Nayax is a global payment company, they operate in over 100 countries worldwide. It provides end to end cashless solutions across several sectors, with a focus on three main verticals: unattended domain, attended retail, then Nayax’s energy which supports EV charging. Nayax primarily operates in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
Yinon provides in depth insights into Nayax’ s plan for the Middle East region.
Marco gives the audience an insight into Amazon Ads and provides a brief overview of how the platform works, particularly from the perspective of a seller onboarding onto Amazon Ads. When asked whether the solution is limited to sellers in the UAE or available in other markets, Marco explains that Amazon Ads has a presence in four marketplaces: the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey, where both sellers and vendors can offer their products to customers.
MONEYHASH is the Middle East and Africa’s first leading payment orchestration platform. It offers a single API plugin for merchants. Maram goes into detail about Moneyhash and how it works, explaining what brought Moneyhash to the Middle Eastern market. She also discusses what led Moneyhash to participate in SEAMLESS.
After tasting success in fashion retail with Pantaloons, Kishore Biyani set his sights on capturing the grocery market and established Big Bazaar.
Kishore Biyani, the founder of Big Bazaar– India’s first retail store– and the Pantaloons clothing brand, was once called the ‘retail king’ of India as his chain of retail stores earned hefty profits, often registering daily earnings well in excess of Rs 30 crore or more. However, a single mistake toppled the retail empire built by Kishore Biyani, bankrupted him, and sent him to the deepest pits of obscurity.
The story begins in 1983, when after finishing college, Kishore Biyani decided to start his own venture, instead of joining his father’s business. In college, Biyani found that stone wash trousers were wildly popular among young men in those days, and fabric’s demand was increasing in India at a rapid pace.
Realising the demand, Biyani purchased 200 meters of the fabric from Jupiter Mill, and sold it to earn a hefty profit. However, soon Kishore Biyani stumbled upon the idea of manufacturing and trading fashionable stone wash trousers instead of selling the fabric to other manufacturers, thus establishing the Pantaloons brand.
Pantaloons grew at a rapid pace, and soon opened its first retail showroom in Kolkata, where the brand launched women’s and kids’ clothing along with men’s apparel. The store’s light colors, lighting, and the overall look and feel, were designed to evoke a calming shopping experience, and soon Pantaloons made Kishore Biyani the undisputed king of fashion retail in the country.
After tasting success in fashion retail with Pantaloons, Kishore Biyani set his sights on capturing the growing grocery market. Biyani observed that people only spend about 8 percent of their income on clothes, and decided to sell groceries, stationery, food items, and jewelry along with clothing.
Biyani’s unique plan was to make everything, from clothes to groceries and kitchen essentials, available to consumers under a single roof, and thus Big Bazaar, India’s first retail store, was born.
Big Bazaar was targeted towards the growing middle class, so instead of an expensive, posh-looking store, Biyani decided that his retail store would have the feel of a regular grocery shop, where the sales persons were dressed in regular clothes, instead of bow ties and suits. The name Big Bazaar resonated with the common man, and made enhanced its appeal, and soon the brand grew into a behemoth that minted over Rs 30 crore on a daily basis.
Kishore Biyani wanted to compete with local grocery shops, so his strategy revolved around offering cheaper prices than traditional grocery stores.
Beyond Big Bazaar, Biyani wanted to establish a place where consumers could shop for all types of goods under a single roof, and thus opened the Central Mall in Bengaluru in 2004. The 20000 square meters mall had everything from footwear to home decor, food, grocery, jewellery stores, food courts, restaurants, pubs, and movie theaters.
Biyani’s Future Group– the holding company which had all his brands like Big Bazaar, Central Mall, Easy Day, and Pantaloons, under its umbrella– had the largest share in India’s retail sector, and made Biyani the ‘retail king’ of India.
After conquering the retail industry, Kishore Biyani desired to venture into every business which directly dealt with the consumer, but this proved to be downfall because his unplanned expansion resulted in mounting debt which ultimately swelled to over Rs 12000 crore.
