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MCS wins the Distributor Award for 2006

Muscat, 1st January 2007: Masafi Mineral Water Co (LLC) announced today that Matrah Cold Stores LLC (MCS) has been awarded the prestigious Best Distributor Award for 2006. Masafi confirmed that MCS achieved that highest rate of growth above budget for the year amongst any of their global distributors.

MCS, a W J Towell Group Company was appointed in March 2005 as the sole and exclusive distributor of Masafi throughout the Sultanate of Oman and created a division dedicated to the distribution of beverages.

Commenting on the award for MCS,
Mr. Ashraf Abushady, CEO Masafi congratulated MCS, “We always believed that by working with MCS we could achieve rapid growth. It has been the passion and commitment of the sales team that has most impressed us. The award comes in appreciation of the MCS / Masafi partnership, and recognises MCS commitment to assisting Masafi’s new business development in the region. MCS launched Masafi Juice portfolio in an exceptional way earlier this year and Masafi have every confidence that MCS will do the same for the Masafi flavored waters that are about to be launched in the Oman market soon”.

Mr.Souheil Andraos Export Manager of Masafi visited Oman to present the award to MCS General Manager Mr. Dominic Myers and to Mr. Biju George, Market Manager, Direct Distribution for MCS and thanked both Dominic and Biju for their outstanding leadership. Speaking at the event, Mr. Biju George expressed that “we at MCS are delighted to be working with such an outstanding Company as Masafi. To have restored their sales to over 1 million cases is something we are proud of and together we are expecting even higher levels of success in 2007”.

In addition to the Beverages Division, MCS is the distributor for British American Tobacco, the Reckitt Benckiser portfolio, Kellogg’s, Colgate Palmolive and California Garden brands throughout Oman and is the leading mass market distributor for Nawras. The Company has confirmed that it will continue to invest significantly in order to accelerate the growth and distribution for its beverage brands.

For further information please contact:
Mr. Dominic C R Myers, General Manager – MCS
Tel : 00968 24526401
email : dominicm@mcsoman.com

Mr. Ashraf Abushady, CEO – Masafi
Tel : 009714 3970855
email: aabushady@masafi.ae

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Fayrouz to launch through Matrah Cold Stores

Muscat, 21 October 2006: Sirocco FZC and Matrah Cold Stores LLC (MCS), a W J Towell Group Company, announced today the appointment of MCS as the sole and exclusive distributor in Oman of Fayrouz, the unique fruit-flavoured Malt-based soft drink. MCS will distribute Fayrouz throughout the Sultanate of Oman and will launch the brand in November, 2006. Fayrouz has already been successfully launched in the UAE by Sirocco, the Dubai-based regional beverage marketing company.

Fayrouz, manufactured in Egypt, will be distributed as part of the growing MCS Beverage Division which is already the exclusive distributor for Masafi Mineral Water and Juices, as well as Power Horse Energy Drink, Orienta Juices, Libby's, Isostar and Perrier. In addition to the Beverage division, MCS is the distributor for British American Tobacco, the Reckitt Benckiser portfolio, Kellogg's, Colgate Palmolive and California Garden brands throughout Oman and will be investing significantly to ensure the success of Fayrouz in Oman.

Commenting on the appointment of MCS, Mr. Francois Mahot, General Manager of Sirocco, stated: "We have identified significant opportunities for Fayrouz in Oman and from our research and evaluation of the market we believe that by working with MCS, which has significant beverage market experience and knowledge, we will achieve our business and brand objectives. We are committed to investing in support for the brand in Oman and we feel that, with this agreement with MCS, we now have all the elements in place to maximize the opportunities in the market."

