Panda Retail Company has concluded the 86th National Day celebrations held simultaneously at some of its HyperPanda stores in Al Andalus Mall, Remal Mall and Jarir Mall in Jeddah, Riyadh and Al-Khobar. The celebrations, held under the slogan, ‘Our Heroes are in Our Hearts', displayed the love and gratitude of the citizens for the Saudi soldiers safeguarding the country's borders and for their sacrifices to ensure the Kingdom's security and safety. Aiming to bring joy to the shoppers, the National Day activities included traditional folklore dances such as Al-Ardah Al-Najdiya and Al-Mizmar, which were performed by various local groups at the HyperPanda stores. Each store in the three cities put up a wall displaying the picture of a Saudi soldier saluting the Saudi flag. Next to the wall a flagpole with a Saudi flag was erected to highlight the values of patriotism and national identity. Shoppers took souvenir photos while Panda staff in all the three stores wore T-shirts with the slogan ‘Our Heroes are in Our Hearts' printed on them to express their solidarity with the soldiers protecting the borders and enhance the citizenship values in shoppers. On the occasion, miniature flags and balloons were handed out as gifts to families and kids. As part of the celebrations, a new Guinness World Record was set for the largest number of people contributing to a rubber stamp image at the HyperPanda Al Andalus Mall branch in cooperation with Ismail Ali Abudawood Trading Company Limited (IATCO) and Procter & Gamble (P&G)'s Tide brand. The event featured a 4mx2m stamping wall at the HyperPanda mall bearing the map of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on which participants put colorful stamps. "I would like to congratulate the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, the Crown Prince and Deputy Crown Prince and the Saudi people on the occasion of the 86th National Day. May the blessing of security last forever and may Allah the Almighty guide our government to always serve Islam and our Kingdom," said Muwaffaq Mansour Jamal, Chief Executive Officer, Panda Retail Company. "This is a momentous occasion during which we remember the heroic acts of the late King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, the founder of the Kingdom. It is an occasion that commemorates the unification of the Kingdom," Jamal added. "We hold the National Day close to our hearts and celebrate it annually as part of our national duty and in line with our sense of responsibilities. We want to give citizens and expatriates, young and old, a great opportunity to observe this day with joy and showcase the Saudi national pride on this occasion. This is also an opportunity to display how proud Panda staff members are of their nationality and their beloved country." He said this year's celebrations were held under the slogan, ‘Our Heroes are in Our Hearts' to emphasize that the citizens are standing by the Saudi soldiers on the borders. "Our country is safe and secure by the grace of Allah the Almighty and the efforts of our government and heroes on the borders," he pointed out. On this day, the value of loyalty, entrenched in the citizens and the brave soldiers, is clearly manifested. The heroic acts of our soldiers will always be remembered and appreciated, he added. Various segments of the society took part in the celebrations in huge numbers to express their pride for the country and the brave soldiers.
