Dubai’s Noon.com launches in the UAE after missing January’s takeoff date

The 1billion dollars e-commerce site founded by Dubai billionaire Mohamed Alabbar has launched on the neighbouring country several months after its original opening date.

The UAE launch comes soon after the site confirmed it was on track to begin operations later this year after announcing an investment from Kuwait-based retailer MH Alshaya, as reported local media over the weekend.

It’s worth recalling that the site’s official launch was scheduled for last January.

Noon.com officially came online to serve UAE customers on September, 30 and is expected to go live in Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks. The initial product lineup includes electronics, fashion, homeware, beauty and baby categories but appears someway short of the 20 million items promised last year.

“Today, we are excited to deliver orders to our first customers. We are proud to take this important first step in our journey, and we are committed to making Noon the region’s Arabic-first e-commerce platform,” said Alabbar.

Noon.com was originally promised to shake-up the regional e-commerce market after its unveiling in November 2016 with the backing of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

Faraz Khalid, the co-founder of regional fashion site Namshi, was appointed the company’s new CEO in July.