Fayrouz, which is available in 330 ml cans and non-returnable bottles, was given birth in Egypt but it is rolling out globally to many parts of the world with a global headquarter and concentrate manufacturing in Switzerland. Fayrouz ensures to serve consumers product of highest quality standards. Since its launch in Egypt in the 1990s, Fayrouz has been very successful, capturing a 10 per cent share of the Egyptian soft drinks market. Unlike regular soft drinks, Fayrouz is made from a natural malt base and fruit flavor giving consumers a unique taste and refreshment experience Vs standard soft drinks. A taste that is well appreciated by consumers across the region

Fayrouz's unique combination of fruit, fizz and malt attracted the attention of regional beverage marketing company Sirocco, which then fine-tuned the brand's positioning to make it more relevant to the GCC markets, on the basis of a comprehensive consumer research study. The consumer association of malt and fruit with good health provides the platform for what Sirocco sees as the natural evolution of the soft drink, shifting towards a healthier offer. For Fayrouz, Sirocco developed the line - 'soft drink with a natural twist' - to emphasise the connection.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr. Dominic Myers, General Manager of MCS highlighted the importance of Fayrouz to both MCS and the beverage category in Oman. "The launch of Fayrouz is a defining moment for us. The brand is young, lively and exciting. It offers outstanding qualities of taste and experience for consumers and creates a new sector with enhanced value for retailers within the Carbonated Soft Drinks category. With Fayrouz we are able to offer our customers an enhanced portfolio of beverages, all of which provide them a market leading value proposition in each of the sectors in which we choose to compete. We are not underestimating the challenge of establishing Fayrouz as a leading brand in Oman. However, combined with the immense strength of Sirocco and their outstanding marketing support we are confident that we can achieve the ambitious short and medium term targets that we have agreed with Sirocco."

For further information please contact:
Mr. Dominic C R Myers, General Manager - MCS
Tel: 00968 24256401
e-mail: dominicm@mcsoman.com

Sirocco media enquiries:
Jonathan Walsh
WPR, WPR, Dubai
Tel: 971 4 3354575
Email : jon@wprme.com
 

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Value Your People and You Value Your Company

Muscat - In order to make a company great, all aspects of its workings must function in unison, from its products to its people. At Matrah Cold Stores (MCS), part of the W J Towell Group of Companies, they do not shy away from this concept but rather embrace it, promoting the Company Values; Service, Teamwork, Innovation, Respect and Speed, core ingredients for sustained success.

As such MCS assess their team on a quarterly basis, rewarding exceptional performance and commitment through their internal programmes, 'MCS Value Awards.' MCS Management meets on a regular basis to discuss the efforts of staff and the numerous events taking place throughout the company.

For the second and third quarter of 2006, MCS Management announced three winners for each quarter in the following categories: Sales and Distribution, Retail and Support Services. The winners for Q2 were Ahmed Al-Rahbi - Retail, Dominic Fernandes - Sales and Distribution and Naji Saif Amor Bani Araba - Support Services. For Q3, the winners were Dawood Al Owaisi - Retail, B S Kumar - Sales and Distribution, with Lavina Pais and Tharuni Jacob receiving joint honours in the Support Services category. In their own ways, each employee showed unrivalled dedication to the company, going out of their way to save both time and money on various projects, all for the benefit of MCS.

Creating a comfortable, inspiring, relaxing and clean work environment aids greatly in extracting the absolute best from employees at all levels. W J Towell Group of Companies has worked hard to build a state of the art facility in Athaiba, which houses many of their companies jointly. On October 12th over 150 MCS employees came together to celebrate the opening of their new offices and to honour the winners of the MCS Values Award for the second and third quarters.

Making a difference at MCS does not go unnoticed, nor does it go unrewarded.

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MCS Wins Flame of Excellence Award

Muscat: Matrah Cold Stores LLC (MCS), a W J Towell Group Company was on May 13th 2006, selected as the winner of the prestigious Flame of Excellence category in the 8th Annualy Oman Awards for Excellence programme in an announcement from the organizers Omani Centre for Investment Promotion and Export Development (OCIPED) in conjunction with Ernst and Young, Trowers and Hamlins and Apex Publishing.

The Flame of Excellence trophy was presented to Directors and the General Manager of MCS by Mr. Ahmad Al Abry, Chief Operating Officer of Bank Muscat at the end of a gala evening of Award presentation at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel.

