An agreement to accelerate the transformation of small companies into digital “wholesale” trade.

The Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai and Dubai Chambers announced a strategic partnership with the “Trading” platform, which specializes in wholesale trade between companies in the Middle East and North Africa region, within the framework of the “Dubai Merchants Initiative”, where “Trading”, affiliated with the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIZ), will provide the necessary facilities for small and medium-sized companies in Dubai, to accelerate the pace of their transformation into digital wholesale trade, and increase the volume of transactions with companies.

The partnership agreement was signed in the presence of the Director General of the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai, Helal Saeed Al Marri, and the CEO of the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority, Dr. Mohammed Al Zarouni, while the agreement was signed by the Executive Director of the Dubai Economic Development Corporation, the economic development arm of the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai, Hadi Badri, and the Executive Director of Trading, Alistair Crocker.

Hadi Badri said: “The strategic partnership with (Trading) represents an important step towards enabling small and medium-sized companies in the emirate to benefit from the benefits of the digital economy and the available economic opportunities.”

In turn, Saeed Al Gergawi, Vice President of the Dubai Chamber for Digital Economy, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, said: “Through this cooperation, we are working to enhance the practical support available to small and medium-sized companies wishing to grow through partnerships between companies, starting from digitizing operational processes, all the way to building the necessary capabilities for growth and expansion.”

In the same context, Alistair Crocker, CEO of Trading, said: “We witness firsthand the ambition and resilience of the SME community in Dubai, and we recognize the strong role that digital infrastructure plays in enabling sustainable growth. “By providing merchants with the appropriate digital tools and support, this partnership contributes to enhancing Dubai’s vision of building a competitive, digitally enabled, global business environment.”

Through this partnership, participating companies will be able to access a comprehensive set of incentives and enablement tools designed to reduce difficulties, accelerate the joining process, and ensure sustainable growth in the B2B sector, including: reduced trading commissions, as well as implementation fees, and access to discounted advertising packages, to enhance the visibility of products to buyers in the B2B sector, in addition to benefiting from support for the joining process, managing dedicated accounts to ensure the provision of personal guidance, and operational processes, participating in weekly educational webinars on B2B best practices, and access to analysis tools. And advanced data, to support business planning and performance tracking. Emirati merchants will also receive additional support that includes providing customized content, assistance in building their own brand, and specially designed growth plans under the supervision of experts, in addition to priority in displaying their products on the platform.

It is noteworthy that since its launch, the Dubai Merchants Initiative has attracted more than 2,600 new sellers in e-commerce, and has supported more than 410 Emirati companies, which has made a clear impact on the adoption of digital technologies by small and medium-sized companies.

It is noteworthy that the “Trading” platform was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in Dubai, and has succeeded in establishing its position as the largest trade system between companies in the Middle East and North Africa, as the platform’s digital market connects more than 50,000 buyers from the business sector with about 120,000 sellers across more than 14 industrial categories, and the platform provides millions of wholesale products at competitive prices.