The Business Registration &Licensing (BRL) sector of Dubai Economy has partnered with talabat to display and sell food items of Emirati DED Trader license holders on the talabat platform, enabling them to reach a larger number of consumers online.

“The agreement with talabat is in line with the continuous efforts to support Dubai’s economic sectors and drive sustainable economic growth. Through ‘DED Trader’, Dubai Economy seeks to regulate doing business electronically and making it easier, as well as enabling businesses to connect with customers and grow. This is part of our strategy to enhance the ease of doing business as well as drive the overall competitiveness and sustainable growth of Dubai, said Omar Al Mehairi, Director of Development and Follow-up Division in BRL sector.

Al Mehairi added, “Led by its advanced logistical structure and the high internet and smartphone penetration, Dubai has succeeded in achieving its smart transformation goals, with the Fourth Industrial Revolution strengthening the adoption of e-commerce.”

“talabat has been working tirelessly to support local businesses in the UAE to get through these difficult times. We are proud to partner with Dubai Economy to develop a specialised onboarding programme for DED Trade License holders to help Emirati startups accelerate their online commerce expansion by increasing their visibility and order volume through direct access to talabat’s large customer database and logistics network,” said Jeremy Doutte, Vice President UAE at talabat.

“As the region’s leading online food and grocery delivery platform, we share the UAE government’s vision and we believe the future will be positive for the industry. That is why we continue to invest heavily on our platform and restaurant partners. We look forward to continuing to work with Dubai Economy to help Emirati traders chart a successful path forward,” added Doutte.

The advantages of joining talabat include zero cost registration fee, free tablet from Sunmi, photography sessions for up to 40 menu items, one month of free delivery and free renewal fee for one additional year.Traders can join talabat by sharing Dubai Economy’s DED Trader Licence with the talabat team via email to Yazin Dalbah on ydalbah@talabat.com. Once the account is ready, talabat will send a technician to train the trader on the system before the account goes live.

The DED Trader licence launched by the Business Registration & Licensing sector in Dubai Economy, enabling start-ups in Dubai to conduct business activities online and across social networking accounts, has seen overwhelming response with 4023 licences issued during the first nine months (January to end of September) of this year, an increase of 138% compared to the same period last year as the total number of licences reached 1687 licences.

Dubai Economy focuses on providing support to DED Trader licence holders by signing partnerships with government and private sectors, providing facilities for their business growth as well as opening new channels by enhancing cooperation with major sales outlets.

The ‘DED Trader’ licence can be obtained from anywhere by logging on to dedtrader.ae and following a few simple steps – create username and password; enter address details, and social media accounts for the project/business; select the activity and trade name, and finally, make payment and receive the licence electronically.The licensee cannot open a shop/store but can avail of three visas if the ownership is 100% Emirati and legal liability falls under the licence holder.