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DR ZAINAL BAQER MOHEBI 1940-2019

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A Tribute

DR. ZAINAL BAQER MOHEBI

1940-2019

The UAE has been paying homage to Dr Zainal Baqer Mohebi, Founder and Chairman of Zainal Mohebi Holdings who passed away in Dubai on 11th July 2019, at the age of 79.

ZMH traces its roots to Dr Mohebi’s father, Baqer Mohebi, who established his food outlet at the Dubai Souk in 1931. It was one of only 15 shops set up at the time in Dubai.

His son, Mohammed Mohebi, CEO of Zainal Mohebi Holdings, commented: “We mourn our beloved Chairman. His legacy lives on in his children and the values that he had instilled in us will continue to be a driving force that powers us.” 

For his friends and colleagues in the industry, Dr Mohebi was regarded as a pillar in the business community, an innovative and forward-thinking pioneer.

Baqer Mohebi lit the spark of the Mohebi brand. Dr Mohebi brought it to life.

He expanded his father’s retailing operations, diversifying into food wholesaling and distribution. Many international brands on Middle East shelves today owe their position to Dr Mohebi’s visionary efforts. Today, the group has businesses in real estate, travel and tourism, freight management, food retail, and agency and distribution. 

As reported in the Khaleej Times on July 14th, there was an outpouring of rich tributes from the UAE business community.

LuLu Group chairman M.A. Yusuffali said: “I offer my sincere condolences to the family of such a business tycoon who was a leader for the sector. The Lulu Group has had excellent business relationship with the Baqer Mohebi brand ever since we opened our first supermarket in 1990.”

Dr Ram Buxani, chairman of ITL Cosmos, said: “I am deeply saddened to hear about the demise of such a visionary, who built his reputation through his famous brand.”

“The UAE grocery industry looked up to Baqer Mohebi as a popular brand and all of it happened under the leadership of Zainal Baqer Mohebi,” said Kamal Vachani, group director of Al Maya Group.

Dr Dhananjay Datar, chairman and managing director of Al Adil Trading, said: “Baqer Mohebi has been a household name for over eight decades and it displays the brand growth across the UAE. The industry will surely miss such a popular business magnate.”

Asked once what the essence of his business success was, Dr Mohebi replied:

“You need a value system that treats customers, suppliers and employees with respect and appreciation. I learned that from my father and it’s a core belief that my children also have. Keep taking the pulse of the market, embrace change and nurture relationships. You won’t go far wrong.”

May Allah rest his soul in peace.

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د. زينل باقر محبي 1940-2019

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تحية و إجلال

د. زينل باقر محبي

1940-2019

بالمحبة والوفاء، ودعت دولة الإمارات فقيدها الغالي د. زينل باقر محبي، المؤسس والرئيس لمجموعة زينل محبي القابضة، الذي وافته المنية في دبي، في الحادي عشر من يوليو 2019، عن عمر ناهز التاسعة والسبعين عاماً.

 

د. زينل باقر محبي صاحب مسيرة ناجحة تمتد جذورها الأولى إلى قيام والده السيد باقر محبي، بتأسيس متجر للأغذية في سوق دبي في العام 1931 ليكون واحداً من عدد قليل من المتاجر المماثلة، حيث لم يكن في دبي آنذاك سوى 15 متجراً.

 

وقد عبّر نجل الفقيد، السيد محمد محبي، الرئيس التنفيذي لزينل محبي القابضة، عن حزنه العميق لرحيل والده بالقول: “اليوم ونحن نودّع رئيسنا وحبيبنا، نعاهده على أن نحفظ العهد، وأن نتمسك بالقيم التي غرسها في نفوس أبنائه، وأن نجعل من تلك القيم دافعاً لنا كي نستكمل المسيرة التي أرسى دعائمها الفقيد.”

 

لم يكن د. محبي شخصية عادية، وبالنسبة لمجتمع الأعمال، كان الفقيد بمثابة مرجع مهم، بما امتلكه من فكر مستنير، وعقلية ريادية تحسن استشراف الآتي.

 

وبينما كان باقر محبي أول من أشعل شرارة العلامة التجارية لمحبي، فإن د. محبي هو الذي مكّنها من الاستمرار والديمومة.

 

فقد نجح، رحمه الله، في توسيع عمليات والده، وعمل على تنويع نشاطاته في تجارة الأغذية لتشمل التعامل بالجملة والتوزيع. وبفضل تلك الجهود المثمرة، فإن العديد من العلامات التجارية العالمية الموجودة على أرفف المتاجر في منطقة الشرق الأوسط تدين بالفضل في حضورها ونجاحاتها إلى جهود د. محبي، ورؤاه المتبصرة. وقد أصبحت المجموعة اليوم فاعلة في العديد من المجالات التي تشمل العقارات، والسفر والسياحة، وإدارة الشحن، وتجزئة المواد الغذائية، والوكالات والتوزيع.

