Stock Split News: A pharmaceutical stock priced under Rs 250 is set to undergo a stock split soon. The company has announced the record date for the split. According to the company, the objective of this stock split is to improve liquidity in the capital market, expand the shareholder base, and make the shares more affordable and accessible to small and retail investors.

Why Stock Split Happens?

A stock split is a corporate action in which a company increases the number of its outstanding shares by dividing existing shares into multiple new shares. While the total market capitalization of the company remains unchanged, the per-share price decreases proportionally. This makes the stock more affordable to investors, enhances trading liquidity, and potentially attracts a broader range of investors.

For example, in a 2-for-1 stock split, each shareholder receives two shares for every one they previously held, but the share price is halved.

Shukra Pharmaceuticals Stock Split (Shukra Pharma Stock Split)

The pharma sector company has announced stock split from Rs 10 to Rs 1. It means sub-division of face value of Rs 10 each to face value of Re l each.

Shukra Pharmaceuticals Stock Split Record Date

The company has fixed Friday, March 21, 2025, as the record date.

“…This is to inform you that Friday, 2l, March, 2025 has been fixed as the Record Date to ascertain the eligibility of Shareholders for the purpose of sub-division / split of the Equity Shares of the company such that every 1 (one) Equity Share having nominal/face value of Rs. 10/ each be sub-divided into 10 [Ten) Equity shares having nominal/face value of ns. 1/- (Rupees one only) each,” the regulatory filing stated.

Shukra Pharmaceuticals Share Price

The share price was Rs 236, down 1.99 per cent at 11:33 AM on BSE, March 20.

Shukra Pharmaceuticals Share Price History

The company has a 52-week share price range of Rs 271.50 and Rs 57.52.

The share is down 10 per cent in one week. On a YTD basis, the stock is 64 per cent up. The shares have generated a massive 7464 and 9611 per cent results in 3 and 5 years’ timeline, respectively.

Author Credits: MSN

Author Credits: Yashee Sharma
Nine Network Australia Pty. Ltd.

Australians spent a record $69 billion on online shopping in 2024 as consumers leant towards sales and digital marketplaces.

Online marketplaces saw the bulk of the purchases at almost $16 billion, followed by food and liquor at $13.6 billion and fashion and apparel at $9.6 billion, according to the Australia Post’s 2025 Annual eCommerce Report.

Millennials led the demographics with the highest spend of almost $25 billion. Gen X spent $19 billion, Gen Z spent $12 billion and Baby Boomers spent $10 billion.

The total spend reached an all-time high and was up 12 per cent from the year before.
Australia Post found regional residents drove the jump in spending after recording a 2.9 per cent increase year on year.
Toowoomba and Mackay in Queensland and Point Cook in Victoria were the top locations that bought the most items online. 

“Meanwhile, in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, higher household debt, higher home prices and a greater sensitivity around higher interest rates really reined in spending,” Commonwealth Bank senior economist Belinda Allen said.

While Australia saw a record growth in sales, basket sizes (the value of a single transaction) were the lowest in a decade. 
Cost of living pressures saw the average basket size drop to $95, down 2.1 per cent from last year.

Shoppers took particular advantage of sales, with last year’s Black Friday event seeing a record $2.2 billion spent online.
“With cost-of-living pressures and high inflation an ongoing concern, Aussies turn to key sales events and loyalty programs to stretch their dollar further,” Australia Post’s Gary Starr said.

“We know that three-quarters of businesses are concerned that frequent sales events are training shoppers to only buy goods that are on sale.

“But we have to embrace that Aussies love a sale and strategic shopping has now become the norm.”

Author credits: ARAB NEWS

Trendyol, one of the world’s leading e-commerce platforms, and Alshaya Group, one of the leading international retail franchise operators, have announced that Alshaya Group’s American Eagle, Bath & Body Works, and H&M brands are joining its GCC marketplace.

Shoppers in Saudi Arabia and UAE can now access these brands directly on Trendyol with more brands and additional markets set to follow in the near future.

This development builds on the partnership between Trendyol and Alshaya in Turkiye, where Bath & Body Works and Victoria’s Secret have been available for several years. Last November, the collaboration extended to Saudi Arabia with the launch of American Eagle, Bath & Body Works, and H&M on Trendyol. In the UAE, H&M and American Eagle launched in March, with Bath & Body Works set to launch soon.

Mohamad ElAnsari, CEO of Trendyol Gulf, said: “We are incredibly excited to partner with Alshaya and onboard a selection of Alshaya’s best-loved brands, which will undoubtedly add to the appealing product mix we offer to Gulf shoppers. This partnership further validates our value proposition of commerce enablement to both local and regional retailers and global brands.”

Rob Silsbury, vice president, marketing & online at Alshaya Group, said: “We are really pleased to continue to be working with Trendyol to bring our customers across the region even more ways to experience our brands. Our customers are at the heart of our strategy, and a vital part of this is growing the choices we bring to them — we know that many of them use Trendyol as well as visiting our stores, and we look forward to growing the number of our brands that they can see on the platform.”

