The European technology and logistics scale-up Quivo and GWC, a logistics service provider in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, are pooling their forces to meet the growing demand for e-commerce fulfillment in the Gulf states. The partnership, sealed by a €5.2 million stake from GWC, marks the start of a joint expansion into the markets of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia.
The first GWC warehouse in Qatar is already operating with Quivo software; additional locations in Dubai and Saudi Arabia are set to follow in the coming months.
“With GWC, we have found the ideal partner to bring our fulfillment know-how to one of the most dynamic regions in the world,” says Georg
Weiß, co-founder and CEO of Quivo.
His co-founder and CEO Christoph Glatzl adds:
“Together we are expanding a network that not only makes it easier for international brands to enter the Gulf states, but also enables seamless expansion within the GCC states and gives them for the first time real access to a rapidly growing market with millions of digitally savvy consumers.”
The e-commerce market in the Gulf states, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), is booming according to Quivo and is expected to nearly double by 2029 to a volume of around USD 47 billion. In Saudi Arabia the market is expected to grow from USD 10 billion (2022) to USD 23 billion (2027), in the UAE from
USD 12.3 billion to USD 17.2 billion, and in Qatar from USD 1.8 billion to USD 3.5 billion, as shown by the Seamless GCC Market Report 2024. With internet penetration of more than 99 percent and a young, digitally oriented population, the GCC markets offer ideal conditions for expansion.
Scalable Infrastructure
Quivo brings, according to its own statements, its software and process expertise in e-commerce fulfillment to the partnership. With its own network of six warehouses in Austria, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the United States, Quivo already operates a scalable infrastructure to support international brands in their growth. An example is the pet tracker provider Tractive, which was able to scale its business from the EU to the
UK and the USA using Quivo's structures. GWC, in turn, opens doors to the region as a logistics service provider in Qatar and complements the strategic partnership with its infrastructure and market knowledge.
“E-commerce is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the GCC region,” emphasizes Matthew Kearns, Acting Group CEO of GWC. “As a regional market leader, we continuously expand our offering. With Quivo by our side, we now offer our customers a fully integrated fulfillment solution—from storage through handling to delivery.”
For Quivo, the collaboration means access to a new growth market and fresh capital for the further development of its products. GWC expands its portfolio with the in-demand e-commerce fulfillment service and gains easier access to the European
