Tariq Al Shamlan

What are the core values and principles behind the success of your group?
TARIQ AL SHAMLAN We are a corporate with a family soul. However, the family was never Al Shamlan only, but all our employees, suppliers, partners, customers, and stakeholders. Our success over the years has been a result of mutual efforts and sincere collaboration working and progressing as one solid family. We take pride in our employees who have been with us for many years now, and we do our best to preserve and grow them. In addition, we sustain long-lasting partnerships with our suppliers and customers based on honesty and transparency.

What is the legacy story behind Marzooq Shamlan Al Shamlan Holding?
MARZOOQ TARIQ AL SHAMLAN The holding is a 70-year-old family business started by my grandfather, the late Marzooq Al Shamlan, who was a visionary entrepreneur passionate about developing new businesses. His initial business was trading with watches, and he then started trading in power tools and other automotive garage equipment in addition to importing tires from the world’s top brands. We greatly acknowledge the major role of our late uncle, Mohamed Al Shamlan, who took over in the late 1970s with a vision that still directs what we do today. In the early 2000s, he started a concept called Q-Tire, the first multi-brand tire shop chain in Qatar, and established two joint ventures related to warehousing solutions and cleaning services contracting.

How did the family business evolve in the past years?
Joe Lahoud Realizing that we had to change and evolve to ensure our continued growth, the family board decided to transform the group of decentralized companies into a unified holding. For this, a major restructuring initiative was launched in 2016 where the operating business units went through a modernization of their operating model and business dynamics. In addition, a set of shared services functions was created to support the operating companies with all their needs. Today, we have a solid group of companies with the right infrastructure, corporate governance, and professional people all set and ready to capture the future growth of our market and beyond.

What is your expertise when it comes to representing strong international principles?
TAS We have been partnering with premium German brands for many years now, including Bosch and Karcher. Both partnerships have lasted more than 40 years, and we continue investing to grow their market share. We create partnerships with our customers and suppliers rather than business deals. We are regarded as one of two oldest dealers of Goodyear in the Middle East, which has not changed since 1959. Hence, our relationship with our suppliers is long term.

What are you planning to implement in the company?
MTAS Now that the holding’s infrastructure has been completed, there is only one way forward: growth and business development. The business basics are all the same, but our clients are different. We will start by upgrading all our information management systems and working on our digital transformation. We grew because of our customers, so the company will remain focused on the sole goal of being customer-centric. One of the major initiatives we are trying to develop is a strong customer relationship system. Today, we are in a situation where we have to sell, follow up with our customers, and subsequently retain them for life.

What are the needs you have identified in Qatar that you could be serving?
JL The strength of our group is that we cater to all market segments through our 150 multinational-brand portfolio. Qatar is yet to become a mature market and will still be growing and expanding even after the FIFA 2022 World Cup kicks in, as there is still much to be done. That is why we are always on the lookout, trying to identify the right partners who can cater to our market’s future needs in line with our strategy to offer comprehensive solutions supported with premium after-sales services.