and saves it on 128GB of storage, and gives an exceptionally fast performance with 6GB RAM. It also answers all your power-hungry woes with HUAWEI SuperCharge that charges its 4,000 mAh battery to 58% in 30 minutes. For everyday wear and tear, the HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro is IP67 Water and Dust Resistant.

From December 09, 2017, the incredible HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro goes on sale for PKR 87,999/-. You can dazzle the world with its beautiful colours of Midnight Blue and Mocha Brown.

Samsung gives Honda Civic to winner of prize offer on J-Series Mobile phones

Samsung has recently handed-over the key to a brand new Honda Civic car, to the lucky winner of its prize scheme. The global technology leader - Samsung has launched this exciting offer to reward the buyers of Samsung Galaxy J-Series Mobile Phones in Pakistan.

A vibrant ceremony was hosted to present the car-keys to the winner, at the Head office of Samsung’s official distributors – Airlink Communications Private Ltd., located at Al Qadeer Heights, 1-Babar Block, New Garden Town, Lahore.

This high-valued prize-scheme promises to engage the Samsung fans, and the Pakistan market has given an overwhelming response to this offer. The ceremony was graced by Samsung’s senior managers, along with dignitaries and media personnel.  Through this prize offer, the buyers of Samsung Galaxy J series smartphones will get opportunities to win many fabulous prizes, including; a luxury car, Smart Televisions, innovative devices and much more.

As Samsung’s innovative products are created to enrich the lifestyle of consumers, Samsung has now gifted this classy Honda Civic sedan to its customers, hence adding great luxury and delightful experiences to the life of the lucky winner, while the Samsung consumer also continues to enjoy the reliability of its vast range of electronics. As this prize campaign was launched all over Pakistan, Samsung is making its customers’ life more productive, comfortable, entertaining and informed.

The Head of Samsung Mobiles - Umer Ghumman stated that: “I congratulate the winner of this Honda Civic and hope that more and more of our consumers will enjoy the pleasant, convenient and comfortable experiences promised by Samsung’s products, along with the additional rewards and fabulous prizes. Being the creator of revolutionary products, technologies and experiences - Samsung has once again created this delightful prize-offer to provide the highest value-for-money to its consumers.”

Being a socially embedded enterprise, having a customer-centric approach - Samsung consistently studies the changing needs, preferences and aspirations of the consumers with diverse lifestyles and traditions. This helps Samsung create products, services and offerings that promise to enhance living standards and ensure the consumers’ happiness.

Pre-book the World’s Most Intelligent Phone – HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro

If you were craving to get your hands on the world’s most advanced smartphone – thenthe wait is finally over. HUAWEI has opened pre-orders for the HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro, touted as the world’s first Superphone!Amind-blowing response for the HUAWEI Mate 10 Series in Pakistan saw the HUAWEI Mate 10 lite run out of shelves like hot cakes and an unprecedented pull for HUAWEI Mate 10. Hence, the entry of this topline variant is set to change the game.

HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro – the flagship device of the HUAWEI Mate 10 Series is packed with features that will amaze you.To begin with, the phone houses a Kirin 970 chipset – the world’s first processor with Artificial Intelligence at its center. It also redefined smartphone photographyas we know it – thanks to the dual lens cameras co-engineered with Leica. Now you can astound the world with your photography from the 12-megapixel RGB sensor and 20-megapixel Monochrome sensor on the HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro.

The photographic capabilities of the HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro set a new benchmark with Artificial Intelligence-powered gimmicks. An AI-powered Bokeh Effect takes bokeh portraits that come to life while an AI-powered Real Time Sense and Object Recognition senses 13 different objects in real time and adjusts camera settings to take the perfect shot.The device is garnering praises for its photographic prowess, so much so that it has become a favourite of Pakistani’s ace fashion photographer Tapu Javeri.

Tapu jetted off to Skardu to capture Pakistan’s first-ever fashion shoot with a smartphone – and the results are breathtaking. The HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro has captured vivid colours and such surreal landscape imagery that people around Pakistan have put Skardu on their bucket lists!

The HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro doubles as a travel partner and a treasure trove of memories. With 6GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage, one can click countless photos, drum-up their favorite music and put it all on the phone. A 4,000 mAh battery goes a long way with just a quick 30-minute charge that replenishes it till 58%.

The pre-booking is kicking off from Saturday, December 02, 2017 and people can get this amazing smartphone for PKR 87,999/- in shades of Midnight Blue &Mocha Brown. There is also a gift box packed with awesome goodies from HUAWEI like a power bank and selfie stick for pre-bookers.

Daraz breaks all records with PKR 3 Billion in Big Friday Sales

In what is a first for ecommerce, Daraz scored Pakistan’s first 3 billion rupee sale in revenue, securing 4 times more orders compared to last year’s sale, powered by 3 times more traffic on the ecommerce portal.

