LONDON: The online “Arabic-first” shopping platform Noon.com has launched in Saudi Arabia, aiming to carve out a share in what is still a relatively nascent market for e-commerce.
Noon is a joint venture between Emaar Properties chairman Mohamed Alabbar, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the Kuwaiti franchise operator MH Alshaya. It initially launched in the UAE in October. The Saudi market offers significant growth potential to online retailers, analysts say, given the low proportion of the population who regularly shop on the internet rather than in the Kingdom’s shopping malls.
“KSA is a key market for online retail,” said Euromonitor analyst Rabia Yasmeen, adding that the online share of the total Saudi retail market is around 1.4 percent.
Norma Taki, head of retail at PwC Middle East, added: “Our 2017 Total Retail survey results show that 27 percent of shoppers in KSA like to shop online monthly versus 45 percent who shop only a few times a year.
“This highlights that there is a huge opportunity for market entrants such as Noon.com to come in and capitalize on the young population and the tech-savvy end consumer the KSA market has to offer.”
Noon went live at midday on Dec. 12. It is headquartered in Riyadh and offers products across a wide range of sectors including beauty, fashion, electronics, home and kitchen and groceries. Shoppers can make purchases online or via a downloadable app.
“Noon brings a dynamic, locally-driven and customer-oriented digital marketplace to the Kingdom serving the community and offering a new retail and much-improved experience,” said the founder of Noon, Mohamed Alabbar.
“With talented young Saudis driving its operations, along with being powered by Saudi and regional retailers showcasing their amazing products, the platform also offers Saudi entrepreneurs, including startups, to be part of a fast-growing digital ecosystem.”
Noon will be a competitor to Souq.com, which was acquired by global online giant Amazon in March. Souq already operates in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Egypt.
This month Souq launched Amazon Global Store, which allows customers in the UAE to purchase products from the US-based Amazon.
The Middle East is set to be one of the fastest-growing regions globally for e-commerce, according to BMI Research. It predicted sales to double to at least $48.8 billion by 2021, in a research note published in September.
This growth is partly due to the high proportion of young consumers, BMI said, with all the Middle Eastern countries it ranks having more than 30 percent of its population aged between 20 and 39 years old.
The UAE still dominates the regional online market, it said, with and sales in the UAE will reach $9.7 billion in 2017, rising to $23.3 billion by 2021.
Saudi online retail market heats up with Noon.com launch
Saudi online retail market heats up with Noon.com launch
‘Aramcorama’ at Ithra: A living archive of energy, culture, memory
- Exhibition showcases how ordinary items can help make extraordinary transformations
DHAHRAN: “Aramcorama,” within Ithra’s museum, reimagines the exhibition experience, turning the Kingdom’s industrial history into a personal and immersive journey.
Rather than simply documenting the rise of the country’s oil industry, the exhibition explores how it shaped cities, communities, and modern life.
It encourages visitors to reflect on how past events changed people’s sense of identity.
“Aramcorama” tells the story through a rich selection of visuals. Geological maps, handwritten notes, internal messages, and photographs trace nearly a century of growth and change.
HIGHLIGHTS
• At ‘Aramcorama’ exhibition, Geological maps, handwritten notes, internal messages, and photographs trace nearly a century of growth and change.
• Visitors can explore how Aramco’s global outlook has influenced not only individual lives but also the nation’s perspective.
Visitors can explore a timeline highlighting each decade and framed by hanging prints and illuminated media displays. This setup creates an engaging environment that feels dynamic and full of discovery.
Abdullah Alshammasi, a longtime engineer at Aramco, spoke to Arab News about how the company influenced more than just the oil and gas industry and impacted generations of employees and locals.
He said: “The company certainly had lasting consequences on the earliest generations that worked in it.
Aramco’s history is the modern history of the communities that lived in the Eastern Province.
Abdullah Alshammasi, Aramco engineer
“The fact is, since the company was established it needed a knowledgeable workforce, so a campaign of education was also established, and it steadily increased in depth from manual skills to softer, more intellectual skills.”
The exhibition also showcases vintage safety posters that were originally used to display workplace rules. These posters show how design and language have changed over the years, highlighting the changes in style and communication.
This section of the exhibition captures the story’s understated honesty, letting ordinary items like posters, letters, and tools tell the story of values, habits, and shifting responsibilities.
