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UAE’s Agthia Working on New Acquisitions in Egypt, Expansion in Saudi Arabia

Agthia Group said it is working on a new acquisition in Egypt, in addition to expanding in Saudi Arabia. (Agthia)
Agthia Group said it is working on a new acquisition in Egypt, in addition to expanding in Saudi Arabia. (Agthia)
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UAE’s Agthia Working on New Acquisitions in Egypt, Expansion in Saudi Arabia

Agthia Group said it is working on a new acquisition in Egypt, in addition to expanding in Saudi Arabia. (Agthia)
Agthia Group said it is working on a new acquisition in Egypt, in addition to expanding in Saudi Arabia. (Agthia)

The UAE Agthia Group said that the total value of the acquisitions it carried out in 2021 exceeded AED2.3 billion ($626 million), adding that it is working on a new acquisition in Egypt, in addition to expanding in Saudi Arabia.

Alan Smith, CEO of the Agthia Group, said the group aims to expand geographically, most notably in Saudi Arabia and other markets, such as Egypt and Pakistan, noting its acquisition of 60% of the Abu Auf Group in Egypt.

He stated that Agthia will invest nearly AED90 million ($24.5 million) in its expansion plans in Saudi Arabia to establish a new industrial facility within the premises of Al Nabil Food Industries in Jeddah.

Smith stressed that the group is expected to start investing in the construction of the new facility in the coming months.

According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the investment spending process on the new factory is scheduled to continue until 2025.

The initial investment at this stage is estimated at AED65 million ($17.6 million), Smith said, adding that expanding in Saudi Arabia is considered a strategic investment in the GCC’s largest market.

Agthia could carry out its planned acquisitions in line with its long-term strategy, he remarked, underlining the group’s ability to finance further acquisitions, which will go ahead if they meet its strategic criteria.

On the group's plans for H2 2022, Smith said its focus will remain on integrating the companies’ businesses, bolstering their work, and achieving the maximum and optimal benefit from mergers, some of which may include secondary investment plans aimed at boosting the efficiency of the group’s operations.

He pledged to continue to fulfill the group’s promises towards diversifying its business, and creating opportunities for growth.

Agthia’s net profit attributable to shareholders grew to AED118 million in H1 2022, a 74% increase relative to H1 2021, despite the challenging global inflationary environment.

This performance reflects the impact of the group’s recent acquisitions, as well as its cost optimization efforts as part of its five-year growth strategy.

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China Launches Late Stimulus Push to Meet 2024 Growth Target

FILE PHOTO: A worker works on a building under construction in Beijing's Central Business District (CBD), China July 14, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A worker works on a building under construction in Beijing's Central Business District (CBD), China July 14, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
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China Launches Late Stimulus Push to Meet 2024 Growth Target

FILE PHOTO: A worker works on a building under construction in Beijing's Central Business District (CBD), China July 14, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A worker works on a building under construction in Beijing's Central Business District (CBD), China July 14, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo

China's central bank on Friday lowered interest rates and injected liquidity into the banking system as Beijing assembled a last-ditch stimulus assault to pull economic growth back towards this year's roughly 5% target, Reuters reported.
More fiscal measures are expected to be announced before China's week-long holidays starting on Oct. 1, after a meeting of the Communist Party's top leaders showed an increased sense of urgency about mounting economic headwinds.
On the heels of the Politburo huddle, China plans to issue special sovereign bonds worth about 2 trillion yuan ($284.43 billion) this year as part of fresh fiscal stimulus, two sources with knowledge of the matter have told Reuters.
Capital Economics chief Asia Economist Mark Williams estimates the package "would lift annual output by 0.4% relative to what it would otherwise have been."
"It's late in the year, but a new package of this size that was implemented soon should be enough to deliver growth in line with the 'around 5%' target," he said.
Chinese stocks are on track for the best week since 2008 on stimulus expectations.
The world's second-largest economy faces strong deflationary pressures due to a sharp property market downturn and frail consumer confidence, which have exposed its over-reliance on exports in an increasingly tense global trade environment.
A wide range of economic data in recent months has missed forecasts, raising concerns among economists that the growth target was at risk and that a longer-term structural slowdown could be in play.
On Friday, data showed industrial profits swinging back to a sharp contraction in August.
"We believe the persistent growth weakness has hit policymakers' pain threshold," Goldman Sachs analysts said in a note.
As flagged on Tuesday by Governor Pan Gongsheng, the People's Bank of China on Friday trimmed the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves, known as the reserve requirement ratio (RRR), by 50 basis points, the second such reduction this year.
The move is expected to release 1 trillion yuan ($142.5 billion) in liquidity into the banking system and was accompanied by a cut in the benchmark interest rate on seven-day reverse repurchase agreements by 20 bps to 1.50%. The cuts take effect on Friday and Pan, in rare forward-looking remarks, left the door open to another RRR reduction later this year.

Given weak credit demand from households and businesses, investors are more focused on the fiscal measures that are widely expected to be announced in coming days.
Reuters reported on Thursday that 1 trillion yuan due to be raised via special bonds will be used to increase subsidies for a consumer goods replacement program and for the upgrade of large-scale business equipment.
They will also be used to provide a monthly allowance of about 800 yuan, or $114, per child to all households with two or more children, excluding the first child.
China aims to raise another 1 trillion yuan via a separate special sovereign debt issuance to help local governments tackle their debt problems.
Bloomberg News reported on Thursday that China is also considering the injection up to 1 trillion yuan of capital into its biggest state banks.
Most of China's fiscal stimulus still goes into investment, but returns are dwindling and the spending has saddled local governments with $13 trillion in debt.
The looming fiscal measures would mark a slight shift towards stimulating consumption, a direction Beijing has said for more than a decade that it wants to take but has made little progress on.
China's household spending is less than 40% of annual economic output, some 20 percentage points below the global average. Investment, by comparison, is 20 points above but has been fueling much more debt than growth.
The politburo also pledged to stabilize the troubled real estate market, saying the government should expand a white list of housing projects that can receive further financing and revitalize idle land.
The September meeting is not usually a forum for discussing the economy, which suggests growing anxiety among officials.
"The 'shock and awe' strategy could be meant to jumpstart the markets and boost confidence," Nomura analysts said in a note.
"But eventually it is still necessary for Beijing to introduce well thought policies to address many of the deep-rooted problems, particularly regarding how to stabilize the property sector."