Date: July 3, 2019
MUSCAT: With the aim to strengthen its member’s business reach, Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC) has helped its member Khalid Shafi Khalid Al Habsi to launch Shafi Pharmacy in a new location in Mawaleh South. Khalid Shafi Khalid Al Habsi is the winner of the fifth edition of the Direct Support Programme 2018 organised by Zubair SEC.
Shafi Pharmacy was inaugurated by Al Zubair Muhammad Al Zubair, Vice Chairman of The Zubair Corporation. The inaugural event was attended by a number of entrepreneurs, The Zubair Corporation and Zubair SEC representatives.
Khalid Al Habsi is a certified pharmacist who completed his diploma in 2006 and got a bachelor’s degree in 2014. After having gained four years work experience at Khoula Hospital he decided to open Shafi Pharmacy in Mawaleh South in 2017. Since the pharmacy was not ideally located in terms of the shop and area, Khalid decided to relocate his business at a new area in Mawaleh South.
With help and guidance from Zubair SEC’s advisors with fresh objectives, Khalid relocated and revamped the design and structure for the new pharmacy. The new location in Mawaleh South has three health clinics adjacent to the pharmacy and a well-established residential area behind it. The pharmacy has been designed and structured to be user friendly – product specific shelving and graphics – for easy navigation, and is a larger area than the earlier one. It is a ‘full service’ pharmacy which provides blood pressure monitoring and blood sugar checkup, prescription drugs and a complete range of over the counter products (OTC).
And as part of Zubair SEC’s strategy to encourage cross selling between its members, Shafi Pharmacy now sells products of two fellow SMEs, members of Zubair SEC’s Direct Support Programme: Al Broumi Honey by fellow member Nasser Saleh Al Broumi, and Grandma’s Mixes (hair care natural Hinna based products) by fellow member Zaima Saif Al Salami.
The new pharmacy interior restructuring and decoration work was funded with the grant Khalid earned as a winner of Zubair SEC’s Direct Support Programme. Zubair SEC used ‘Idea Design’, an Omani SME, to implement the interior design. The design is based on the new brand identity created for Shafi Pharmacy by Zubair SEC as part of the services extended to Khalid through the Direct Support Programme.
Nauzer Nowroji, Senior Advisor at Zubair SEC said, “Shafi Pharmacy in the new location is the only pharmacy in the area, making it the preferred neighborhood pharmacy. This will help the pharmacy build a strong customer base. We are proud of Khalid’s achievement and the progress with his business. We aim through our services to help our members stabilise their products and services and penetrate wider market shares.”
Khalid Shafi Khalid Al Habsi said, “I am grateful to Zubair SEC for their continuous support and for helping me accomplish my objectives in a professional manner. I thank them for helping me with the marketing process, providing business development advisory and consultancy. The dedicated professionals at Zubair SEC strive to make aspiring entrepreneurs’ vision a reality. Zubair SEC has been providing a variety of much needed services for all entrepreneurs, small businesses owners and members of the centre.”
He added, “I aspire to be the pharmacy of choice in the area and expand with future other branches; with my customer-oriented strategy, I aim to develop my pharmacy’s services to be up to highest standards and cater to a comprehensive range of pharmaceutical services”.
Zubair SEC’s Direct Support Programme which has established a very reputable and credible positioning in the SMEs sector has grown extraordinarily. The programme has been running for five rounds since 2013, and the sixth round is expected to be launched coming September. The programme has been providing support and advisory to high-potential young entrepreneurs and business owners. It aims at creating a spirit of positive competition between Zubair SEC’s members to enroll in the programme, and thus earn a package of essential services to launch and maintain successful and sustainable businesses.