Wednesday, October 10, 2007

SAHARA RAMADAN CHARITY AUCTION RECEIVES ENTHUSIASTIC RESPONSE
 
Shoppers make a beeline to Sahara Centre as the special Ramadan Charity Auction enters exciting last two weeks

Sahara Centre, the leading family shopping and entertainment destination in the UAE and one of Sharjah’s prominent landmarks, has generated an encouraging response from the shoppers for its much-anticipated Ramadan Charity auction.

The shopping centre, one of the first malls to organise an auction for charity during the holy month of Ramadan, has seen unprecedented crowds for the two charity auctions held over the last two weeks. The last two Ramadan charity auctions are scheduled to be held over the next two Thursdays.

Given the enthusiastic response to the auction in the first two weeks, the third and fourth weeks are slated to be a runaway success. The third charity event, due on October 11, is expected to witness large crowds as the last car will be auctioned off. The last auction, on October 18, will witness the auction of the 19th Century Holy Quran manuscript, which is another collectors’ item.

At the second charity auction, held on October 4, a vast array of luxury products, including Chevrolet Aveo LS Sedan Auto, LG 42-inch LCD TV plus Home Theatre system, special Umra packages, Merlin Mobile Theatre Pro, LG Notebook PC, Sony Playstation 3 and intricately-designed artifacts and handicrafts went under the hammer.

The bidding price for the artifacts and handicrafts started at zero while the auction for the other luxury items commenced at half of their respective market value.

In his comments on the charity auction, Jean Pierre Nammour, Managing Director of Sahara Centre, said: “The Ramadan Charity Auction has seen tremendous response from our shoppers and we have had some enthusiastic participants bidding for a good cause. We are excited about the next two auctions and we expect to see record participation. I request everyone to make good use of this unique opportunity and extend a helping hand for charity.”

“Initiating a unique concept like this during the auspicious month of Ramadan clearly differentiates us as a mall with a vision and helps us get closer to the community we serve,” added Jean-Pierre.

Fatima Sulaiman Albusaidi, an Omani national was the highest bidder for the Chevrolet Aveo LS Sedan Auto. The bidding for the car started at the price of Dhs 19,000 and closed at Dhs 33,300. She plans to donate the car to charity.

A visibly elated Fatima said: “I am extremely delighted to have won the auction for the car during the holy month. This is a gift from God and I wish to give the car back to charity. I cannot wait to give this news to my husband, who is on a business trip. I like shopping at Sahara Centre and I am glad that the mall has introduced such an innovative concept this time around.”

The LG LCD TV plus Home Theatre was auctioned at Dhs 5,000, LG notebook PC sold at Dhs 2,900, Sony Playstation 3 was sold at Dhs 2,000, Merlin Mobile Theatre Pro at Dhs 950, the Umra packages were sold at Dhs 2,400 and the other handicrafts and artifacts were also auctioned off at competitive prices.

“Designed with the theme of charity, we have ensured that the participants enjoy the bidding. We expect the participation to increase manifold in the ensuing two weeks. The money spent by the participants will be the money that we will give to Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services,” said Rima Chammas, Marketing Manager, Sahara Centre.

“In order to make the auction more interesting, we have categorized the products on a weekly basis so that we maintain the surprise and anxiety element within the participants,” added Rima.

Sahara Centre looks forward to welcome participants for its next Ramadan Charity Auction on October 11, 2007.