Dubai-based Souq.com has opened a new 23,000 square metre fulfilment centre (FC) in Dubai. The facility enables sellers to have Souq store and ship their products directly to customers.

The firm said in a statement it expects the new facility to create 600 new jobs within its first year of operation.

Souq.com, which US-based online retail giant Amazon acquired in 2017, has two other fulfilment centres in Dubai.

The new facility is expected to benefit sellers and buyers on the site. According to the firm, the new facility will allow “a much larger selection, delivered quicker to customers” and “enable thousands of small and medium-sized businesses to scale up their businesses on our marketplace”.

A service called Fulfillment by Souq (FBS) enables sellers to have Souq store and ship their products directly to customers, while offering services such as cash on delivery, next-day delivery, and Friday delivery in their home addresses.

FBS allows Souq.com to provide customer service and manage returns on behalf of the sellers.

Souq.com is understood to have created more than 1,700 jobs since it opened in 2010. It currently offers an estimated 8.4 million products across 31 categories including electronics, fashion, health and beauty and household goods.

It maintains offices in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, in addition to the UAE.

A regional competitor, Noon.com, backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Dubai-based Emaar Properties, began operating this year.

Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud business of the US retail giant, is currently building three data centres in Bahrain. The data centres are expected to become operational in 2019.