Oomco launches operations in Saudi Arabia

Underlining its commitment to create an unparallel chain of service hubs that provide more than refuelling, Oman Oil Marketing Company (Oomco) has officially opened its state-of-the-art service station, ‘Lamaa’, in Dammam.

At a grand ceremony held on April 8, Abdul Hakim bin Hamad Al Ammar Al Khalidi, Chairman of the Board of Asharqia Chamber was the Guest of Honour at the event, which also witnessed the launch of Oomco’s brand identity in the Kingdom. Engineer Ibrahim bin Abdullah Al Humaidan, Assistant Undersecretary in Technical Affairs at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs in Saudi Arabia was also present at the ceremony and joined by Sayyid Dr Ahmed bin Hilal Al Busaidi, Oman’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Introducing Oomco’s customers in the Kingdom to a new forecourt experience, the 40,000-square-metre one-stop-shop service station features an exciting range of on-the-go shopping, and food and beverage offerings, in addition to fueling services. The mega facility comprises a car care centre, a large convenience store, three restaurants and cafés, eight retail shops and a mosque.

Engineer Ibrahim bin Abdullah Al Humaidan, Assistant Undersecretary in Technical Affairs at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs in Saudi Arabia, said, “Today marks the next chapter of the strong and deeply rooted bilateral economic relations between Saudi Arabia and Oman. The launch of Oman Oil Marketing Company’s service station in Dammam is closely aligned with the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 blueprint, which places a significant emphasis on attracting investments, diversifying revenue streams, and strengthening regional cooperation."

"We look forward to working with ‘Oomco’ to explore more opportunities that will strengthen and positively impact our economies,” he added.

Oman and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong bilateral economic relations, with the trade between the two countries reaching $2.2 billion in 2017. With the objective of capitalising on the prospects of increasing trade cooperation, the Sultanate and the Kingdom have launched several initiatives in recent years. The construction of a road linking the two countries is underway, and once completed, it will further incentivise cross-border trade and investment with easy access and reduced cost of import and export.

Speaking during the event, Mulham bin Bashir Al Jarf, Chairman of Oomco, said, “With our ambitious long-term strategy, we have been exploring new avenues to expand our market footprint globally. The launch of our brand identity in Saudi Arabia and our advanced service station in Dammam represents a major step towards achieving our goals."

"Oman Oil Marketing Company’s roadmap for its future hinges not only on the expansion of market presence, but also the diversification of revenue streams. We are embarking on an exciting journey that will only flourish if done with a mutual understanding that benefits our two nations and are complementary and mutually reinforcing,” he added.

David Kalife, CEO of Oman Oil Marketing Company, said, “We are excited to have our first venture outside Oman here in Saudi Arabia. With customers being the linchpin of our success, we have always sought to address their evolving needs with our pioneering products and services, and the launch of our service station in Dammam demonstrates our unrelenting commitment to sustain this vision."

"Offering an integrated hub of services, ‘Lamaa’ will continue to offer convenient and flexible shopping experiences, while catering to our customers’ refueling and car care needs,” he added.