Soon, Biyani was forced to sell the Central Mall for Rs 476 crore, and while Big Bazaar kept going for year despite large debts, its sales crashed, and so did Biyani’s retail empire, during the 2008 recession. In March 2019, Biyani sold the Pantaloons brand to the Aditya Birla Group for Rs 1600 crore, while banks froze the assets and shares of Future Group after he failed to clear debts.
Later, Kishore Biyani sold Big Bazaar to Reliance Retail– Indis’s largest retailer run by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s daughter Isha Ambani. Reliance has now renamed Big Bazaar to Smart Bazaar.
At the peak of his business success, Kishore Biyani had net worth pegged at USD 1.78 billion in 2019, according to Forbes. However, after bankruptcy, his current wealth is believed to be a fraction of the fortune he once owned.
Author Credits- Gazi Abbas Shahid
India.com
Canada’s Dollarama (DOL.TO), beat quarterly sales and profit estimates on Wednesday, as consumers favored discounted alternatives for household supplies and groceries amid domestic economic uncertainty.
Toronto-listed shares of the company rose nearly 9% after CEO Neil Rossy said that the company will continue to hold on its current price “for as long as possible” and adjustments to product prices will be a “last resort.”
Canadian consumers are relying on cheaper offerings across categories, ranging from pantry staples to cleaning supplies, as they curtail household spending amid economic uncertainties, benefiting dollar store operators like Dollarama.
A price hike would likely curtail demand, and Dollarama said it expected to take a margin hit from counter tariffs imposed by Canada on a portion of goods from the United States.
About 53% of the products it sells were procured from North American vendors while other overseas imports accounted for 47% of total procurement.
Dollarama reported comparable store sales of 4.9%, above estimates of 3.4% in the quarter ended May 4, according to data compiled by LSEG.
First-quarter net sales of C$1.52 billion ($1.11 billion) narrowly beat analysts’ estimates of C$1.5 billion.
The company’s net earnings per share of 98 Canadian cents beat analysts’ expectations of 84 Canadian cents.
Dollarama also reaffirmed its annual comparable sales expectations of a 3% to 4% rise.
However, TD Cowen analyst Brian Morrison sees a potential for Dollarama to raise its forecast in the second half of the fiscal year, saying that the company continues to “underpromise and overdeliver.”
In the U.S., off-price and discount retailers have painted a mixed picture as American consumers have turned cautious and limited their purchases.
Dollar General (DG.N), and Dollar Tree (DLTR.O), raised their annual forecasts while Ross Stores (ROST.O), withdrew its fiscal 2025 forecasts.
($1 = 1.3682 Canadian dollars)
Author Credits- Neil J Kanatt
Reuters
DHL Group (“DHL”) has announced plans to invest more than EUR 500 million in the Middle East, with a strategic focus on the rapidly expanding Gulf markets of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This investment, set to take place between 2024 and 2030, underscores DHL’s commitment to the region and its importance for the future of global trade. DHL Group’s Strategy 2030, launched in 2024, prioritizes growth regions and geographic tailwinds generated by shifts in global trade.
The investment spans all four DHL divisions – DHL Express, DHL Global Forwarding, DHL Supply Chain, and DHL eCommerce – and will significantly strengthen the region’s logistics backbone. By enhancing infrastructure, expanding networks and capacity, and elevating service capabilities, DHL aims to empower businesses operating across and with the Middle East to capitalize on growth opportunities from trade, ensuring support and resilience for customers as they navigate evolving market demands. The company’s divisions provide a broad portfolio of logistics and transportation services to customers in the Middle East, including express parcel delivery, air, ocean and overland freight, warehousing, fulfilment and distribution, customs brokerage and specialized operations for sectors such as life sciences, healthcare, e-commerce and battery logistics.
“The region of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is rapidly emerging as a global logistics and innovation hub,” said John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express. “Our investment reflects the region’s increasing strategic importance in connecting Asia, Europe, and Africa, and our commitment to supporting its transformation into a catalyst for regional and global trade. DHL Express is seeing dynamic growth and export potential in the region’s e-commerce sector, for example, which is providing opportunities for entrepreneurs and smaller businesses to expand their offering to global markets.”
