Saudi Research and Marketing Group

Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG) is a Saudi joint stock company registered in Riyadh. The group mainly publishes, prints and distributes various publications.[2]

Saudi Research and Marketing Group

Traded as	Tadawul: SRMG
ISIN	SA000A0JK5M3
Industry	Media; Public and Investor relations
Founded	5 July 1988
Headquarters	Riyadh
Key people	Abdulrahman bin Ibrahim Rwaita (Chairman)
Products	Asharq Al Awsat Arab News Al Majalla Al Eqtisadiah
Revenue	SAR 1,066.840 million (2010)[1]
Total assets	5,748,512,000 Saudi riyal (2019)
Owner	Al Ahli Capital Fund 13 29.90% Al Ahli Capital Fund 4 29.90%
Number of employees	300[1]
Website	srmg.com

Its closeness to the regime of Saudi Arabia has led it to be considered an organ of soft power for the regime in the west, particularly in the United Kingdom.[3][4]

History

The establishment of the SRMG dates back to 1963 when the first company of the group, Al Madina Printing and Publication Company, was founded.[5] Al Madina Printing and Publication Company, later, called Saudi Printing and Packaging Company (SPPC).[6] Hisham Hafiz was one of the founders of the company.[7] Kamal Adham, former head of Saudi intelligence, was also one of the early shareholders of the company.[8]

Next, the company was established in London in 1978.[9] Ten years later, on 5 July 1988, it was registered as a limited liability company in Riyadh and then, converted into a joint stock company in 2000.[10]

The company was listed in the Saudi stock market, Tadawul, 0n 8 April 2006 and therefore, went public.[11][12] In August 2008, an independent board of trustees of the company was formed, making it the first Arab media company with such a body.[11]

Major shareholders

The company has been often related with the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz.[13] However, he is neither the chairman nor the shareholder of the company.

Major shareholders of the SRMG are as follows:[14]

• Al Ahli Capital Fund 13 29.90%
• Al Ahli Capital Fund 4 29.90%

From 1989 to his death in 2002, Ahmed bin Salman was the chairman of the company.[13][15][16] Then, his younger brother Faisal bin Salman became the chairman of the company. On 9 February 2013, Turki bin Salman succeeded Prince Faisal as chairman of the SRMG when the latter was appointed governor of the Madinah province.[17] Prince Turki's term as chairman ended in April 2014 when he resigned from the post.[18]

On 13 December 2015 the board of directors appointed Badr bin Abdullah Al Saud as the chairman and an independent member of the board.[19]

Business fields

SRMG is the largest publishing company in the Middle East engaged mainly in providing information products and services by publishing newspapers and magazines across the Middle East and globally.[14] The company owns fifteen daily, weekly and monthly newspapers and magazines,[20] including Asharq Al Awsat, Arab News, Al Majalla, Urdu News, Arrajol and Al Eqtisadiah. Its establishment is regarded as the beginning of the new Saudi media empire.[9] Global Investment House in its 2009 report stated that SRMG newspapers have 29.3% market share in Saudi Arabia.[5]

Additionally, the company also deals with marketing, advertising and distributing services heavily across the MENA region and Europe.[21] SRMG operates in seven countries.[1]

Subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures

Major subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures of SRMG are given as follows:[14]

Company	Major activity	Country
Al Khaleejiah Advertising and Public Relations Company	Advertising and Public relations services	Saudi Arabia
Saudi Distribution Company	Distribution	Saudi Arabia
Arab Media Company Ltd.	Printing and publishing	Saudi Arabia
Al Ofoq Information Systems and Communication Company	Information systems and communication	Saudi Arabia
Saudi Research and Publishing Company	Research and publishing	Saudi Arabia
Saudi Commercial Company	Trading in perfumes, household items, and printing supplies	Saudi Arabia
Middle East Company Ltd.	Printing and publishing	United Kingdom
HH Saudi Research and Marketing Company	Publishing and distribution	United Kingdom
Satellite Graphics Company	Printing	United Kingdom
Arab Net Technology Ltd.	Internet services	United Kingdom
Moroccan Printing and Publishing Company	Printing and publishing	Morocco
Kuwait Group for Publishing, and Distribution Company Ltd.	Distribution	Kuwait
Emirates Printing, Publishing, and Distribution Company Ltd.	Distribution	UAE

Auditors

The SRMG is audited by Pricewaterhouse Coopers.[10][14]

References

1. "Saudi Research and Marketing Group Basic Company Profile". Global Media Market Intelligence. 28 May 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
2. "Saudi Research and Marketing Group". Bloomberg. 15 August 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
3. Waterson, Jim (19 October 2018). "Saudi Arabia pays UK firms millions to boost image". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
4. "Report: U.K. Media, PR Firms Worked for Saudi Arabia to Boost Image". The Daily Beast. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
5. "Saudi Research and Marketing Group" (PDF). Global Investment House. November 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
6. "Our Profile". SPPC. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
7. "Saudi media pioneer dies". AMEInfo. Arab News. 27 February 2006. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
8. Alterman, Jon B. (1998). "New Media New Politics?" (PDF). The Washington Institute. 48. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
9. Nawar, Ibrahim (2006). "Arab media lagging behind". WACC. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
10. "Investor relations". SRMG. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
11. "SRMG Becomes First Arab Media Group to Set up Board of Trustees". Asharq Alawsat. 18 August 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
12. "SRMG Goes Public". The Arab Press Network. 28 March 2006. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
13. Atwan, Abdul Bari; Jihad Khazen (1996). "In the Saudi pocket". Index on Censorship. 25 (2): 50–55. doi:10.1080/03064229608536032.
14. "The Saudi Research and Marketing Group – SRMG". Gulf Base. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
15. Drape, Joe (23 July 2002). "Prince Ahmed bin Salman, Top Horse Owner, Dies at 43". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
16. "Prince Ahmad ibn Salman passes away". Arab News. 23 July 2002. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
17. "Prince Turki bin Salman New SRMG Chairman". Asharq Alawsat. 10 February 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
18. "Prince Turki bin Salman resigns as SRMG chairman". Arab News. Jeddah. 7 April 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
19. "Prince Badr SRMG chairman". Arab News. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
20. "Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG)". Kingdom Holding Company. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
21. "Saudi Research and Marketing Group". Mubasher Info. Retrieved 21 May 2012.