The high stakes behind Big Friday

What makes Big Friday, big? While this might sound an obvious question, it is a no less instructive one to consider when reviewing the year’s single biggest sale phenomenon. Daraz’s annual sale is best seen as a tent pitched to attract not just millions of digital-savvy prospects, but a consortium of top brands and thousands of sellers across the country. Introduced by Daraz in 2015, the sale has now become a nationwide phenomena, with malls being jam-packed during this period as all retailers go on sale. By 1:45 AM on Friday, Daraz had already gone past its PKR 1 Billion sales milestone from last year.

Bjarke Mikkelsen, CEO Daraz commented, “Whenever we mount a sale of this magnitude, its a huge effort to make the ecosystem of customers, sellers and partners to come together in a coordinated effort. This year the result was beyond all expectations and we are thrilled to have broken new ground in Pakistan e-commerce.”

Digital rush-hour as never seen before Millions of shoppers thronged the online marketplace during Big Friday - the event clocked in 17 million sessions during the week-long sale compared to 6 million sessions from the year before. 76% of this traffic was mobile, compared to 55% in 2016, attesting to the increasingly mobile-first nature of Pakistani e-commerce. Over 60% of transactions were made using the Daraz app, vindicating the continuous investments the company has made in improving their app experience.

55% of transaction volume came through prepayment methods, with customers utilizing Daraz’s broad portfolio of payment offerings spanning mobile wallets, debit/credit cards, and bank transfers. Customers were able to enjoy additional discounts through EasyPay, JazzCash, Allied Bank Limited, Habib Bank Limited, Standard Chartered Bank, Muslim Commercial Bank, Bank Alfalah, SilkBank and Keenu Rewards. Higher prepayment penetration indicates a key inflection point in the ecommerce scene, with customers showing increased trust in online payments.

A bonanza of top brands, exclusive product launches and breathtaking deals  

2017 has proven to be a breakthrough year for FMCGs on Daraz. One needs look no further than the numbers turned up by brands in the FMCG space this Big Friday, with 40% of the volume being generated by customers ordering beauty, grocery and other household products.

Industry leaders like Unilever sold the highest number of items during the sale, with Nestle and L’Oreal prominent amongst top brands generating millions in sales. L’Oreal exclusively launched NYX during BIG Friday and Nestle EveryDay bundle was amongst the top  highest selling products.

A series of exclusive launches accompanied the year’s biggest sale. Xiaomi launched their highly anticipated flagship phone Mi Mix 2 - selling hundreds of phones. iPhone X was exclusively launched on Daraz for the first time in Pakistan - with a special discount for HBL card holders. OnePlus 5 was another exclusive launch being offered at a special price in a VEON flash sale - all phones were sold a few minutes into the flash sale.

Cutting-Edge Collaboration with Veon

Daraz, the leading ecommerce platform and VEON, Pakistan’s leading communications app, came together for an innovative collaboration. The partners added a star-studded element to the sale by collaborating on a series of interactive Facebook Live Videos with Ali Noor and Mira Sethi engaging with customers through games and other fun challenges. The highlight of this partnership were the daily VEON Flash Sales, Vouchers and Crazy Deals that had everyone glued to their phones in a race to secure the best deals. The ORIENT 32’’ TITANIUM SERIES was offered as a VEON Crazy Deal at 86% off with an astounding price of Rs 3,149, selling out within a second.

Massive Investments in Customer Experience

In the runup to Big Friday, the Pakistani ecommerce giant lined up a major logistics investment to streamline deliveries across the nation, devoting a large slice towards new fulfillment centers in Karachi and Lahore with 100,000 sq. ft. of space. The brand new Fulfillment Centers are booming with more than 400,000 items, and excellent new technology. Daraz continues to work with all third party logistic companies and has also expanded its own delivery fleet with hundreds of riders in major cities. The investments have paid off with 85% of orders shipped already, with 43% of items shipping through Daraz Express, the e-retailer’s premium fulfillment solution.

Great deals to continue throughout the week

What began in 2015 as a daring gambit has now become a bona-fide retail trend - in 2017, Big Friday marks a new epoch in Pakistan retail with online retail standing head-to-head with brick-and-mortar across all verticals. To celebrate the 3 billion rupee milestone, Daraz has announced that it will be providing special deals throughout the week to meet the continued demand from its customers.