Supporting FDI, exports and building supply chain resilience
The Middle East is emerging as a vital trade hub, facilitating commerce between Asia, Europe, and the US while serving as a gateway to Africa. The region is witnessing growth not only due to attracting investments from multinationals expanding their operations but also because Gulf- and Middle East-based businesses are growing and increasing their exports. DHL’s services, the local and global expertise of its team, and the flexibility offered by the company’s extensive transportation and warehousing network and digital platforms, automation and technologies help businesses build supply chain resilience at a time of heightened volatility and uncertainty in global trade.
Hendrik Venter, CEO of DHL Supply Chain, Europe, Middle East & Africa, added, “DHL Supply Chain has actively expanded in Saudi Arabia and UAE in recent years, recognizing the positive economic development, the increasing maturity and sophistication of supply chain operations in the region and the growing demand for specialized, outsourced logistics support. With a strong focus on the energy sector, life sciences, healthcare, and technology, we are poised to take advantage of our contract logistics expertise to meet the unique needs of our customers and drive innovation in these critical areas.”
Amadou Diallo, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding, Middle East & Africa, remarked, “This investment underscores our confidence in the Middle East’s economic trajectory and our continued commitment to be ahead of the curve in digital capabilities and sustainable transportation for our customers. We also consistently aim to find entrepreneurial freight forwarding solutions that build supply chain resilience, keep their goods flowing and help them to uncover growth opportunities in a world that is characterized by uncertainty and volatility. By expanding our operations, we will be even better positioned to support our clients in navigating the complexities of international trade and logistics.”
DHL Group recognizes the growing opportunities in the energy sector, encompassing traditional oil and gas as well as renewables and electrification. The company also sees potential in the life sciences and healthcare markets, alongside the burgeoning e-commerce landscape. For example, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is experiencing a strong inbound market for B2C, especially with high-end goods, driven by ongoing tourism initiatives and events.
Targeted investments in quality, capacity and efficiency
The investments will focus on the following areas across DHL’s business units:
DHL is also committed to sustainability, investing in alternative fuel, and electric delivery vehicles, aviation fuels in air freight and biofuels for road and ocean freight, as well as solar energy and clean power for facilities. This commitment ensures that supply chains become more sustainable, and customers achieve their net zero ambitions. This is aligned with the agenda of governments in the region to lead on environmental sustainability. DHL aims to implement best practices in logistics and innovation, strengthening its longstanding position as a leader and investor in the talent and economic potential of the Middle East.
News Credits- DHL Group
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s e-commerce sales using Mada cards increased by 57 percent in April compared to the same month last year, hitting SR23.27 billion ($6.2 billion).
Data by the Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA, shows online transactions through Mada exceeded 132 million for the month, up 40.75 percent year on year, reflecting a substantial increase in consumers shopping via websites and mobile apps.
These figures include purchases made online using linked debit cards and e-wallets, but they do not account for credit card transactions processed through international networks such as Visa or Mastercard.
Mada, formerly known as Saudi Payment Network, is the Kingdom’s national electronic payment system, connecting all ATMs and point-of-sale terminals to a central payments switch.
It enables debit and prepaid card services for millions of Saudis, allowing them to pay both in stores and online using funds directly from bank accounts. Importantly, Mada transactions utilize near-field communication technology for secure, contactless payments, meaning shoppers can simply tap their card or smartphone at terminals for instant checkout.
This system has become a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s push toward a cashless economy, ensuring fast and secure transactions at physical retail locations and on e-commerce platforms. The accelerating uptake of Mada-enabled digital payments highlights growing consumer trust in online shopping and the success of national efforts to modernize the payments ecosystem.
Despite the e-commerce boom, in-store point-of-sale transactions showed contrasting trends in April. The total value of POS purchases at physical retail outlets slipped to SR52.22 billion, marking a 1.38 percent decline year on year according to SAMA data.
This slight drop in sales comes even as the number of POS transactions climbed by around 11.6 percent to 891.5 million over the same period. In other words, Saudi consumers made significantly more card payments in person than a year ago, but were spending slightly less per transaction on average.
SAMA’s figures indicate over 2 million POS terminals are now deployed nationwide to facilitate card payments — a network 16.37 percent larger than a year ago, reflecting the Kingdom’s drive to expand electronic payment acceptance among businesses large and small.
