Industry & Retail
From The Report: Jordan2015
View in Online Reader

Jordan’s industrial sector remains a central pillar of the kingdom’s economy with manufacturing contributing $6bn to the country’s estimated nominal GDP of $35.7bn in 2014. Meanwhile the country’s large mining industry – particularly of potash and phosphate – have fueled the rise of major chemicals and fertiliser industries in the kingdom while the country’s robust building materials sector has benefitted from the GCC construction boom, with worked monumental and building stone exports growing from $21m in 2013 to $50m in 2014. The kingdom’s organised retail segment has witnessed steady expansion over the last few years, with retail sales overall averaging 7.8% growth during the 2011-14 period. Meanwhile the e-retail segment is also on the rise, with Jordan-based online retailers taking advantage of the country’s central location to ship goods to customers in the region, as well as domestic clients.

This chapter contains an interview with Brent Heimann, CEO, Arab Potash Company.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Feeding growth: A relatively diversified industrial sector has helped compensate for downturns in some markets
OBG
plus

Producing a diverse range of industrial goods, from phosphates to processed food and packaging to steel billets, Jordan’s industrial sector is a mainstay of the nation’s economy. The country’s location, supported by myriad free trade agreements (FTAs) offering access to 1.5bn consumers, enables the kingdom to be a strategic trade route to many of its neighbouring countries and regions, and businesses based in Jordan also benefit from an educated workforce and a stable political environment.…

Analysis

A long-standing tradition: The kingdom is hardly a new player to resource extraction
OBG
plus

As the seventh-largest producer of potash in the world, Jordan is producing around 2m tonnes per annum of this vital fertiliser ingredient. The country is also home to one of the world’s largest phosphate rock sectors, making minerals extraction one of the country’s top industrial sectors and a major support for the Jordanian economy. Global competition has increased in the past decade, with the kingdom’s potash and phosphate miners obliged to find new ways to boost efficiency and gain new…

Interview

Exploring alternatives: OBG talks to Brent Heimann, CEO, Arab Potash Company (APC)
OBG
plus

Interview:Brent Heimann How have electricity and water tariff increases — both important inputs for the sector — affected Jordanian industry? BRENT HEIMANN: The increase of these tariffs has had different effects on the various companies within the industry sector. With regard to potash, the production process is intensive in its use of water and energy. In 2014, the cost of energy and electricity increased by about 15% compared with 2013, and the cost of water increased by 14%. These…

Overview

Consumer culture: Food, beverages and tobacco are major sellers, as higher-end retail grows with incomes
OBG
plus

On the back of 2014, when a major expansion in mall supply was executed in Jordan’s capital city, Amman, the kingdom’s organised retail sector has continued to move forward. Meanwhile, sustained economic and population growth have also meant increasing demand. In the food and beverage segment, traditional retail has held its ground in a cost-sensitive market. According to Nabil Rassam, Chairman of Al Nabil Company for Food Products, “Sustained economic development, coupled with healthy population…