As visitors explore the exhibition, they can see how the company’s global outlook has influenced not only individual lives but also the nation’s perspective.
Alshammasi explained: “Generations have now been everywhere around the globe, studying at the best institutions, bringing back with them a better sense of the world, widening their horizons and, therefore, our societies and culture.”
“Aramcorama” ultimately reflects how modern Saudi society was built; not just through buildings and oil fields, but also through education, progress, and mindset.
Alshammasi said: “It tells me that Aramco is as old as our modern lives.”
This fact is especially evident in the Eastern Province, where the company’s presence reshaped daily life, and Alshammasi added: “Aramco’s history is the modern history of the communities that lived in the Eastern Province. Their lives were directly affected by the company, for good and for ill.”
The exhibition does not hide that tension, but invites reflection on both progress and its costs, what was gained and what may have been lost.
“Aramcorama” does not ask visitors to celebrate or criticize, but to notice, reflect, and form their own opinions.
It respects the complexity of history and shows how innovation, labor, infrastructure, and community are all deeply connected.
Saudi crown prince and Iranian president discuss Iran-Israel ceasefire deal
- Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman expresses hope the truce will restore security and stability in the region and prevent further confrontation
- Prince Mohammed receives calls from prime ministers of Iraq and Pakistan
RIYADH: During a telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel.
The prince expressed the Kingdom’s hope that the truce would help restore security and stability in the region and prevent the risk of further confrontation, the Saudi Press Agency reported. He underscored Saudi Arabia’s consistent position in support of diplomatic dialogue as the preferred path for the resolution of disputes.
The pause in the conflict between Israel and Iran, which began on June 13, was announced hours after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched missile strikes on Monday that targeted Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military installation in the Middle East.
In the aftermath of the attack, the crown prince spoke with Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s solidarity with the country, and strongly condemned what he described as Iran’s “unjustified and blatant aggression” against the Gulf state.
The crown prince also received a phone call from Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani on Tuesday. Both leaders welcomed the entry into force of the ceasefire agreement and stressed the need to exert necessary efforts to preserve security and stability.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the crown prince held a similar phone call.
Saudi FM takes part in emergency meeting of GCC foreign ministers
- Session convened to discuss Monday’s Iranian missile attack on US base in Qatar
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan participated in an emergency meeting of Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers on Tuesday, the Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry reported.
The meeting discussed Iranian aggression against Qatar, developments in the region, and their security repercussions.
It came a day after Iranian missiles targeted the American military base Al-Udeid near Doha.
Prince Faisal and his counterparts from the GCC were also received by the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
During their meeting, GCC countries affirmed their solidarity with Qatar and condemned Iranian aggression on its territory.
They said the attack constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and the principles of good neighborliness, and is unacceptable and cannot be justified under any circumstances.
The progress of joint Gulf action, fruitful cooperation and coordination between its countries, and ways to advance it to benefit its peoples were also discussed.
Saudi cookbooks for kids win ‘Best in World’ Gourmand award
- ‘Aklana’s’ 13 volumes document Saudi culinary and cultural traditions
- Building a ‘golden age’ of literature for kids, publisher tells Arab News
JEDDAH: A children’s cookbook showcasing Saudi Arabia’s rich culinary heritage has won one of the world’s top awards.
Layal Idriss received the 2024 “Best in the World” Gourmand Cookbook Award in Cascais, Portugal, recently for her work as the creative director, publisher, and visual storyteller behind the “Aklana” book series.
The series is an ambitious project documenting the Kingdom’s culinary culture for children.
Speaking to Arab News, Idriss described the award moment as “truly overwhelming.”
The co-founder of Dar Waraqa and Radish House Agency added: “I was honored to be invited to speak on the Gourmand stage about ‘Aklana’ from Saudi Books, highlighting Saudi culinary food and culture.
“To stand there, representing a project that is so dear to my heart, filled me with immense gratitude.”
The “Aklana” series, created in collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Culture’s Culinary Arts Commission and published by Dar Waraqa, comprises 13 individually designed books, each dedicated to one of the Kingdom’s provinces.
The series was envisioned as a “holistic cultural journey” for children, designed to inform and delight local and global readers alike.
Idriss explained that “with every dot we put on paper, we recognized that we were serving a global readership.”
To ensure international accessibility, the books were translated into English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese.
In her role as creative director, she led a team of four to five artists per book, each handpicked to reflect the cultural tone and visual storytelling of the region they depicted.