Pak-Qatar Takaful co-hosts International Seminar on "Global Takaful Practices" at IBA-CEIF

Pak-Qatar Takaful group in partnership with Institute of Business Administration’s Center of Excellence in Islamic Finance (IBA-CEIF) co-hosted a seminar on “Global Takaful Practices”. The key speakers at the seminar at IBA-CEIF are renowned internationally acclaimed Islamic Finance Scholars that include Dr. Sheikh Suleiman bin Mohammed Al Jewisser from Saudi Arabia and Mufti Muhammad HassaanKaleem from Pakistan. Pak-Qatar Takaful is the pioneer and largest Takaful group in Pakistan (comprised of Pak-Qatar Family Takaful and Pak-Qatar General Takaful companies).

Pak-Qatar Takaful recently invited Dr. Sheikh Suleiman bin Mohammed Al Jewisser (a renowned Islamic Finance scholar) as their guestto visitPakistan and share his latest International practices on Takaful. Dr. Sheikh Suleiman will meet various localShari’a Scholars, Government Dignitaries, senior Islamic Bankers, State Bank of Pakistan officials, prominent Pakistani businessmen and Pak-Qatar Takaful Group management for understanding Takaful practices of Pakistan.

Dr. Sheikh Suleiman,currently serves as Chairman of Shariah Advisory Board (Al-Rajhi Bank) Head of Shari'ah and Secretary to Shar'iah Board of Al Rajhi Takaful. Dr. Suleiman holds a Master's degree in Islamic Shariah politics of the Higher Judicial Institute at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, a specialist in Islamic Takaful adoption of the General Council of the Islamic banks and financial institutions.

Mufti Muhammad HassaanKaleem is an eminent Shari’a Scholar of Pakistan and is a member of Pak-Qatar Family Takaful Shari’ah Advisory Board. He holds the degrees of Alimiyyah and Takhassus (specialization) in Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh) from JamiaDarulUloom, Karachi and Centre for Islamic Economics. He is also a faculty member /teacher at the same institutions.

Furthermore, he is a member of the curriculum committee of the National Institute of Banking and Finance (NIBAF). His areas of expertise are Islamic Finance and Takaful. He is Head of Shari’ah at both Dubai Islamic Bank Pakistan and Center for Islamic Economics, Pakistan. He is a frequent guest-speaker and lecturer at many different conferences, seminars and forums.

The Chief Executive Officer of Pak-Qatar Family Takaful - Mr. Nasir Ali Syed stated that; “It is a great opportunity for the people of Pakistan to have the honour of interacting with Dr. Suleiman and get enlightened with his expertise of Islamic Finance and Takaful. Pak-Qatar Takaful has- always been committed to nurture highly competitive and learned managers for accelerating growth in this industry.” 

The interactive session with Dr. Suleiman was a blend of industrial insights and academic learning. Through this session, people were able to gain a clearer understanding of various Islamic financial services, including Shariah-compliant Investments and Takaful (The Islamic mode of Insurance). Moreover, Dr. Suleiman’s expertise will help in building solid foundation and knowledge-base, by engaging the Professionals, Entrepreneurs, Academicians, Finance Managers, Students, Human Resources Managers, Consultants and other stake-holders of the industry.

High level guests from all Islamic Banks, Islamic Banking windows, Takaful companies & windows, Islamic University, businessmen and corporate clients from Pak-Qatar Takaful and various trade associations attended the event.

GREE & EcoStar actively participated at Family Expo in Multan

DWP Group is the official brand partner of the globally renowned GREE Air-conditioners and producer of EcoStar Electronics. In order to further enhance the popularity of these high quality products in market, DWP became a key participant at the two-day Family Festival and Exhibition held at the Noor Malik Club in Multan recently. 

Gree has been consistently innovating new technologies. At the Multan Expo, Gree and EcoStar’s exhibition area demonstrated a wide range of electronics, as the consumers could also see live demos, get hands-on experience and purchase any of these latest products.

Gree and Eco-Star have a tradition to regularly participate in many vibrant social festivals, technology exhibitions and other events, to introduce pioneering technologies and create awareness among the consumers all over Pakistan. As a large number of consumers and families thronged the Family Expo in Multan, it turned out to be a tremendous success. 

DWP ensures nationwide availability of these products, along with prompt after-sales support.

Pakistan’s biggest sale gets a fitting name: Daraz announces BIG FRIDAY

Daraz sends a special THANK YOU to the tens of thousands of customers who have already started shopping on Black Friday 2017. Just 3 days into the sale, and the event is on track to get 3x bigger than last year’s record.

Black Friday was introduced by Daraz in 2015 and propelled into Pakistan’s first billion-rupee sale in 2016. Having now established this international phenomenon as a staple of the commercial calendar for the entire country, the time has come to give the event an identity of its own.

From midnight tonight, as Daraz starts the main sale, the biggest shopping event of the year shall from hereon be known as the BIG FRIDAY sale!