Since its launch in the GCC a year ago, Trendyol has become one of the region’s most downloaded shopping apps, attracting over three million customers and featuring 80,000 sellers in the Gulf. The platform currently processes more than one million orders per month during peak periods, with 80 percent of these orders originating from Saudi Arabia.

The extended agreement with Alshaya Group will see the latest trends from the brands’ latest collections be made available on Trendyol.

Author credits: Brianna Melville

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Cafe owner Pia Richardson has hit the footpath to hand out flyers in the hope of encouraging customers into empty seats in her Geraldton cafe, 420 kilometres north of Perth.

Business has been dwindling since December, she says, and the slump has forced her to confront the prospect of flipping the “closed” sign for good.

Her difficulties are echoed across the nation as a new report by CreditorWatch shows businesses, especially in the food and beverage sector, are struggling.

Hospitality closures hit a record high of 9.3 per cent — one in 11 businesses — in the 12 months to February, up from 7.1 per cent in the previous 12 months as customers under cost-of-living pressure cut their discretionary spending.

The report says the food and beverage services sector is dealing with the rising costs of food, energy and insurance price hikes, wage increases and higher rents.

Ms Richardson says she expected ups and downs when she opened the cafe in the WA mid-west coastal city in 2021, but not such steeply rising food costs and a doubling in insurance premiums.

“The cost of milk and butter have gone up 50 per cent,” she said.

“You can only pass it on so much before people won’t buy any more.

“It just wears away the little bit of profit that you have and you start eating into your spares (reserves of money),” she said.

Two break-ins at the business in recent months have added to the financial strain.

“Each time, we lose trade, we lose money (and) we have to pay to fix things,” she said.

‘Zero customer’ days add up

Down the road at a simulated car racing business, owner Edward Davidson says he is also having more “zero customer” days than ever.

Mr Davidson said he started Davos Sim Racing to keep on top of his mortgage when he “got too old to be in the mines”.

He dug into his superannuation to get the business established.

Players flooded his small arcade when the doors opened in 2020, but the numbers have dropped by as much as 60 per cent this year.

“I can get 10 days a month now, where there are zero,” he said.

“People just stopped spending. [The] business’s intake’s gone down, the lease has gone up, the insurances have gone up, the power’s gone up.

“We haven’t put our prices up.”

However, he says lots of locals pay for the same experience in Perth when they visit the capital city.

“They’re just taking the money out of town,” Mr Davidson said.

“They [locals] spend online or they spend out of town. Small family businesses really need the support of locals, otherwise, they shut down, and there’s nothing here.”

Inflation tightens wallets

Mid West Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Joanne Fabling said the Reserve Bank’s efforts to bring inflation down over recent years had concentrated effects on small businesses.

“The whole reason for holding interest rates up was to get people to stop spending,” she said.

“Who does that affect? First and foremost, it will be where the discretionary cash goes, which is the cafe.”

Ms Fabling said rises in insurance costs were affecting sporting clubs and events as well as small businesses.

She said the increase in natural disasters had driven up premiums and those based in coastal areas were some of the worst affected.

However, businesses could not operate without insurance.

“I would love a federal election commitment from the major parties around how the federal government can mitigate some of these insurance risks,” Ms Fabling said.

“We need to be able to provide assistance to our small to medium enterprises so that they can operate effectively.

“Insurance as an overhead is going to kill them.”

Ms Richardson and Mr Davidson said it would help if customers shopped locally when they could.

“I had one of my friends say, ‘I always go through a drive-through and get a toastie, and I forget to come here’,” Ms Richardson said.

“It’s just about being mindful, and if it is about choosing a multinational, or a corporation over a small business, choose the small business.”

News Credit: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-19/cafes-hospitality-closures-record-high-as-
spending-falls/105052348

Credits: SA Kader, Zawya Projects

Rents have surged by up to 33% driven by booming e-commerce, expanding last-mile delivery networks, and the rapid growth of the manufacturing sector.

The UAE’s logistics and industrial real estate sector is witnessing sustained growth, driven by rising demand, expanding e-commerce, and strategic government initiatives.

This comes as vacancy rates have dropped to record lows, with Grade A warehouses in high demand, pushing occupancy rates to nearly 90-95 percent, according to Abhishek Mittal, head of industrial advisory, MEA at JLL.

“The demand is fairly robust at the moment,” Mittal said. “It’s coming from e-commerce sales, third-party logistics (3PL) providers, and freight forwarders. The UAE, being a major transshipment destination, sees large volumes funneling into free zones, though we’re now seeing diversification into mainland supply chains as well.”

Industry experts suggest that supply, however, remains tight in the UAE. Over the next 18 to 24 months, Mittal expects about 300,000 – 500,000 square metres (sqm) of new space to come online, driven by key developments such as Aldar’s 150,000 sqm project and JAFZA’s logistics expansion. Despite this influx, he anticipates rental rates will stabilise rather than decline.

