عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Features

Amazon Launches in Saudi Arabia

A Saudi woman employed at the new center in Jeddah - Asharq Al-Awsat AR
A Saudi woman employed at the new center in Jeddah - Asharq Al-Awsat AR
TT
TT

Amazon Launches in Saudi Arabia

A Saudi woman employed at the new center in Jeddah - Asharq Al-Awsat AR
A Saudi woman employed at the new center in Jeddah - Asharq Al-Awsat AR

Amazon has launched an online store for shoppers in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, www.amazon.sa, offering customers a large variety of options at low prices, fast delivery services, and several payment options.

It allows customers to return products in a period of 15 days after purchase and offers free next-day delivery service for orders above SAR200.

Customers can purchase products using Saudi Riyals, cash upon delivery, or through either a local or international debit or credit cards, including Mada cards, over the website or via the Amazon application, both of which are available in English and Arabic. Some banks also allow their clients to pay installments.

The new online store replaces Souq.com, which Amazon acquired in 2017.

Customers can continue to use the same login information they used on Souq.com to sign in to their account on Amazon.sa., while those who have an existing account on Amazon with the same email address associated with their Souq.com account, are set to use their Amazon password and not their Souq.com password to log in.

In a statement, the company clarified that "All existing Souq.com customer credentials, wish lists, orders, delivery addresses, payment methods and customer support queries have been converted to new Amazon.sa accounts".

Amazon has been investing in Souq.com’s infrastructure, user interface, and customer service and enlarged its team, now at 1,400 employees.

Rafid bin Amin Fatani, Amazon's Head of Public Policy in Africa and the Middle East, emphasized the workforce’s equitable gender-ratio, boasting that Saudi Women make up 40 percent of the workforce at the new 226,000 square foot center in Jeddah.

Amazon also helps thousands of Saudi companies sell their products. It ensures the security of payments and provides customers with easy access to their products, in addition to reliable and quick delivery.

Amazon currently uses 3 shipping-service centers and 11 delivery stations across the country and has formed a strategic delivery partnership with Saudi Post.

Ronaldo Mouchawar, vice president of Amazon in the MENA region and co-founder of Souq.com, said the company is working hard to ensure the safety of its staff and customers in light of the new coronavirus pandemic, stressing that the company is keen on adhering to the safety measures set by the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health.

"As part of the effort to ensure the highest safety and hygiene standards in all of our centers and deliveries, Amazon has implemented more than 150 safety precautions."

Most Viewed

 
 
Features

Who’s in the Frame to Be Lebanon’s Next President?

The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
TT
TT

Who’s in the Frame to Be Lebanon’s Next President?

The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)

Lebanon's parliament will attempt to elect a new head of state on Thursday, with officials seeing better odds of success in a political landscape shaken by Israel's assault on Hezbollah and the toppling of the group's ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

The post, reserved for a Maronite Christian in the sectarian power-sharing system, has been vacant since Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022.

While there are always many Maronite hopefuls, including the leaders of the two largest Christian parties - Samir Geagea and Gebran Bassil - sources say the focus is currently on the following three names:

JOSEPH AOUN

General Joseph Aoun, 60, has been commander of the US-backed Lebanese army since 2017, leading the military through a devastating financial crisis that paralyzed much of the Lebanese state after the banking system collapsed in 2019.

On Aoun's watch, US aid continued to flow to the army, part of a US policy focused on supporting state institutions to curb the influence of the heavily armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah, which Washington deems a terrorist group.

Shortly after his appointment, the army waged an offensive to clear ISIS militants from an enclave at the Syrian border, drawing praise from the US ambassador at the time who said the military had done an "excellent job".

His training has included two infantry officer courses in the United States.

Lebanese politicians have said Aoun's candidacy enjoys US approval. A State Department spokesperson said it was "up to Lebanon to choose its next president, not the United States or any external actor".

Hezbollah official Wafiq Safa has said last week there was "no veto" on Aoun. But sources familiar with Hezbollah thinking say it will not support Aoun.

His candidacy has also been opposed by Lebanon's two largest Christian parties - the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement.

Three other former army chiefs - Emile Lahoud, Michel Suleiman and Michel Aoun - have served as president.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri - a Hezbollah ally - has said the constitution would need to be amended in order for Aoun to take the post. It currently forbids a serving state official from becoming head of state.

JIHAD AZOUR

Azour, 58, served as finance minister in the Western-backed government of former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora between 2005 and 2008, a period of intense political conflict in Lebanon pitting factions backed by Iran and Syria against others supported by the West.

Since 2017, he has served as Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He holds a PhD in International Finance and a post-graduate degree in International Economics and Finance, both from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris.

He first emerged as a presidential candidate in 2023, when factions including both of the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement voted for him. He received 59 votes.

Hezbollah and its closest allies voted for Suleiman Franjieh in that session - the last time parliament attempted to elect a head of state. Franjieh secured 51 votes.

Hezbollah at the time described Azour as a confrontational candidate - a reference to his role in the Siniora cabinet.

Azour said at the time that his candidacy was not intended as a challenge to anyone, but rather "a call for unity, for breaking down alignments and for a search for common ground in order to get out of the crisis".

ELIAS AL-BAYSARI

Major-General Elias Baysari, 60, has been interim head of the General Security directorate since the term of his predecessor, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, ended in 2023 with no consensus among Lebanese factions on who should replace him.

The security agency Baysari runs is Lebanon's most powerful internal security force, running Lebanon's border crossings and domestic intelligence operations.

He was a little-known figure in Lebanese public life until his promotion to the head of General Security.

He holds a PhD in law from the Lebanese University.