AKI ramps up digital infrastructure and human capital led investments
UAE-based family-owned conglomerate Al Khayyat Investments (AKI) is setting the stage for accelerated growth of its pharmacy business in the MENA region by investing in both digital infrastructure and human capital.
AKI’s BinSina Pharmacy brand has unveiled an upgraded mobile app that offers Arabic-speaking customers a flawless browsing, order and delivery tracking experience from anywhere. The app offers 6,000 individual items to consumers and will scale to 10,000 over the next six months. The pharmacy app is being made accessible in both English and Arabic in the UAE with plans to roll out the app to additional markets soon following BinSina’s expansion to Oman.
The move comes as analytics firm AppsFlyer notes that UAE businesses are doubling down on mobile apps in a bid to increase customer engagement and spending as mobile app downloads in the UAE grew by 23% annually in the first half of 2022.
Seeing potential in both e-commerce and brick and mortar retail AKI has also brought together a new leadership team to deliver on its expansion ambitions. At the helm is industry veteran Dr Doaa Marouf, who has been promoted to CEO of AKI Pharma and BinSina Pharmacy. Joining Marouf will be Della Pass, who is new to AKI and has joined as Senior GM of BinSina Pharmacy, as well as overseeing the Holland & Barrett brand within AKI.
“AKI has long been at the forefront of the pharma sector working with partners to not only bring the world’s best products to local communities, but to forge innovative retail models. Our latest investments in both people and infrastructure reflect our conviction to always keep advancing the market forward,” said Zaid S. Al Khayyat, Managing Director of AKI.
“BinSina Pharmacy has been on an accelerated growth path in recent years, fuelled in part by cutting-edge digital infrastructure that helps us to serve consumers anytime, anywhere,” Marouf added. “Together with a senior management team with many years of entrepreneurial experience there is no limit to where we can go.”
AKI currently has a footprint across eight countries in the wider Middle East and Africa region, entering Saudi Arabia and Egypt in 2022.
Watsons to open 20 new stores in the GCC
In 2020, global health & beauty retailer AS Watson Group signed its
April 29, 2024 | By Rupkatha BElevate engagement, experience and profitability to unlock retail growth
Marchon Eyewear’s ZEISS wins 2024 Red Dot “Best of the Best” Awards for VisionClip
Revolutionising retail: How RetailGPT is shaping the future of shopping malls
Times Square Center: Building community through more than retail
/ 
What does it take to sustain profitable growth in the post-IPO phase?
Mahalle began its operations in 2022 as an “Authentic Turkish Grocery in
“Retail is a people’s business. When building a retail brand or the
From being one of the first retailers in Dubai to ban single-use
For starters, Rabbit is a growing e-commerce grocery platform in Egypt always
In 2024 grocery retail major Choithrams has achieved several milestones underscoring its
Industry pioneers are embracing a comprehensive strategy that integrates consumer insights, digital
The regional grocery retail market is evolving fast keeping pace with constantly
From ethical and local sourcing to adopting cutting-edge technologies to curb food
The regional grocery retail market is becoming more and more diverse, offering
/ 
The global sporting and athletic goods market grew from $165.28 billion in
The digital universe for retail is hyper-expansive and today it includes a
How advances in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, robotics, 3D printing, internet
Hybrid shopping is the primary buying method for 27% of consumers, found
Regional e-commerce major noon.com has completed the acquisition of the online fashion
Online flowers and gifting destination Floward has raised $156 million in its
Online retail sales surpassed $1 trillion in 2022 for the first time
Earlier this year (in July to be specific) French brand Sandro announced
Airport retailer Dubai Duty Free’s total sales on its 39th anniversary topped
Online share in FMCG sales has been growing all over the world,
Online retailer SHEIN has adopted digital thermal transfer printing to accelerate printing
Previous Article