Commenting after the presentation of the Award, Mr. Imad Kamal Sultan, Director In Charge of MCS and Director of W J Towell confirmed that MCS were delighted to win the Award. "We are proud and greatly honoured to win this Award. I congratulate all the employees of Matrah Cold Stores LLC and we thank all those who have helped us win this Award. Having been a Finalist on two previous occasions it is especially rewarding to win it on this occasion".

MCS is the Sultanate's leading distributor of fast moving consumer goods and also provides the retail management expertise for the Omanoil Quick Shop Convenience stores. It is proud of its long association as the exclusive distributor for Colgate-Palmolive, British American Tobacco, California Garden, AATCO and the more recently acquired Masafi Natural Mineral Water, Kellogg's products, Power Horse energy drinks and Orienta juices from Mehdi Foods. In 2005 the Company experienced rapid growth from its consolidation of the entire Reckitt Benckiser grocery portfolio into MCS and its appointment as a Premium Distributor by Nawras.

The Company recorded sales growth of 79% in 2005 increasing Operating Profit by 48%. One of the most impressive features has been the progressive improvement in Omanisation levels MCS employs over 180 Omani Nationals achieving 47% Omanisation and increased the total number of Omanis working in the Company by 60 in 2005 moving a further 9 Omani Nationals into Managerial and Supervisory positions.

The Flame of Excellence seeks to recognize constant delivery of business excellence. As part of MCS's commitment to evaluating itself the Company has been proud to secure ISO 9001:2000 Accredition for its British American Tobacco and Logistics Divisions.

After receiving the trophy the General Manager of MCS, Mr. Dominic Myers thanked "W J Towell, the Directors and Shareholders for the confidence they have showed in investing in the projects recommended by the MCS Management. I would like to thank the MCS Managers and the many Business Partners who are present to witness this special moment. We thank our customers for their continued support. We thank the organizers and all of the sponsors and congratulate the winners in the other categories. We hope that this event can inspire us all to greater levels of excellence in the future."

For further information, please contact:
Mr. Dominic C R Myers, General Manager - MCS
Tel No: 00968-24526401
dominicm@mcsoman.com

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Power Horse appoints Matrah Cold Stores as distributor

Muscat, 15 January 2006: Power Horse FZ-LLC (Power Horse) announced today that it had appointed Matrah Cold Stores LLC (MCS) as its sales and exclusive distributor for their eponymous energy drink for the Sultanate of Oman and that distribution had already commenced. The leading energy drink in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and with extensive plans for the launch and growth of the brand in Oman Power Horse CEO for the Middle East and Asia, Mr. Mohamed El-Gamal commented that "We believe we can achieve rapid growth for the brand not only in Oman but throughout the region. We have every confidence that by partnering with MCS we can exceed our expectations, benefiting from their unrivalled knowledge of the market and utilize their extensive beverage distribution expertise".

Speaking about the addition of the Power Horse brand to MCS, Mr. Dominic C R Myers, General Manager of MCS highlighted the growth potential. "From our experience in managing the Oman Oil forecourt convenience shops, we have witnessed the rapid growth of the energy drink sector in recent years but believe that there remains significant growth potential across various channels for the category and Power Horse in particular. We will be combining with Power Horse to reach the rapidly expanding youth market in Oman, providing them with a refreshing and stimulating beverage." Mr. Biju George, Market Manager, Direct Distribution of MCS reflected that "we are delighted to now be able to offer our customers a full cold beverage solution with Masafi Natural Mineral Water, Isostar Isotonic Drink, Perrier Water, Orienta Fruit Juices and now Power Horse in the energy drink sector. It will enable us to move future towards the delivery of our Vision."

In addition to the beverage distribution MCS is the distributor for British American Tobacco, the Reckitt Benckiser portfolio, Kelloggs, Colgate Palmolive, California Garden and Nawras products in the mass market channel.