This divergence — higher transaction counts but lower total POS value — suggests a behavioral shift as digital payments become frequent for everyday purchases. With contactless “tap-and-go” cards and mobile wallets now the norm, consumers are using cards for smaller, frequent buys like groceries or coffee.
This has driven up transaction volumes while curbing the average ticket size of each sale. Indeed, nearly all card swipes are now contactless; about 94 percent of in-store card transactions in Saudi Arabia are made via NFC, whether through a physical card, smartphone, or smartwatch, according to SAMA.
The convenience of tap-to-pay has encouraged people to rely less on cash even for low-value items, contributing to the surge in POS transaction counts.
Another factor influencing the year-on-year comparison is the timing of Ramadan and Eid shopping. In 2024, the holy month of Ramadan and the Eid Al-Fitr festival fell largely in April, boosting retail spending in that period.
In contrast, Ramadan in 2025 fell mainly in March, pushing POS sales to about SR66 billion that month. As a result, April 2025 didn’t see the same holiday-related boost, which likely played a role in the softer in-store sales figures, even though the overall trend in electronic transactions continues to grow.
Categories like food & beverages and dining — which according to SAMA data were the top two POS spending sectors in April at around SR7.7 billion each — continue to dominate physical sale, but their growth may have been tempered without the late-Ramadan rush present a year ago.
The growth is also being fueled by new services and partnerships. In April, SAMA signed an agreement with Google to launch Google Pay in Saudi Arabia using Mada’s payment infrastructure.
Expected to roll out later in 2025, this integration will allow users to add their Mada-linked debit cards to Google Wallet for seamless tap-to-phone payments and online purchases, further expanding the mobile payment options available to consumers.
This follows earlier introductions of Apple Pay and local mobile wallets, meaning Saudi shoppers will soon have a full suite of global and domestic smartphone payment apps at their disposal.
Such developments not only offer greater convenience but also help normalize cashless spending across all demographics — including younger, tech-savvy consumers who favor using their phones and wearables to pay.
Author Credits- DAYAN ABOU TINE
ARAB NEWS
Online shopping in South Africa is surging, with Temu and Shein dominating the market. According to a recent DM News story, these platforms have reinvented the concept of convenience.
Their “instant gratification infrastructure” has turned shopping into a tempting cycle where patrons are fascinated. They simply scroll, tap, buy, and they have the product they want. They avoid many of the problems faced by regional competitors like Woolworths and Pick n Pay, thanks to AI-driven marketing, highly integrated supply chains, and a network of global shippers.
Their digital advertising resources exceed those of regional products, attracting South Africa’s social media-expert consumers. Even with some challenges, such as inferior quality or poor customer service, younger buyers are principally drawn to the affordability and the visual appeal.
The supremacy of Shein and Temu is driving homegrown sellers to face hard realities involving dexterity and value. While the latest regulatory modifications, like the July 2024 move to enforce full import taxes on these platforms, have facilitated levelling the playing field, it’s not enough to recover lost ground.
What could have made the difference? A combination of global competence with local distinction. New South African markets and bazaars are coming out and evolving, fixated on purposely-selected, culturally-relevant products with reliable delivery and clear-cut procedures. Legacy stores still have an advantage in areas such as returns, customer service, and physical infrastructure, if they lean into them while espousing digital conversion.
South Africa’s retail future is more than just about price wars. Buyers have become more cognizant of ethical issues, about sustainability, and how products and processes impact local communities and the environment. This provides a chance for local retailers to grab customers’ hearts by highlighting accountability and responsible sourcing, ethical labour practices, and transparent guidelines.
Amazon’s 2024 South African promotion provides a convincing counter-model. More than 60% of its catalogue came from local retailers, allowing for quicker distribution and tighter customer response circles. It’s a cue that scale doesn’t have to mean foreign. In truth, “embeddedness” might become South Africa retail’s next great catalyst.
The rise of Shein and Temu may appear like an enormous threat, especially to local retailers, but it’s also a wake-up call. South African sellers still have a huge chance of adapting, innovating, and reclaiming consumers’ confidence and trust. However, the clock is ticking.
