The Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), the investment promotion agency for Bahrain, has announced that Kerry Logistics Network, one of Asia’s largest third-party logistics provider, has launched operations in the kingdom.

The Hong Kong-headquartered company, which manages 60 million sq ft of logistics facilities over 53 countries and territories, investment in Bahrain is part of their regional footprint expansion plans to enhance access to key markets such as the Saudi market  – the Gulf’s largest market, said a statement.

As well as access to Saudi Arabia and the opportunity to scale across the wider $1.5 trillion GCC markets, Kerry Logistics cited the EDB as part of their decision-making process in launching operations in Bahrain.

Raymond Cheng, director – Middle East and Africa (MEA) at Kerry Logistics, said: “Bahrain’s access to the region is unrivalled. There is enormous potential to grow and scale our services across Saudi Arabia, the GCC and beyond. The kingdom has acted as a commercial bridge between the East and the West for thousands of years. In today’s increasingly digital and hyper-connected world, it is the ideal regional logistics hub.”

Hussain Rajab, co-chief investment officer – Manufacturing, Transport and Logistics at EDB, said: “Attracting a company of the size of Kerry Logistics required seamless collaboration between the EDB, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce & Tourism and the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunication to support the company in every stage during the setup process. The rapid access to key decision-makers enjoyed by businesses, large or small, when looking to set up in Bahrain is unparalleled. We call it our ‘Team Bahrain’ approach and it embodies the access and connectivity that really sets  Bahrain apart.”