Table of Contents
Key Points
- Oriental Weavers debuts world’s first AI-powered “phygital” carpet showroom, merging traditional retail with digital visualization and personalization tools.
- CEO Yasmine Mohamed Khamis leads shift toward smart retail as Oriental Weavers reports 27% Q1 revenue growth despite a dip in profit.
- Africa’s digital transformation gains pace as Oriental Weavers and Cassava Technologies push AI-led innovation in retail and infrastructure.
In the quiet, sunlit corner of New Cairo’s Mivida neighborhood, a 250-square-meter showroom is offering a glimpse into what African retail might become. The space belongs to Oriental Weavers, the global carpet brand built by the late industrialist Mohamed Farid Khamis and now led by his daughter, Yasmine Mohamed Khamis. But this isn’t just a showroom, it’s a signal of where the Cairo-based global carpet giant, and perhaps the continent, is headed next.
Oriental Weavers launches world’s first phygital carpet retail store
Called OW Haptech, the new flagship store is the first of its kind across the world: a “phygital” carpet showroom that blends the physical and digital into a single customer experience. Visitors can walk in and see traditional machine-made carpets up close—but they can also use digital projection tools to visualize how a rug might look in their living room.
With AI-powered modules, they can tweak colors and patterns on the spot. Sampling stations react to touch and preference, inviting people to shape their ideal product in real-time. For Khamis, this move into artificial intelligence (AI) is a response to how the world is changing. “With a presence in over 118 countries, we are proud to be a symbol of ‘Made in Egypt’ excellence,” she says. That reputation, she believes, needs to evolve with the times.
Yasmine Khamis bets on smart retail
Oriental Weavers is making this shift just as retail is going through a major rethink. The habits of shoppers, especially younger ones, have changed. People now expect speed, personalization, and seamless digital experiences. Yasmine Mohamed Khamis understands that keeping the brand relevant means blending its long-standing strengths in manufacturing with a more forward-looking, tech-driven mindset. OW Haptech is her first major step in that direction, and it may only be the beginning.
The numbers show that the company is holding its ground in a challenging environment. In the first quarter of 2025, Oriental Weavers reported EGP6.4 billion ($128.22 million) in revenue, up 27 percent from the same time last year. Profit dipped slightly, down 1.2 percent to EGP551 million ($11 million), but overall margins remain strong thanks to export rebates and careful cost management. In a global market where many manufacturers are struggling with inflation and supply chain issues, these figures reflect a business still finding ways to grow and adjust.
New bets on AI-led growth
What’s happening at Oriental Weavers is part of a wider story. Across Africa, technology is starting to reshape industries that once felt disconnected from digital transformation. Around the same time that Khamis was unveiling her AI-powered showroom, Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa was putting the pieces together for Africa’s first AI factory.
Through his firm Cassava Technologies and in partnership with NVIDIA, Masiyiwa’s project in South Africa aims to deliver high-performance computing tools to governments, universities, and businesses—an effort to bring powerful, homegrown AI capabilities to the continent. These moves—one in retail, the other in infrastructure—speak to a broader shift. Africa’s economic outlook is no longer just about raw materials and agriculture. Increasingly, it’s about smart manufacturing, digital tools, and meeting the expectations of a connected generation.
Blending heritage and high-tech vision
Oriental Weavers has long been one of Egypt’s top exporters, with carpets found in homes from Paris to Pretoria and Shanghai to Chicago. The Khamis family still holds a majority stake, 56.58 percent, in the publicly traded company, allowing them to steer its long-term direction without being overly influenced by short-term pressures.
Under Yasmine Khamis’ leadership, the company’s focus is changing. It’s no longer only about producing carpets at scale; it’s also about making sure those products stay relevant in a digital world. If the Haptech showroom takes off and the concept spreads, it could become a blueprint for other African brands looking to mix tradition with technology.
The showroom may be in Cairo, but the ambition behind it stretches far beyond city limits. While major retailers in the U.S. and Europe are experimenting with AI, Khamis is building something that feels grounded in local heritage, yet fully modern. It’s not just about keeping up with the rest of the world; it’s about shaping something that works for Africa, on its own terms.