 

وبالنظر إلى مكانة الفقيد في قلوب الكثيرين، فقد كان هناك تدفق هائل من رجال الأعمال الإماراتيين الذين تداعوا للتعزية في رحيله، كما أشارت جريدة الخليج تايمز في عددها الصادر في 14 يوليو.

 

وممن عبّروا عن عميق حزنهم في هذه المناسبة الأليمة، رئيس مجموعة اللولو م. أ. يوسف علي الذي قال: “أتقدم بخالص العزاء والمواساة إلى عائلة هذا الرمز الكبير الذي ترك بصمات لا تمحى في عالم الأعمال، والذي كان واحداً من رواده الكبار. لقد كان لمجموعتنا، مجموعة اللولو علاقات عمل ممتازة مع باقر محبي، وهي علاقة ممتدة منذ أن افتتحنا أول سوبرماركت في العام 1990.”

 

وقال د. رام بوكساني، رئيس إي تي إل كوزموس: “لقد أصابتنا الصدمة والحزن العميق لرحيل هذه الشخصية الكبيرة. لقد كان الفقيد صاحب رؤية ثاقبة وسمعة متميزة عززها من خلال العلامة التجارية التي رسخها حتى ملأت الآفاق.”

 

وقال كمال فاتشاني، مدير مجموعة المايا: “بالنسبة لقطاع البيع بالتجزئة كانت باقر محبي بمثابة العلامة التجارية الأبرز، وكان كل شيء يدار تحت قيادة زينل باقر محبي.”

 

أما د. دانانجاي داتار، رئيس مجلس الإدارة والعضو المنتدب لشركة العادل للتجارة فقال: “لقد ظلت باقر محبي وعلى امتداد ثمانية عقود، اسما بارزا، وعلامة مهمة تنمو وتتعزز باضطراد على امتداد دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة. ومن المؤكد أن القطاع سيفقد بعد اليوم قطباً كبيراً وهامة ذات بصمة راسخة في عالم الأعمال.”

ذات يوم سئل د. محبي عن جوهر النجاح في عالم الأعمال، فأجاب قائلاً:

“إنك بحاجة إلى منظومة قيم تتعامل باحترام وتقدير مع كل من الزبائن، والموردين، والموظفين على السواء. لقد تعلمت هذا من والدي، ثم ما لبثت هذه المعادلة أن تحولت إلى ثقافة انتقلت بالوراثة من جيل لجيل. عليك أن تواصل جس نبض السوق، وأن تقبل التغيير، وأن تحافظ على العلاقات، بهذه المعادلة لن يجانبك الصواب.”

رحم الله الفقيد، وأسكنه فسيح جناته

DR ZAINAL BAQER MOHEBI 1940-2019

Posted by

A Tribute

DR. ZAINAL BAQER MOHEBI

1940-2019

The UAE has been paying homage to Dr Zainal Baqer Mohebi, Founder and Chairman of Zainal Mohebi Holdings who passed away in Dubai on 11th July 2019, at the age of 79.

ZMH traces its roots to Dr Mohebi’s father, Baqer Mohebi, who established his food outlet at the Dubai Souk in 1931. It was one of only 15 shops set up at the time in Dubai.

His son, Mohammed Mohebi, CEO of Zainal Mohebi Holdings, commented: “We mourn our beloved Chairman. His legacy lives on in his children and the values that he had instilled in us will continue to be a driving force that powers us.” 

For his friends and colleagues in the industry, Dr Mohebi was regarded as a pillar in the business community, an innovative and forward-thinking pioneer.

Baqer Mohebi lit the spark of the Mohebi brand. Dr Mohebi brought it to life.

He expanded his father’s retailing operations, diversifying into food wholesaling and distribution. Many international brands on Middle East shelves today owe their position to Dr Mohebi’s visionary efforts. Today, the group has businesses in real estate, travel and tourism, freight management, food retail, and agency and distribution. 

As reported in the Khaleej Times on July 14th, there was an outpouring of rich tributes from the UAE business community.

LuLu Group chairman M.A. Yusuffali said: “I offer my sincere condolences to the family of such a business tycoon who was a leader for the sector. The Lulu Group has had excellent business relationship with the Baqer Mohebi brand ever since we opened our first supermarket in 1990.”

Dr Ram Buxani, chairman of ITL Cosmos, said: “I am deeply saddened to hear about the demise of such a visionary, who built his reputation through his famous brand.”

“The UAE grocery industry looked up to Baqer Mohebi as a popular brand and all of it happened under the leadership of Zainal Baqer Mohebi,” said Kamal Vachani, group director of Al Maya Group.

Dr Dhananjay Datar, chairman and managing director of Al Adil Trading, said: “Baqer Mohebi has been a household name for over eight decades and it displays the brand growth across the UAE. The industry will surely miss such a popular business magnate.”