For further information please contact:
Mr. El-Gamal, CEO - The Middle East and Asia, Power Horse FZ-LLC
Tel: 00973 17217718
m.el-gamal@power-horse..com

OR

Mr. Dominic C R Myers, General Manager - MCS
Tel: 00968 24704643
dominicm@mcsoman.com

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Mehdi Foods launch Orienta juices through MCS

Muscat, 8th January 2006: Mehdi Foods LLC (MF) announced today the launch of their innovative range of Orienta Fruit Juices and confirmed that they had appointed Matrah Cold Stores LLC (MCS) as their sole and exclusive distributor for Orienta throughout the Sultanate of Oman with distribution to commence immediately.

Mehdi Foods owner of the successful Suroor range of snack products launched in 2004 have invested in a market leading manufacturing and packing facility in Rusayl Industrial Estate and have great expectations for the success of Orienta. Mr. Sadiq Mehdi Jawad, General Manager of Mehdi Foods announced that the Orienta range will initially consist of 7 variants across the 200ml and 250ml sizes. Commenting on the launch, Mr. Sadiq Mehdi stated that "We have taken time to research the market, have invested significantly in designing and developing Orienta and are delighted that together with Matrah Cold Stores we are now able to offer our juices to customers and consumers throughout the Sultanate of Oman. We believe consumers will appreciate our unique packaging and will prefer the superior taste that we are offering. We will be supporting the launch with extensive activity that we have developed with MCS utilizing their knowledge and experience of the market."

Mr. Dominic C R Myers, General Manager of MCS describing the Orienta product commented that "we are delighted to be adding such a high quality Omani manufactured product to our portfolio. With Mehdi Foods proven success in the snacks category, the commitment they have invested in the creation of Orienta and the potential for growth in the children and young adults sectors of the market, we have every expectation that Orienta will become the juice of choice for customers throughout Oman within only a few months."

Mr. Biju George, Market Manager, Direct Distribution for MCS confirmed that the brand would be distributed with Masafi Mineral Water, Perrier and Isostar. "We will be significantly expanding the number of vehicles in our fleet, extending our distribution base to provide outstanding launch reach for Orienta. We very much appreciate the level of support that Mehdi Foods are providing and are excited by the potential for this brand."

In addition to the beverage distribution MCS is the distributor for British American Tobacco, the Reckitt Benckiser Portfolio, Kelloggs, Colgate Palmolive, California Garden and Nawras products in the mass market channel.

For further information please contact:
Mr. Sadiq Mehdi Jawad, Mehdi Foods
Tel: 00968 24446942
sadiq@mehdifoods.com

OR

Mr. Dominic C R Myers, General Manager - MCS
Tel: 00968 24704643
dominicm@mcsoman.com

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Nawras recognises Premium Distributor Matrah Cold Stores and its Standard Dealer in Nizwa

Muscat, 2nd January 2006: Nawras, the Sultanate's customer-friendly communications provider recently organised a ceremony to recognise its Premium Distributor Matrah Cold Store (MCS), a part of the WJ Towell Group of Companies for their outstanding achievement of activating over 50,000 Nawras customers, through its extended distribution network. The event was held at Al Ghantaq Trading LLC MCS' Standard Dealer in Nizwa, under the patronage of Sheikh Abdullah bin Said Al-Saifi Majlis Al-Shura representative for Nizwa and attended by Eng. Abdullah bin Essa Al-Rawahi Nawras Chief Technical Advisor, Dominic Myers MCS General Manager and Mohamed Abdullatif Nawras Head of Indirect Sales Channels.

The event was organised to congratulate Nawras Premium Distributor Matrah Cold Stores for having achieved the highest level of Nawras customer activation as well as to reward dealers for outstanding achievement in selling Nawras products and services. Nawras has the widest distribution channel in the Sultanate, with over 630 points of sales and works closely with its partners, Premium Distributors such as Matrah Cold Stores to ensure that it can serve its customers better by delivering best service, best quality and best value. M/s. Al Ghantaq Trading LLC Nawras' Dealer in Nizwa is one of the largest distribution points for Nawras products and services in the Dhakhlya region.

Speaking from Nizwa Eng. Al-Rawahi commented "We are extremely pleased by the success of Matrah Cold Stores, our leading Premium Distributor for the mass market channel, who have activated more then 50,000 Nawras customers since our commercial launch nine month ago. In addition, we would like to congratulate M/s. Al Ghantaq Trading LLC for their outstanding achievement in contributing to Nawras sales in Dhakalya region."

