PHOTO
31 August 2016
Online retail entrepreneur sees opportunities, but logistics are still a challenge.
(Refiles to fix typo in first paragraph)
Dubai entrepreneur Rashid Alabbar, the co-founder of online fashion portal SIVVI.com, sees strong opportunities for the Gulf's fast growing e-commerce industry in the Iraqi and Egyptian markets, he told Zawya in an interview on Tuesday.
"I have actually got a request from someone in Iraq asking for products from the website," Alabbar said when asked about expansion plans for his website.
"However we did not know how to deliver products to him in Iraq. The only limiting factor there is the logistics on the ground. We need to have access there and we are looking for partners to deliver the products on the ground," he added.
Rashid is the son of Mohamed Alabbar, the chairman of Emaar Properties, the government-backed developer behind some of the Emirate's iconic buildings, such as Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower.
While his father has focused predominantly on real estate, the younger Alabbar's passion is for the online retail sector. In 2013, his sister Salama launched BySymphony.com, the online extension to the Symphony boutique in The Dubai Mall.
The two siblings grouped together with their father to set up Alabbar Enterprises, a holding company which runs a variety of food, beverage and retail businesses across the Middle East and North Africa.
Alabbar Enterprises in April announced a $113 million deal to purchase a 4 percent stake in Yoox Net-A-Porter (YNAP), an Italian-based global online retailer.
SIVVI.com was launched in 2014 and is a platform for over 100 international brands, including Emma Cook, Anna Baiguera and Lucy Choi.
"Saudi and the Emirates are still very strong markets for us. But for the future, Iraq and Egypt have big populations so it goes without saying that we want to go there. If we can find access to these populations, then we will do it," Alabbar said.
Egypt is the Arab world's most populous nation of over 90 million people, more than twice that of the six Gulf Cooperative Council states combined. At the same time, Iraq offers around 30 million potential new clients for Alabbar to attract to his online portals.
© Zawya 2016
Online retail entrepreneur sees opportunities, but logistics are still a challenge.
(Refiles to fix typo in first paragraph)
Dubai entrepreneur Rashid Alabbar, the co-founder of online fashion portal SIVVI.com, sees strong opportunities for the Gulf's fast growing e-commerce industry in the Iraqi and Egyptian markets, he told Zawya in an interview on Tuesday.
"I have actually got a request from someone in Iraq asking for products from the website," Alabbar said when asked about expansion plans for his website.
"However we did not know how to deliver products to him in Iraq. The only limiting factor there is the logistics on the ground. We need to have access there and we are looking for partners to deliver the products on the ground," he added.
Rashid is the son of Mohamed Alabbar, the chairman of Emaar Properties, the government-backed developer behind some of the Emirate's iconic buildings, such as Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower.
While his father has focused predominantly on real estate, the younger Alabbar's passion is for the online retail sector. In 2013, his sister Salama launched BySymphony.com, the online extension to the Symphony boutique in The Dubai Mall.
The two siblings grouped together with their father to set up Alabbar Enterprises, a holding company which runs a variety of food, beverage and retail businesses across the Middle East and North Africa.
Alabbar Enterprises in April announced a $113 million deal to purchase a 4 percent stake in Yoox Net-A-Porter (YNAP), an Italian-based global online retailer.
SIVVI.com was launched in 2014 and is a platform for over 100 international brands, including Emma Cook, Anna Baiguera and Lucy Choi.
"Saudi and the Emirates are still very strong markets for us. But for the future, Iraq and Egypt have big populations so it goes without saying that we want to go there. If we can find access to these populations, then we will do it," Alabbar said.
Egypt is the Arab world's most populous nation of over 90 million people, more than twice that of the six Gulf Cooperative Council states combined. At the same time, Iraq offers around 30 million potential new clients for Alabbar to attract to his online portals.
© Zawya 2016
