Amazon doubles storage capacity in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH, June 03 (Arab News): Amazon has launched a new fulfillment centre in Riyadh doubling its total storage capacity in Saudi Arabia and increasing selling opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses.
The facility, which spans 390,000 sq. feet across five floors, with 2.7 million cubic feet capacity can store more than 9 million products, according to a statement.
The opening of the fulfillment centre in the Saudi capital will provide SMBs a platform to showcase their products and expand their reach, a top official of the e-commerce giant said.
In an interview with Arab News, Prashant Saran, director of operations for Amazon in the Middle East and North Africa region, said that the new facility will provide sellers with more storage options and help them expand their online businesses to new markets.
"Whenever a new fulfillment centre opens, it has a transformative impact on the economy of the host city by contributing to expanding product selection and availability, growth of e-commerce sales, talent development, and the acceleration of entrepreneurship," said Saran.
He added: "The majority of products sold on Amazon.sa come from small and medium-sized businesses. In fact, many SMBs venture into e-commerce for the first time using our simple and convenient services."
Saran noted that Amazon has been working closely with Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, also known as Monsha'at, to host 40,000 sellers on Amazon.sa by 2025.
Amazon's fulfillment centres are hubs that enable the e-commerce firm to store millions of units of inventory, and serve as distribution centres where associates store, pick, pack, and ship orders.
The new centre was opened in Riyadh on Tuesday in the presence of Suliman Al-Mazroua, CEO of the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program, and officials of the Ministry of Transport and Logistics Services, the Transport General Authority; and Monsha'at.