Record results from a family business

The Yousuf MA Naghi & Sons Group is one of the most diversified conglomerates in Saudi Arabia. Local businessman Mohamed Abdulwahab Naghi laid the foundations of the company in 1911 with a family distribution business in Balad, Jeddah.

With the launch, not only did he start the company’s enduring tradition of mutually beneficial business relations and successful long-lasting partnerships, but also its reputation for innovative marketing techniques, such as being the first in the kingdom to use company-branded delivery trucks to improve name recognition.

Under the direction of his son, Yousuf MA Naghi, the business further expanded and flourished; the Naghi name became renowned as one of the major players in Saudi Arabia’s developing economy.

Today, the multifaceted group is jointly managed by the founder’s four grandchildren, Mohamed, Yaser, Saleh and Ammar Naghi, who head the company’s vast array of activities, which broadly span the automotive, insurance, financing, transportation and distribution of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sectors.

Headquartered in Jeddah, the group operates through a comprehensive network of offices, warehouses and showrooms in over 200 locations, with more than 12,000 employees. It also has active companies in the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

In line with general economic reforms and developments taking place in the kingdom, the company is investing in the future growth and continuity of the family business. This investment, mostly in people, infrastructure and technology, is focused on the development of operational tools and corporate processes that add value to its partners’ business operations and facilitates business growth.

THE GROUP HAS A REPUTATION FOR INNOVATIVE MARKETING METHODS AND IT WAS THE FIRST IN THE KINGDOM TO USE COMPANY-BRANDED TRUCKS

As the business world is getting smaller and transforming into one marketplace, the Naghi Group provides unparalleled penetration into Saudi markets for foreign enterprises. Various major multinationals have chosen the group as their preferred partner in the kingdom and many leading companies enjoy long-lasting relationships with the group. These include Boots, Hyundai, LG, Japan Tobacco, Mars, L’Oréal, Ricket Benckieser, Vichy and Timex, among others.

Management at Naghi believes that the Saudi consumer is evolving and expects better products and services. Therefore, the group strives to invest in improving customer services and offerings whereby market leadership is delivered and maintained for its partners.

In the automotive sector, Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors (MYNM), which brings some of the world’s finest marques to the kingdom and is the exclusive importer of BMW Group cars, announced a 19 per cent increase in sales for BMWs and Minis during the first half of 2010, compared to the same period in 2009. This remarkable achievement places the Saudi Arabian importer among the top three best-performing markets for the BMW Group Middle East. This result followed MYNM posting a record 28 per cent sales growth in 2009, making it the most successful year in the company’s history.

With the change of transportation regulations for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims in the late 1990s, along with the availability of a new generation of cost effective vehicles, the Yousuf MA Naghi & Sons Group saw the business potential for a well managed bus company that could offer a fleet of modern and comfortable buses. It formed the Hafil Transportation Company with an initial fleet of 800 buses in 1998 and today Hafil has over 8,000 modern, well-serviced vehicles, making it one of the largest bus companies in the Gulf.

The group is also one of the companies behind Saudi Arabia’s first airline for pilgrims, Alwafeer Air. The airline specialises in transporting pilgrims from countries with large Muslim populations to Saudi Arabia and plans to hold an initial public offering (IPO) within the next three years.

From cosmetics, catering and consumer goods to pharmaceuticals, financial packages and foodstuff production, the Yousuf MA Naghi & Sons Group has almost a century of experience in being the ideal trading partner in Saudi Arabia and providing in-depth knowledge of how to tap the kingdom’s varied markets.