“The goal was not just beautiful illustrations, but visuals that truly captured the essence of the narrative and cultural elements,” she said.
Ensuring artistic and editorial cohesion across all 13 volumes was no small feat: “Directing multiple artists while maintaining a unified look and feel was a complex yet rewarding challenge.
“From initial sketches to final production, I oversaw every step to guarantee consistency in design and storytelling.”
Alongside project manager Mohammed Hasanain, Idriss also prioritized premium production quality.
She said: “We focused on high-quality production from illustrations to paper believing that a beautifully made book serves as the best messenger for a vibrant culture.”
Speaking about what sets “Aklana” apart globally, Idriss highlighted its unique fusion of cultural depth, educational content and visual excellence.
Each book explores not only food but also local traditions, celebrations and natural resources.
“Many cultural cookbooks might offer recipes, but few delve so comprehensively into the lifestyle, celebrations, and natural resources tied to the food presented through such a rich and consistently high-quality visual narrative,” she said.
For Idriss, this award is validation of a lifelong mission.
“Personally, this award is an incredibly encouraging milestone. I’ve devoted my life to bookmaking with a clear vision: to contribute to building the golden age of children’s literature in Saudi Arabia,” she said.
While “Aklana” focuses on culinary heritage, Idriss believes the same level of dedication must extend to all genres of children’s literature in the Kingdom.
“The underlying passion for creating meaningful and beautifully crafted books remains the same,” she added.
The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards receive submissions from more than 221 countries and regions.
Every year, the awards ceremony is held in a location known for its gastronomic heritage, attracting publishers, chefs, authors, and journalists from across the globe.
With “Aklana” now part of both the Saudi and global culinary conversation, Idriss hopes it will spark a new wave of culturally grounded publishing initiatives across the Arab world.
“‘Aklana’s’ success provides a strong model. We hope it inspires future projects in the Kingdom and across the region to delve deeper into cultural exploration, setting new benchmarks for quality in publishing.
“We’re committed to continuing this journey, sharing our books globally, as we believe they are vital cultural messengers.”
King Abdulaziz Foundation launches Darah Documents initiative for greater accessibility to records
- Initiative seeks to connect new generations with their heritage and enhance the role of historic documents as primary sources for helping to understand Kingdom’s past
- Darah Documents features a digital system that supports browsing and advanced search capabilities
RIYADH: The King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives has unveiled the Darah Documents initiative, a project designed to broaden public access to Saudi Arabia’s historic records and deepen national awareness of their significance.
The initiative, which was launched on Monday, seeks to connect new generations with their heritage and enhance the role of historic documents as primary sources for helping to understand the Kingdom’s past.
Darah spokesperson Sultan Al-Owairdi told Arab News that the foundation is using technology such as artificial intelligence to modernize archival access.
He said that "automated indexing of historical materials using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and text analysis technologies contributes to reducing human effort and accelerating accessibility."
Additional enhancements include AI-powered search tools, contextual linking of historical landmarks, and real-time multilingual translations to broaden global reach. Al-Owairdi further emphasized youth engagement, stating: "Darah is implementing several programs and activities connected to the initiative, targeting young people specifically."
These include training workshops, field visits, and expert dialogues designed to simplify historical concepts in contemporary formats. The foundation also leverages "simplified and appealing digital content that aligns with the interests of the younger generation," encouraging creative contributions to national memory preservation.
At the heart of the initiative is a digital portal and beneficiary services center, which together offer researchers, historians and interested individuals streamlined access to a diverse range of archival materials.
These collections span local and foreign documents, manuscripts, photographs, oral histories and more, covering topics from politics and the economy to society, culture and education.
Darah Documents features a digital system that supports browsing and advanced search capabilities. Users can request documents electronically or explore them directly at the beneficiary services center.
The platform also provides descriptive information and translations for non-Arabic content, making the archives more accessible to a broader audience.
As a nationally recognized authority on historic preservation, the foundation is committed to collecting, organizing, cataloging and digitizing documents according to rigorous scientific and archival standards.
This phased initiative includes ongoing indexing and the release of high-value historic records, ensuring their preservation and optimal use for research and cultural enrichment.
Aligned with Saudi Vision 2030, Darah Documents reinforces national identity and supports the Kingdom’s digital and knowledge transformation by making historic content more widely available.