Latter on and on behalf of Nawras, the guest chief Sheikh Abdullah bin Said Al-Saifi handed over, on behalf of Nawras, commemorative plaques to MCS General Manager Mr. Myers as token of thanks and recognition for their outstanding achievement. In addition, Sheikh Al-Saifi handed over another commemorative plaque to M/s. Al Ghantaq Trading in Nizwa for their dealerships important role in ensuring the overall success for MCS and Nawras. Also, the Chief Guest handed MCS's 50,000 Nawras activated customer, Mr. Zahir Al-Saifi a gift of Special Nawras number.

Mr. Myers added "Working with a professional and transparent partner like Nawras has been an excellent partnership and a win-win relationship. We have learnt a lot from Nawras, their market strategies have been exciting, responsive, challenging and creative. Through our partnership with Nawras we have been able to create an additional market sector for our customers by appointing them as Standard Dealers so that they too can share in the Nawras success and the rapidly growing mobile communications market. We are delighted that one of our Standard Dealers is able to gain the recognition he deserves for supporting the Nawras initiatives".

For further information please contact:
Mr. Dominic C R Myers, General Manager - MCS
Tel: 00968 24704643
dominicm@mcsoman.com

OR

Mr. Haitham Al Kharusi, Head of Corporate Affairs - Nawras
00968 24584000
haitham.al-kharusi@nawras.com.om

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MATRAH COLD STORES LLC ADDS NEW AGENCIES

Matrah Cold Stores LLC (MCS) has taken further steps to increase its core strength as the Sultanate’s leading foodstuff distributor by working with Hassan Suleiman Yousuf LLC (HSY) to transfer the California Garden, Al Mazraa, SAF brands and the Omani manufactured Barka and Khabourah products to MCS.

MCS shall be purchasing all stocks from HSY and assisting HSY with the collection of its outstanding market receivables. The relationship between the two companies has always been cordial.

Commenting on the transfer Mr. Dominic Myers, General Manager of MCS expressed his sincere thanks to Mr. Abdul Karim Hassan Sualiman and Mr. Ali Hassan Sulaiman joint owners of HSY for the assistance and support provided to MCS, “we have been delighted to work with Mr. Abdul Karim, his brother Ali and their team to ensure a smooth and effective transfer of the brands to MCS. We very much look forward to distributing the Barka and Khabourah brands which are of course prominent Omani manufactured brands manufactured by HSY’s sister Company AATCO”.

Mr. Abdul Karim Hassan Sulaiman confirmed that “HSY are very pleased to be able to transfer the brands to such a respected company as MCS and we are very confident that they will help develop the success of the brands that HSY has been distributing for many years”.
It is understood that Gulf Food International, manufacturers and owners of the California Garden and Al Mazraa brands have confirmed their appointment of MCS as their existing distributor for Oman.

Mr. Imad Kamal Sultan, Director-In-Charge of MCS and W J Towell & Co. LLC Director explained that MCS shall continue to seek new business opportunities and stated “we are continuously looking to improve the performance of our existing business and actively seeking to extend the range of products we distribute through our extensive network”.
Matrah Cold Stores LLC is a W J Towell Group Company.

For further information contact:
Mr. Dominic Myers, General Manager – MCS
Tel : (+968) 24704643
dominicm@mcsoman.com

Mr. Abdul Karim Hassan Sulaiman, Director – HSY
Tel : (+968) 780074

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MCS WIN GCC LAUNCH FOR VEET RASERA

Muscat, 4th May 2004: Reckitt Benckiser Arabia FZE (Reckitt Benckiser Arabia) have declared Matrah Cold Stores LLC (MCS) as the winner of the GCC contest for the fastest launch of Veet Rasera.

Announcing MCS as the winner of the contest Mr. Ilias Assimakopoulos, General Manager, Reckitt Benckiser Arabia, congratulated MCS on their most impressive execution of the launch plan. “MCS completed the launch and placement of our new Veet Rasera to over 100 outlets throughout the Sultanate within 24 hours of receiving the stocks. This was a model launch and we congratulate MCS on their achievements”.

