23,000-square-metre facility to also speed up delivery of goods, help SMEs

Amazon Image Credit: File photo

Dubai: Amazon-owned Souq.com has opened a new facility in Dubai, which will create more than 600 new jobs, it has been announced.

The 23,000-square-metre fulfilment centre is designed to meet customer demand across the Middle East and help the e-commerce platform’s regional sellers, including small and medium businesses, reach their customers faster.

“As a result of the new fulfilment centre, over 600 new jobs will be created within the first year of launch,” the company said in a statement on Monday.

With the opening of the new facility, customers in the region will also be able to enjoy a much larger selection of items and their orders will be delivered quicker, according to Prashant Saran, director of Customer Fulfillment Middle East.

It was announced earlier this year that the e-retailing giant has acquired Souq.com in what was one of the most talked about deals in the region.

It wasn’t clear how much the deal cost Amazon, but some sources were quoted as saying that the company had put up an offer of more than $600 million.

Small entrepreneurs, in turn, could scale up their businesses. “More and more small and medium-sized businesses are choosing to join the Souq marketplace, utilising its capability and high-tech logistics services, in order to reach a larger customer base across the region,” said Ronaldo Mouchawar, CEO of Souq.

“This is helping to create jobs and support local suppliers.”

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Airports, president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman and CEO of Emirates Group, said he is pleased to know that a global e-commerce player is investing to build more facilities and capacity in Dubai.

He stressed that the local government provides flexible and adaptable legislations and specialized clusters to empower new business models and drive entrepreneurship in e-commerce.