E-Commerce and specialised logistics

According to Knight Frank, industrial and logistics demand in Dubai surged by 225 percent in 2024, reaching 40.6 million square feet — a record high. This demand spike has driven rents up by 33 percent year-on-year, with vacancy rates averaging just 3 percent. Dubai Investments Park saw the sharpest rise, with rents climbing 48 percent to AED 50–70 per square foot, while Al Quoz Grade A rents soared by 45 percent to AED 72–100 per square.

Kunal Lahori, director of Manrre REIT Logistics Fund, echoed the sentiment of sustained growth, highlighting a sharp rise in rental rates across key industrial zones with some surging by more than 20 percent.

He attributed this demand to the rapid expansion of e-commerce, cloud kitchens, and dark stores, which are driving the need for specialized logistics spaces. “We are seeing a surge in demand for cold storage and high-tech fulfillment centres,” Lahori said.

Abu Dhabi gains momentum

Institutional investors are showing growing interest in the UAE’s industrial sector. Manrre REIT Logistics Fund recently secured 500 million UAE dirhams from GFH Partners, a testament to growing investor confidence, according to Lahori.

“With rising land and rental costs in Dubai, we are seeing a clear shift in investor and tenant interest toward Abu Dhabi and other Gulf markets. Abu Dhabi, in particular, has witnessed an uptick in industrial rental registrations, signaling growing demand,” he said.

JLL’s Mittal also highlighted the rising costs affecting tenants, noting that rents have increased, particularly in Dubai, across both land and built-up areas. However, he pointed out that Abu Dhabi is emerging as a competitive alternative, offering high-quality infrastructure at more affordable rates.

“Projects like KEZAD Logistics Park and the ADAFZ developments are attracting occupiers looking for more affordable alternatives without sacrificing infrastructure quality,” he said.

He noted that inner-city logistics, driven by last-mile delivery platforms, is a major driver of demand. “We’re seeing companies like Noon and Amazon expand their dark store and micro-fulfillment networks to ensure faster delivery times — sometimes within an hour,” he said.

Advanced manufacturing

Matthew Green, Head of Research at CBRE MENA, described the UAE’s industrial market as, “characterised by robust demand and record-low vacancy rates,” driven by targeted government initiatives, strategic investments, and a growing population and supported “a growing population, strong consumer, rising e-commerce sales and post-COVID supply chain diversification.”

Green highlighted Abu Dhabi’s increasing appeal for occupiers looking to balance costs. “Abu Dhabi offers investors a compelling option, with a more competitive cost structure for utilities and strong government support, as the Emirate looks to position itself as a major industrial hub through strategic initiatives like the Abu Dhabi Industrial Strategy, and substantial infrastructure investments in industrial zones like KEZAD Al’Mamoura,” he said.

He also pointed to the UAE’s broader push into high-tech and advanced manufacturing. “The UAE’s push to develop a larger and more dynamic manufacturing sector includes a major focus on advanced manufacturing, logistics, and food, supported by the government’s strategic initiatives and major infrastructure investments.”

Mittal added that the UAE’s ability to pivot towards high-tech industries is also reshaping demand. “Sectors like pharmaceuticals, electronics, and advanced manufacturing are driving new requirements for specialised facilities. These businesses need temperature control, high security, and advanced handling capabilities — the traditional warehouse model doesn’t cut it anymore,” he said.

Lahori added that they are also developing Grade A specialised warehouses, which remain limited in availability. “These state-of-the-art, box-style warehouses feature 20-metre-high ceilings, multiple loading bays, air-conditioning, and advanced sprinkler systems,” he said.

Designed to enhance operational efficiency, Lahori noted that these facilities provide tenants with a “highly functional and optimised logistics environment.”

A global logistics hub

Green emphasised the attractiveness of the UAE’s industrial assets to investors, noting that “the UAE’s industrial sector is becoming highly attractive to both regional and international investors, as reflected in the rising investment liquidity.”

The UAE government’s ambition to position the country as a global logistics and manufacturing hub is backed by significant infrastructure investments, free zone incentives, and streamlined regulatory processes. With a top-seven global ranking in the Logistics Performance Index and continuous expansion of ports and airports, the UAE remains a prime destination for foreign direct investment (FDI), which reached $35 billion in 2024.

“The stability the market provides, coupled with major infrastructure projects and enhanced regional connectivity, will continue driving considerable growth,” Mittal said.

As the UAE’s industrial landscape continues to evolve, developers are navigating rising land costs with innovative strategies, including build-to-suit solutions and speculative developments. Lahori anticipates that the market is on track to double its logistics footprint within the next year, driven by strategic partnerships and an urgent push to meet surging demand.

With cold chain logistics, high-tech manufacturing, and last-mile delivery centres at the forefront, the UAE’s logistics market is set to remain a heavyweight in the region – and an increasingly vital hub for global supply chains.

News Credit: https://www.zawya.com/en/projects/industry/uae-logistics-market-heats-up-as-soaring-
demand-pushes-rents-up-and-vacancy-rates-down-ouathwtv