Mr. Imad Kamal Sultan, Director of W J Towell & Co LLC and Director In Charge of MCS commenting on the achievement congratulated the MCS team. “Our Consumer Agencies Team set themselves a challenge and exceeded all their targets. It is this type of commitment that is enabling us to grow our distribution business successfully”.

MCS General Manager, Mr. Dominic C R Myers in thanks to Reckitt Benckiser for honouring MCS stated that “we have always found our relationship with Reckitt Benckiser to be highly stimulating. Our team delivered on the core Values of Service, Teamwork and Speed and I am extremely proud of Richard Pereira (Market Manager – Consumer Agencies), his team and our ability to have added such value to the Veet brand in such a short space of time”.

MCS is a W J Towell Group Company. In 2003, MCS were also the winners of Reckitt Benckiser Regional Contests for the Pif Paf “Torch The Roach” contest and the launch of Hippo de-humidifier.

For further information please contact:
Mr. Ilias Assimakapoulos, General Manager – Reckitt Benckiser Arabia FZE.
Tel: 009714 8818266
Ilias.Assimakopoulos@reckittbenckiser.com

OR

Mr. Dominic C R Myers, General Manager – MCS
Tel: 00968 24704643
dominicm@mcsoman.com

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MCS PROMOTES OMANISATION

Muscat, 7th Sep 2004: Matrah Cold Stores LLC (MCS) as part of its continuing consistent effort to Omanisation throughout the Company is delighted to announce the promotion of Ms. Noorjan Darwish Al Balushi to the position of store supervisor at the Oman Oil Quick Shop located in Al Hail.

Noorjan joined MCS in February 2001 and through her hard work, commitment and desire to learn new skills becomes the first female store supervisor within the Company. Of the twelve shops managed by MCS, five are already supervised by Omanis and all of these are a result of employees demonstrating their ability to be promoted to the Supervisor position.
MCS manages the Oman Oil forecourt convenience shops in partnership with Oman Oil Marketing Company SAOG. The number of sites has expanded significantly during 2003/4 and from early September MCS will be managing the Shops at Madinat Qaboos, Al Khoudh, Ghubra North, Ghubra Beach, Central Business District, Mabella, Al Hail, Ghala, Wadi Al Bahas, Sohar Industrial and from early September the two new sites at Ghubra Highway (close to Lulu hypermarket) and an upgraded site near to the globe roundabout in Sohar.

For further information please contact:
Mr. Dominic C R Myers, General Manager – MCS
Tel: 00968 24704643
dominicm@mcsoman.com

OR

Mr. Ahmad Abbas, Retail Operations Manager – MCS
Tel: 00968 24790343
ahmada@mcsoman.com

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NAWRAS APPOINTS MATRAH COLD STORES AS LOGISTICS PROVIDER

Muscat, (30th January 2005) :Nawras and Matrah Cold Stores LLC (MCS), a W J Towell Group Company, announced today that MCS have been appointed to manage the logistics services for Nawras.

Mr. Niklas Nielsen, Sales and Logistics Director at Nawras, explained that MCS will be providing storage, delivery to Nawras owned outlets and transactional services to Nawras appointed distributors. Commenting on the appointment he said, “In choosing MCS we were impressed by the quality of the services and depth of the business plan that they were able to offer us as well as their extensive experience in logistics of distributing consumer products and services.’
MCS General Manager, Mr. Dominic Myers speaking at the signature of the Contract highlighted the importance of understanding the customer’s needs. “Thanks to the clear direction that Nawras were able to provide we were able tailor the appropriate offer for Nawras. We are very much looking forward to working closely with such a professional company in such an exciting and dynamic market segment”.

