Saudi Arabian and Malaysian Companies Explore New Areas of Collaboration for Madinah Inspired Merchandise
THURSDAY, 9 MARCH 2023, MADINAH: An alliance that is set to create a vibrant partnership ecosystem in Saudi Arabia has been established through the signing of a Memorandum of Business Exploration (MoBE) between Madinah based Namaa Al-Munawara and a Malaysian company, The Prayer Mat Sdn Bhd (TPM).
The MoBE seeks to explore opportunities for both parties to conduct collaborative efforts in the promotion of merchandise under the Almunawara brand, while at same time offers access to potentially source from Malaysia’s capabilities in the lifestyle services sector. Present during the event was Rania Gelidan, Chief Operating Officer of Namaa Al-Munawara, Mujahed Qari, Senior Vice-President of Group Strategic Development of Namaa Al-Munawara, Dr. Siti Wahida Shukeri, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TPM, and Faizalkhan Jaafar, Trade Consul of the Consulate General of Malaysia, Jeddah.
Namaa Al-Munawara, an agency that nurtures SMEs and promotes the socio-economic development of Madinah informed that TPM is a Malaysian enterprise that specialises in the distribution and retailing of lifestyle products, and based on TPM’s strong track record as a leading distributor since early 2020, they have been appointed as the exclusive distributor for its merchandise brand in Malaysia.
According to them, TPM has demonstrated its capability to become a reliable partner in promoting home-grown Saudi products and has been remarkably successful in increasing the visibility of the its brand, especially through the Madinah and Makkah inspired prayer mat collection and accessories.
The MoBE would also enable TPM to introduce iconic Malaysian brands into the Saudi market. One such brand that has been selected is called Mimpikita, a purveyor of contemporary modest fashion label in Kuala Lumpur that will feature a new collection of distinctively designed prayer mats to be manufactured in the Kingdom.
CEO of TPM, Dr. Siti Norwahida Shukeri is hopeful that this partnership would help attract new customers and increase growth by diversifying its product mix to include exclusive in-house collection and merchandise that would be available via its retail outlets and e-commerce platform.
“We are definitely taking things to the next level and grateful for the opportunity to be associated with Namaa Al-Munawara. From our initial venture as a direct importer and being recognised as the top distributor for MADA Carpets Company in Malaysia, we have now progressed further by assuming an active role in positioning ourselves to become a partner that provides valuable input in terms of design sourcing, product development and brand marketing. In the pipeline, we are targeting to establish 30 retail outlets in Malaysia and with our regional presence, we plan to penetrate into other ASEAN countries as well”, she added.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Trade Consul, Faizalkhan Jaafar commented, “This partnership represents an opportunity to cultivate innovation and promote the spirit of entrepreneurship between the Saudi and Malaysian business community. As the Kingdom has implemented strategies to increase the contribution of its local economy in line with Saudi Vision 2030 such as the Made in Madinah initiative, reputable Malaysian companies can be an ideal and sustainable partner to fit that development agenda and these alliances would serve as an attractive model for Saudi-based manufacturing industries to source for materials and procure the services of Malaysian enterprises in other priority sectors as well”.
The Made in Madinah and Made in Makkah initiative forms an integral part of the Made in Saudi slogan launched under the Saudi Export Development Authority (SEDA) that is aimed to develop local industries and socio-economic development in both regions.