Asked once what the essence of his business success was, Dr Mohebi replied:

“You need a value system that treats customers, suppliers and employees with respect and appreciation. I learned that from my father and it’s a core belief that my children also have. Keep taking the pulse of the market, embrace change and nurture relationships. You won’t go far wrong.”

May Allah rest his soul in peace.

Zainal Mohebi Holdings to relocate

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Zainal Mohebi Holdings will relocate to Dubai South as part of Mohebi’s AED 550 million logistics development by Mohebi Investments.

This development will encompass Zainal corporate offices and consolidate the Group’s FMCG operations at the new site. The objective is to achieve a lean and efficient retail distribution business that can take full advantage of Dubai South’s infrastructure, multi-modal transport accessibility, dedicated services and facilities

The new facility will be spread over 206,000 square meters of land and hold a storage capacity of 180,000 pallet positions. This is more than double the company’s existing storage and logistics capabilities, providing enhanced and customized services to its long-standing regional and global clientele.

Dubai South will play a critical role in showcasing both Emirati talent and corporate capabilities and thereby serve the UAE’s national interests. As Dubai South expands its logistics base, it will play a critical role in ‘Connecting the World to Dubai and Dubai to the World’.

L’Oréal Middle East partners with Mohebi Logistics

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Mohebi Logistics and L’Oréal have announced the signing of a strategic partnership. This further enhances the already impressive international and local customer base that relies on Mohebi Logistics for its supply chain and distribution needs.
See the signing ceremony

L’Oréal is a world leader in beauty consumer and luxury brands in makeup, cosmetics, hair care and perfume.

A strategic realignment of their supply chain was realised at the beginning of the year to drive efficiencies and to consolidate both the Central Regional Distribution and Local Market Retail Distribution under one provider in 2016.

In the Gulf region, L’Oréal Middle East chose Mohebi Logistics to fulfil this task, stating three principal factors that guided their decision.

Mohebi Logistics holds a proven track record of managing complex changes in supply chain programmes. It has extensive experience with many large FMCG companies who set high standards for service and reliability. The company also follows a consistent business philosophy of becoming a long-term business partner to all its customers.

L’Oréal Middle East’s Managing Director Thierry Houssin commented, “In-line with our vision to strengthen our local presence in a very dynamic market such as the UAE and shifting to a ‘Direct-to-Retail’ model, we made the decision to partner with Mohebi Logistics based on their solid and strong capabilities with other big FMCG players in the market.”

“We’re proud to be a part of the L’Oréal family,” added CEO Mohammed Mohebi. “This partnership opens up a new vertical in the cosmetics and beauty sector for us. What better way to do that than with the industry-leading company, L’Oréal.”

In its quest to deepen its impact within the Gulf’s highly competitive beauty care markets, L’Oréal will use Mohebi Logistics’ specialist services for FMCG products that cover every link in the supply chain from origin management to last mile delivery.

ADIB advises Mohebi Logistics on AED 400 million Sukuk issue

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Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB), a leading financial services group, has announced the successful issuance of an AED 400 million Sukuk for Mohebi Logistics, one of the largest vertically-integrated supply chain management companies in the Middle East.

This issuance is structured under Sharia principles and is the first Sukuk transaction for a Dubai South entity. ADIB has acted as sole book runner for the Sukuk issue.

A new facility in Dubai South

The Sukuk proceeds will be utilized for the construction and development of ‎Mohebi’s new warehouse and logistics centre in Dubai South. The facility is planned to be one of the region’s most innovative developments, serving key multi-national corporations including Nestle which is the world’s renowned nutrition, health and wellness organization. The new facility will have a storage capacity of 180,000 pallets and will be spread over 206,000m².

The deal is a landmark transaction for Mohebi as it represents their debut financing in the capital markets and is the first Sukuk issue based on an Istisna/Ijara structure. As a result of ADIB’s close collaboration with the Dubai South team throughout the execution process, ADIB was able to work closely within the Dubai South framework to structure the Islamic financing in a Sukuk format.

ADIB supporting growth initiatives

Tirad Al Mahmoud, Chief Executive Officer at Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank commented: “We are keen to partner with organizations such as Mohebi Logistics to support their growth initiatives as they play a leading role in the retail distribution business.

IMG_5841
Representatives at the signing ceremony

The transaction represents their debut Sukuk issue and is testament to their support for the Government of Dubai’s objectives for establishing Dubai as a global center of excellence for Islamic finance. We are also privileged to work alongside Dubai South and are confident that the free zone will strengthen Dubai’s position as a premier global trade and logistics hub.”

Mohammed Mohebi, Chief Executive Officer of Mohebi Logistics added: “The Sukuk issue will prove instrumental in helping us more than double our existing storage and logistics capabilities. The substantial interest shown in the Sukuk underlines the strong trust in Mohebi Logistics’ resilient growth plans and regional prospects.