Commenting on the occasion Mr. Ross Cormack, Nawras CEO, mentioned “We are delighted that we shall be working with MCS to meet our high standards in logistic delivery and to ensure that we stay close to our consumers by delivering our products to them in timely manner”.
Nawras is Oman’s new mobile telecommunications provider, who will be launching its products and services in the early part of 2005.The shareholders of Nawras are QTel, TDC and prominent local partners. QTel is the exclusive telecommunications provider in Qatar and is one of the largest public companies in the country. TDC is Denmark’s leading telecommunications company and manages international telecommunications operations across 12 European countries. The local partners include a number of Omani pension funds.

For further information please contact:
Mr. Dominic C R Myers, General Manager – MCS
Tel: 00968 24704643
dominicm@mcsoman.com

OR

Mr. Haitham Al Kharusi, Head of Corporate Affairs - Nawras
00968 24584000
haitham.al-kharusi@nawras.com.om

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MASAFI APPOINTS MATRAH COLD STORES AS DISTRIBUTOR

Muscat, 1st March 2005: Masafi Mineral Water Co (LLC) and Matrah Cold Stores LLC (MCS), a W J Towell Group Company, announced today that a division will be formed within MCS dedicated to the distribution of the Masafi Mineral water brand throughout the Sultanate of Oman. MCS shall become the sole and exclusive distributor of Masafi throughout the Sultanate of Oman and shall be commencing the operations very shortly.

In addition to the Masafi division, MCS is the distributor for British American Tobacco, the Reckitt Benckiser portfolio, Kellogg’s, Colgate Palmolive and California Garden brands throughout Oman and will be investing significantly to accelerate the growth and distribution of the Masafi brands.

Mr. Ashraf Abushady, General Manager, Masafi commenting at the appointment of MCS stated that, “We have identified that there remains significant opportunities for growth in Oman and from our experience we believe that by consolidating our activities through MCS, we can achieve our ambitions most effectively. We are committed to investing support for the brand which combined with the proven strengths of MCS is we feel the right way for us to maximize our opportunities in Oman.”

Speaking about the transfer of Masafi to MCS, Mr. Dominic Myers, General Manager of MCS highlighted the importance of Masafi to both MCS and the water category in Oman. “The acquisition of Masafi will enable us to move further towards the delivery of our Vision and we understand the importance of ensuring that the Region’s leading water brand is available to as many consumers as possible throughout Oman. We are excited by the prospect of creating another pillar within MCS but are not under estimating the challenge of improving the market share, volumes and distribution for Masafi in the very competitive water category. However, with the quality of the Masafi Mineral water for consumers and the excellent level of support we shall be providing our customers, we are confident of achieving the ambitious targets that we have agreed upon with Masafi”.

For further information please contact:
Mr. Dominic C R Myers, General Manager – MCS
Tel: 00968 24704643
dominicm@mcsoman.com

OR

Mr. Ashraf Abushady, General Manager
009714 3970855
aabushady@masafi.ae

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MCS TO ATTEND GLOBAL BOTTLED WATER CONGRESS

Muscat, 11th May 2005: As the exclusive distributor of Masafi, Matrah Cold Stores (MCS) announced that it will be attending the Second Global Bottled Water Congress on September 20-22, 2005 at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai to be hosted by Masafi. MCS is proud to be associated with the region’s leading producer of bottled drinking water and that Masafi will be hosting the first ever international event on the bottled water industry to be held in the Middle East.

MCS and Masafi will be using the event which will be held under the theme “Meeting global demands” to assess best practices to address demand and supply concerns and deliberate crucial issues pertaining to challenges that the bottled water industry faces. The event will also witness the prestigious 2005 Bottled waterworld design awards that is wholly devoted to water packaging and marketing innovation.

Among the many sessions and programs lined up for the 100+ delegates, is a special tour of the state-of-the-art Masafi plant in Ras Al Khaimah. (find photo below)

Commenting on their partnership with Masafi and selection of Dubai as the venue, Mr. Richard Hall, Chairman of Zenith International, the organizers of the conference, said: “The UAE has the highest bottled water consumption per person in the world, greater even than Italy & France. Dubai has the most superb modern facilities and services to compare with any other major city. Moreover, Masafi’s success story in becoming a world class mineral water producer & brand has been truly inspiring. I’m absolutely delighted that Dubai is to be the venue and Masafi the host of the Second Global Bottled Water Congress”.