With this announcement, Daraz is adding new MEGA DEALS, more inventory for top sellers, and announcing exclusive launches of the iPhone X, the Mi Max 2 and OnePlus 5 in Pakistan!

Customers can now enjoy the next 48 hours of shopping craziness in the biggest sale of the year: BIG FRIDAY 2017 presented by Daraz.  

Huawei fosters Technical & Vocational Training in Pakistan

Huawei Technologies is playing a key role in promoting technical and vocational training of the people in Pakistan. Recently, this global technology leader sponsored the inaugural ceremony of an initiative, launched by the Ministry of Education in Punjab, to upgrade and modernize more than 1100 Technical and Vocational Training Schools all over the province. This social-development programme will nurture the skills needed for specific jobs and empower the students for higher productivity and brighter careers.

This inaugural ceremony was held at the Pearl Continental Hotel Lahore, where a number of training-equipment and tools were also donated to the Technical Vocational Schools. More than 250 distinguished guests participated in this event, including; the Consulate General of China in Lahore - Long Dingbin, Minister for School Education Punjab - Rana Mashhood, the CEO of Huawei - Saif Chi, Deputy CEO - Mr. Ahmed Bilal Masud, Secretary - Dr. Allah Buksh Malik, Mayor of Lahore - Col. (R) Mubashar Javed and large number of School Principals, Academicians and students.

The ‘Punjab Skills Development Fund’ (PSDF) is also actively involved in addressing the basic and critical skill-development needs of the youth, through technical and vocational training, thus generating more opportunities for employability and also encouraging entrepreneurship. The youth must realize the importance of having hands-on experience and its benefits in generating sustainable income for them and their families.

The Chief Executive Officer of Huawei said: “As Huawei is at the forefront of technologies around the world, we are also nurturing a culture of technological skills and expertise in Pakistan, to play our role as a socially responsible organization. We are working towards high quality trainings aimed at ultimately benefitting young students in Pakistan”.

VEON Black Friday reveals first round of amazing deals; the best is yet to come!

Enter a sale that begins where others end. At discounts up to 86%. Starts at the top of the week- runs through the weekend with new categories unlocking daily. It is the one and only annual Black Friday sale. First 2 day reports from sources close to Daraz suggest that this Black Friday sale is well on its way to being 3 times larger than last year’s recording breaking event.

To get things started, Daraz unlocked Grocer's Shop; Health & Beauty; Baby, Kids & Toys; and Books & Stationery on Nov 20th. Nov 21st, saw the Fashion categories unlock. And today, deals from Home & Appliances; Sports & Travel; Computing & Gaming and Automobiles went live. Nov 23rd will see deals from the hottest categories - Phones & Tablets, TVs and Audio - are going to be unlocked.

Up until November 24 the sale will keep getting bigger and better with mega deals from new categories being unveiled daily. The 23rd onwards, ALL categories will go live with some big reveals and special offers on Nov 24th.

Top Deals Unlocked Today (Nov 22)

Chief Marketing Officer, Hamaad Ravda, comments: On popular demand - we have changed things up this year. In a first for Black Friday,  the sale has been extended into a week-long affair seeing select categories unlock each day of the event. In true Black Friday tradition, our aim is to raise the bar and then deliver it: to infinity and beyond.”

Additionally, customers can expect a huge surprise reveal on Friday. With mega deals, brand vouchers and bank partners to boot, customers are enjoying the best Daraz has to offer from the comfort of their homes. The sale went live with a bang and yet again the traffic numbers took Daraz by surprise.

Special Offers from VEON, the Daraz QR Code and Digital Partners 

Black Friday this year is super exciting with special offers on the VEON app, as well as QR Code discount, that shoppers may scan in order to redeem an exclusive Rs. 500 discount on the Daraz app. The code has been sighted on fliers and billboards nationwide, generating palpable excitement three weeks ahead of the sale.

Additionally, with every Daraz order, customers can enjoy a free Careem ride as well as a 20% discount coupon from Pizza Hut. Iflix is offering a free subscription with every order. Cinepax brings a 10% discount on Black Friday shoppers’ next ticket purchase. Talk about fringe benefits! Scan the below to get Rs 500 discount.

VEON Crazy Deals: Exclusive discounts on VEON everyday

If customers want to experience what it means to #BeTrulyFree, they are advised to check out the CRAZY DEALS calendar below and avail handsome price reductions.

Additional discounts from Payment Partners

Safe and secure payments are a Daraz signature. As is customary for Pakistan’s No.1 online marketplace, the Black Friday payment partner roster is populated by many of the country’s preeminent banking stalwarts- household names in and of themselves- offering additional discounts on already heavily discounted deals.

Download the Daraz app for timely updates

Stay tuned, everything in Phone and Tablets, TVs and Audio  up next! Download the Daraz app to make the most of this Black Friday.