NEW YORK – Pharmacy chain Walgreens and reality star turned entrepreneur Kourtney Kardashian are among those picking over the remaining assets in Rite Aid’s bankruptcy, according to two people familiar with the matter.
In addition to Walgreens (WBA.O), brand management companies Authentic Brands Group (AUTH.N), WHP Global and Marquee Brands have been evaluating Rite Aid’s intellectual property and potentially its loyalty program, according to the people who asked not to be named because the process is private.
All three brand management companies have bought the IP of other retailers out of bankruptcy.
Authentic Brands, which owns Reebok and is a Saks Fifth Avenue investor, bought the IP of fast-fashion chain Forever 21 and luxury seller Barneys out of bankruptcy. WHP Global resurrected Toys “R” Us following its 2017 bankruptcy, while Marquee acquired fashion retailer BCBG Max Azria Group out of bankruptcy.
Kardashian, co-founder of gummy vitamin maker Lemme and owner of wellness and lifestyle website Poosh, has expressed interest in Rite Aid’s ice cream brand Thrifty, the people said.
Rite Aid, which operates about 1,200 stores and has around 8 million customers, filed for bankruptcy in May for the second time in two years.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan already approved store closures and a sale of customer prescription files to 13 buyers including CVS Health (CVS.N), opens new tab and Walgreens.
Brand management firms like Authentic, Marquee and WHP typically buy a brand’s IP and then license it to operating partners which have the manufacturing, design and sales responsibilities.
The pharmacy chain’s Thrifty ice cream brand is sold by the scoop at counters in certain Rite Aid locations or by the carton at Rite Aid and other retailers nationwide. Thrifty launched in 1940 at a small factory in West Hollywood and counts several celebrities as customers, including Kardashian, who could buy the brand by herself or with a partner, the people said.
Some consumer-focused private equity firms are also eyeing Thrifty, the sources said.
Rite Aid, Walgreens, Authentic Brands, and WHP declined to comment. Marquee Brands and representatives for Kardashian did not respond to requests for comment.
The current bid deadline for the remaining assets is June 18 at 5 p.m. ET (2100 GMT).
Pennsylvania-based Rite Aid has struggled under a high debt load, inflationary pressures and increased competition.
Author Credits- Abigail Summerville
Reuters
Evri is planning to hire 5,000 couriers in a fresh recruitment drive as the parcel giant takes on rivals after entering the business letter market.
The Yorkshire-based firm recently announced it was joining forces with DHL’s UK ecommerce arm to form one of the country’s biggest delivery firms.
It said the new roles would bring its total self-employed courier network to 33,000, its highest number.
The roles will be available throughout the UK, with a focus on regions including Plymouth, Bury, Hastings, Dover and Scarborough.
About 1,000 of the new jobs will be permanent, while the rest are set to be flexible positions to cater to the typically busy summer months and other peak periods for deliveries.
Couriers who commit to working five or more days a week, including Saturday and Sunday, are also given the chance to opt in to its revamped “Evri Plus” scheme, which includes paid holiday and automatic enrolment into a pension scheme.
Evri, which was previously part of the Hermes parcel group, was bought by US private equity firm Apollo for around £2.7 billion last year.
It announced plans last month to merge with rival DHL’s UK ecommerce business to create a combined company set to deliver more than one billion parcels and one billion letters each year.
Evri, which was previously part of the Hermes parcel group, was bought by US private equity firm Apollo for around £2.7 billion last year.
It announced plans last month to merge with rival DHL’s UK ecommerce business to create a combined company set to deliver more than one billion parcels and one billion letters each year.
The deal means Evri will enter the UK business letter market for the first time, bolstering its competition to Royal Mail.
Evri has spent £32 million on improving its customer service offering and has seen an improvement in its ratings over recent years, but has said there is “more to do” to improve with customers continuing to report delivery issues.
Chief executive Martijn de Lange said: “We know that service, reliability and quality are critical factors for our clients and consumers, and so by expanding our self-employed network further, we remain focused on delivering in each of those areas.”
Couriers typically earn about £20.90 an hour on average, according to Evri.
Author Credits- Anna Wise
msn