Addressing a press conference to announce the Congress, Mr. Ashraf Abushady, General Manager, Masafi said, “On account of its market leadership, Masafi is honoured to be associated with this prestigious event that will be instrumental in further promoting Dubai as an international hub for attracting trade and investments worldwide. The second Global Bottled Water Congress will provide us a great opportunity to reach out to a wider and international market. It also represents the perfect setting to promote the UAE in general and Masafi in particular as being naturally capable of offering world-class and highly innovative products”.
General Manager of MCS Mr. Dominic Myers commented that “MCS are delighted to be attending the Conference. We shall be using the event to help us develop messages and solutions that will encourage even more consumers in Oman to drink Masafi natural mineral water.”

For further information please contact:
Mr. Dominic C R Myers, General Manager – MCS
Tel: 00968 24704643
dominicm@mcsoman.com
 
OR

Mr. Ghada Kammoun / Mr.Naeem Badiuzzaman, BateSpanGulf
Tel: 00971 4 2224161
gkammoun@batespangulf.com

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MCS FINALIST ONCE AGAIN IN FLAME OF EXCELLENCE AWARD

Muscat, (April 2006) :Matrah Cold Stores LLC (MCS), a W J Towell Group Company has once again been selected as a Finalist in the prestigious Flame of Excellence category in the 8th Annual Oman Awards for Excellence programme according to the programme organizers Omani Centre for Investment Promotion and Export Development (OCIPED) in conjunction with Ernst and Young, Trowers and Hamlins and Apex Publishing. The Flame of Excellence is sponsored by Bank Muscat and records that MCS has been a Finalist for both 2004 and 2005 and the only Company in Oman to have been selected as a Finalist in the Flame of Excellence category for three of the last 4 years.

MCS is the Sultanate’s leading distributor of fast moving consumer goods and also provides the retail management expertise for the Omanoil Quick Shop Convenience stores. It is proud of its long association as the exclusive distributor for Colgate-Palmolive, British American Tobacco, California Garden and the more recently acquired Masafi Natural Mineral Water, Kellogg’s products, Orienta and Power Horse energy drinks. In 2005 the Company experienced rapid growth from its consolidation of the entire Reckitt Benckiser grocery portfolio into MCS and its appointment as a Premium Distributor by Nawras. Within the first few months of the Nawras launch MCS secured over 50,000 consumer activations through Nawras Mousbak products.
The Company recorded sales growth of 79% in 2005 increasing Operating Profit by 48% and Returns on Net Assets by a very significant 73%, with its powerful balance sheet and low financing costs it is well placed to secure further rapid growth. One of the most impressive features has been the progressive improvement in Omanisation levels. MCS employs over 180 Omani Nationals achieving 47% Omanisation and increased the total number of Omanis working in the Company by 60 in 2005 moving a further 9 Omani Nationals into Managerial and Supervisory positions.

The Flame of Excellence seeks to recognize constant delivery of business excellence. As part of MCS’s commitment to evaluating itself the Company has been proud to secure ISO 9001:2000 Accreditation for its British American Tobacco and Logistics Divisions. MCS also recognizes the need to support the community in which it operates. As well as supporting the Early Intervention Centre, the Company has also become a Corporate Member of The Environment Society of Oman and will be supporting their activities.

Commenting at the Press Conference to launch the Finalists for 2005, the General Manager Mr. Dominic Myers stated that, “MCS is proud to be selected as a Finalist. We welcome the opportunity to be evaluated by an international class of judges and to test ourselves. That we have again been selected as a Finalist encourages us to continue our pursuit of excellence. We thank our Business Partners for their support and sincerely appreciate the outstanding contribution of each of our employees that have contributed to MCS been selected as a Finalist”.
The final judging process will take place in early May when a select panel of judges chosen from the business community will select the winners in each of the seven Award categories. The Awards will be presented at a Gala Dinner at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel on May 13th 2006.

For further information please contact:
Mr. Dominic C R Myers, General Manager – MCS
Tel: 00968 24704643
dominicm@mcsoman.com
 

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