Saudi Arabia and Singapore Stress Importance of Cooperation, Sign 7 MoUs

The Saudi Singapore Joint Committee (SPA)
The Saudi Singapore Joint Committee (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia and Singapore Stress Importance of Cooperation, Sign 7 MoUs

The Saudi Singapore Joint Committee (SPA)
The Saudi Singapore Joint Committee (SPA)

The Saudi-Singaporean roundtable meeting was held in Riyadh on Wednesday to review the latest updates of Vision 2030 and remarkable achievements, highlighting the unprecedented transformation in the Kingdom.

The meeting was attended by the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, Saudi Minister of Commerce Majid bin al-Qasabi, Minister of Investment Khalid al-Falih, various Saudi ministers, officials, and CEOs of major companies. It also included Saudi and Singaporean representatives of the government and private sectors.

They discussed investment partnership opportunities in the energy, financial, transportation, logistics, and infrastructure sectors.

The meeting also stressed the importance of cooperation in new and innovative projects to support the economic fields in the Kingdom and Singapore and collaboration in renewable energy and green hydrogen.

It addressed increasing the volume of supporting logistics, infrastructure, human capital development, and cooperation in the entertainment industry.

The roundtable meeting aims to enhance the two countries' investment relations, strengthen economic and investment ties between the Kingdom and Singapore, develop qualitative assets for entrepreneurial companies, and support the private sector to take advantage of opportunities.

Furthermore, Saudi Arabia and Singapore signed seven MoUs in several fields during Tuesday's third session of the Saudi-Singapore Joint Committee held in Riyadh.

The Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistic Services and Singapore's Minister of Manpower Tan See Leng co-chaired the session.

Speaking at the session, Jasser said the Kingdom and Singapore enjoy a robust bilateral relationship spanning nearly six decades.

He added that the joint committee confirms the strong links between Saudi Arabia and Singapore, reiterating that the efforts have flourished after signing several agreements and MoUs covering various areas.

The Minister noted that these joint efforts have enhanced the investment and trade relations between the two countries at all levels in the public and private sectors.

Jasser highlighted the progress of Saudi-Singaporean cooperation, including in the economic, investment, and commercial fields.

He said the trade volume between the two countries significantly increased by around 50 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year, noting that the meeting continues successful efforts and cooperation.

Jasser underlined the importance of enhancing economic and developmental relations between the two countries, facilitating the movement of imports and exports of goods, and attracting investment opportunities in industry and the digital economy.

He also voiced keenness for enhancing cooperation in various areas, noting that he looks forward to implementing infrastructure development projects to improve transportation and facilitate the movement of passengers and goods between the two countries.

The Minister highlighted the significant transformation the Kingdom is witnessing in all sectors under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Acting Secretary General of the Federation of Saudi Chambers Walid al-Arinan explained that the Saudi and Singaporean economies stimulate cooperation and economic partnership and promising opportunities to double trade and investment in light of the Vision 2030 initiatives.

In addition, the Federation of Saudi Chambers and the Singapore Business Forum signed an MoU, and the Saudi Standards, Metrology, and Quality Organization (SASO) also signed an agreement on standardization and coordination.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Investment signed an MoU for cooperation and facilitation of investments between Singaporean and Saudi companies.

Also, the MoUs include training and development opportunities in the Kingdom and investment opportunities in the education sector.

The session witnessed the signing of an MoU in ports, transportation, and logistics services and an MoU to develop investment in the industrial sector in Riyadh and the health and fitness sectors.



Amazon's Plan to Tackle Temu, Shein? Sell More Toothpaste

(FILES) This picture taken on July 4, 2022 shows the logo of Amazon, a major online shopping company, displayed at Amazon Amagasaki Fulfillent Center in Amagasaki, Hyogo prefecture. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)
(FILES) This picture taken on July 4, 2022 shows the logo of Amazon, a major online shopping company, displayed at Amazon Amagasaki Fulfillent Center in Amagasaki, Hyogo prefecture. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)
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Amazon's Plan to Tackle Temu, Shein? Sell More Toothpaste

(FILES) This picture taken on July 4, 2022 shows the logo of Amazon, a major online shopping company, displayed at Amazon Amagasaki Fulfillent Center in Amagasaki, Hyogo prefecture. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)
(FILES) This picture taken on July 4, 2022 shows the logo of Amazon, a major online shopping company, displayed at Amazon Amagasaki Fulfillent Center in Amagasaki, Hyogo prefecture. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)

Amazon's push to offer more everyday essentials like toothpaste is hurting its average selling prices, but it is also a guard against rivals such as Temu and Shein that offer rock bottom prices on goods they ship from China.
People are shopping more frequently at Amazon, adding more low-priced items with each checkout, Amazon said on Thursday, after it reported third-quarter revenue and profit that beat Wall Street expectations.
The company's stock rose about 6% in premarket trading on Friday, Reuters reported.
The e-commerce giant has seen its market share erode in apparel as Shein and Temu quickly expanded in international markets with $12 dresses and $10 gadgets. But offering a variety of everyday products like dish detergent and floss is helping Amazon.
"The strength in everyday essentials revenue is a positive indicator that customers are turning to us for more of their daily needs," said Amazon's Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky. "We see that when customers purchase these types of items from us, they build bigger baskets, shop more frequently and spend more on Amazon."
In August, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said average selling prices were falling because customers were trading down to cheaper items and buying more essential goods, and that sales of bigger ticket items like computers and electronics were growing "more slowly" than in a robust economy.
John Belton, portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds which owns Amazon shares, said that he is expecting more pressure on Amazon's selling prices in the fourth quarter because of the company's mix of products.
LOCAL WAREHOUSE STRONGHOLD
To offset the impact of lower average selling prices, Amazon is relying on its deep network of local warehouses that allows it to ship quickly.
It's "pretty easy to choose to supply" lower average selling price (ASP) merchandise, but much harder to be able to afford to supply them, Jassy said on Thursday.
"One of the reasons that we have been so maniacal about cost-to-serve over the last few years is that as we're able to take our cost-to-serve down, it just opens up the aperture for more items, particularly lower ASP items that we're able to supply in an economic way," he said.
Shein is trying to ramp up selling everyday products too.
Earlier this year, it began courting skincare and personal care brands such as Colgate-Palmolive to sell more household names on the platform. It launched a third party marketplace in 2023 to expand its product selection to include beauty and personal care products, household items and furniture.
But companies such as Shein would be less successful in expanding to day-to-day products, said Gil Luria, head of technology research at D.A. Davidson.
Shein and Temu have specialized in offering dresses, accessories and gadgets "that the consumer is less time-sensitive about," he said.
"They're not in the US, so they can't get me toothpaste quickly," Luria said, adding that any market for shipping essentials from China is likely to be a small one.
Amazon is also facing competition from rivals at home.
Walmart, the world's biggest supermarket chain, and smaller retailer Target have both slashed prices on essentials in a race to the bottom as they each try to woo inflation-wary shoppers.
Walmart, scheduled to report third-quarter results on Nov. 19, is expected to post a 4% rise in revenue, according to analysts polled by LSEG, a slightly slower pace of growth than in the second quarter.
Amazon on Thursday reported a 7% improvement in retail sales in the third quarter. In the second quarter, its retail sales had risen 5%.
The operating margin for Amazon's international business jumped to 3.6% in the third quarter from 0.9% in the second quarter. Its North America margin ticked up to 5.9% from 5.6% in the previous quarter.