Qatar-based Catalyst and 004 GmbH, based in Germany, have signed an MoU to establish a joint venture in Qatar to pursue e-commerce business opportunities.

The signing coincided with German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel's visit to Doha.

The joint venture company will focus on e-commerce business activities ranging from services and marketplaces to e-commerce hubs and other related e-commerce operations, said a statement.

The joint venture brings together the leading e-commerce technology provider, 004 GmbH, and the technology company Catalyst to create 004 Arabia.  

The new venture will offer a one-stop shop for e-commerce with the know-how, infrastructure, speed to market and credibility to become the top e-commerce enabler for the Mena region, it said.  

004 Arabia will focus on providing e-commerce services such as shop creation and management, product content creation (text and photography), marketing, customer service, payment processing and accounting services. 004 Arabia will also build a local technical team to support the projects. The core development of the 004’s SaaS-technology and e-commerce process portfolio will take place in Germany.    

“E-Commerce in the Mena region is at a relatively early stage.  Due to the structured nature of the Mena retail market, we see a great opportunity to help existing retailers take their businesses online.  Internet usage is mobile, shopping is local, and 004’s technology provides exactly what is needed for omni-channel solutions.  By partnering with Catalyst, 004 Arabia will have the local power to realize a rapid and sustainable growth path without compromising on quality or service.  A local team with full Arabic support across the technology solutions and services will be a key factor to our success,” said Robert Hein, founder and CEO, 004 GmbH.

Sheikh Turki bin Faisal Al Thani, chairman of Catalyst, said: “Catalyst is the ideal partner for OO4 GmbH to bring the complete suite of e-commerce services to Qatar and the Mena region. As Catalyst was set up to attract specialised skills in the technology field to Qatar to make it the expertise hub in the region, we believe that we have the perfect partnership with OO4 GmbH with their market-leading e-commerce expertise.  This is also perfect timing as the market is set to expand exponentially. This is backed up by the 2013 Interactive Media in Retail Group market report* that revealed that the Mena region represented the fastest growing e-commerce region worldwide with an estimated 45% year on year increase.”- TradeArabia News Service