- GE Lighting products and solutions to be retailed across the Ace Hardware International network of stores in the Middle East and North Africa
Dubai, UAE; October 2, 2012: GE Lighting (NYSE: GE), an industry leader in major lighting solutions for commercial, industrial and residential use, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ace Hardware International Holdings, Ltd., a subsidiary of Ace Hardware Corporation, the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the industry to showcase the latest range of advanced energy-efficient lighting solutions across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Ace Hardware International will offer to its retailers in the region the complete range of GE Lighting conventional and energy saving LEDs. Customers in the region will now have easy and convenient access to a wide range of energy-efficient lighting solutions and fixtures of GE Lighting to meet residential, commercial and outdoor needs through the network of Ace Hardware stores in the MENA region.
George Bou Mitri, GE Lighting's General Manager of Middle East, Africa and Turkey said, "The MENAT region is increasingly focused on sustainable development, and a reduced carbon footprint by promoting the use of energy-efficient lighting solutions. This is particularly important given the massive infrastructure development works being undertaken across the region. Through our alliance with Ace Hardware International, home, commercial and industrial customers will have easy access to our wide array of lighting solutions."
"Ace Hardware International is pleased to be building its vendor community in the MENA region and is especially pleased to have signed a regional vendor agreement with GE Lighting," said George Mokbel, General Manager, MENA, Ace Hardware International. "We will now offer energy efficient GE lighting solutions at stores in the MENA region -- The new, broader selection of lighting options positions Ace as a one-stop shop for customers and elevates the Ace brand in this growing region."
Governments across the MENA region are taking sustainable development initiatives seriously with several long-term programs being rolled out. The UAE, for example, has adopted the first mandatory building efficiency codes in the region, and Abu Dhabi and Dubai have set renewable energy targets. Similar initiatives are being undertaken by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other countries across the MENAT region.
GE's LED solutions can save up to 70 percent in energy consumption, and up to 20 percent in upgraded conventional lighting sources. The company's LED products are also lead and mercury free, which plays a key role in driving environmental sustainability, and its newest range of products, has the potential to contribute to up to 50 percent in energy cost savings.
Ace Hardware International's MENA region is comprised of a network of retailers operating 32 locations across KSA, UAE, Kuwait, Jordan, Libya, Iraq and the Maldives. Over the next five years, the retailer expansion plan for the region includes projected operations in Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Lebanon, Morocco, Afghanistan and Cyprus.
Kelly Home
ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller
kelly.home@bm.com
+971 4 4507 600
Nivine William
ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller
nivine.william@bm.com
+971 4 4507 600
Caroline Wehbeh
GE Communications Leader, North Africa
caroline.wehbeh@ge.com
+971 4 429 6318