Retail in 2024: The big picture
In the year 2024, retail in Saudi Arabia witnessed steady growth in current value terms aided by improvements in consumer confidence and the rising propensity to spend. Easing inflationary pressures and declining unemployment have led to higher disposable income, whilst the steady influx of women in the workforce has supported demand in health and beauty stores.
Mergers and acquisitions reshape the competitive landscape
Saudi's retail market has been marked by mergers and acquisitions, which have reshaped the competitive landscape over 2024. Al Othaim Fashion Co finalised the acquisition of 18 franchised brands from Fawaz Abdulaziz Al Hokair & Co.
Retail e-commerce is developing at considerable speed
Technology is transforming Saudi Arabia's retail sector, with players seamlessly integrating physical stores, online platforms, and mobile apps. As the majority of the Saudi population are aged below 30 years, e-commerce growth is supported by the vast and growing number of tech-savvy individuals and improvements in internet penetration.
What next for retail?
Saudi Arabia’s retail market is expected to continue growing, supported by favourable socio-economic conditions such as a steady population increase, rising disposable incomes, and the rapid expansion of modern retailing formats that align with Saudi Vision 2030. Competition will intensify due to recent acquisitions and strategic partnerships, as well as the influx of new players like UAE-based grocery retailer Spinney.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Retail industry in Saudi Arabia with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
Data and analysis in this report provides further detailed coverage dedicated to the following key categories, where applicable:
- Convenience Stores
- Discounters
- Hypermarkets
- Supermarkets
- Traditional Grocery Retailers
- Apparel and Footwear Specialist Retailers
- Electronics and Appliance Specialist Retailers
- Health and Beauty Specialist Retailers
- Home and Garden Specialist Retailers
- Department Stores
- Variety Stores
- Warehouse Clubs
- Direct Selling
- Homeshopping
- Vending
If you're in the Retail industry in Saudi Arabia, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Retail in Saudi Arabia report includes:
- Analysis of key retail trends
- Detailed segmentation of offline and online retail sales
- Historic channel sizes (retail value sales, outlet counts, and selling space)
- Company and brand market shares (retail value sales and outlet counts)
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Retail in Saudi Arabia?
- Which are the leading retailers in Retail in Saudi Arabia?
- How are products distributed in Retail in Saudi Arabia?
- How is the rise of e-commerce and the expansion of modern grocery retail impacting traditional retail?
- How significant are discounters and private label in Saudi Arabia?
- To what extent are sales shifting towards digital channels?
- What is the long-term outlook for bricks-and-mortar?
- How is macroeconomic and political uncertainty affecting the retail industry?
- What types of retailers are seeing the fastest growth in digital sales?
- What is the future of retail?
Retail in Saudi Arabia
Retail in 2024: The big picture
Mergers and acquisitions reshape the competitive landscape
Retail e-commerce is developing at considerable speed
What next for retail?
Informal retail
Opening hours for physical retail
Seasonality
Ramadan and Eid-al Fitr
National day
Back to school
White Friday
DISCLAIMER
Convenience Retailers in Saudi Arabia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Convenience retailers expand amid urbanisation and infrastructure development
Consolidation trend aims to transform forecourt retailing
Competition intensifies alongside rise of on-demand grocery delivery
Urbanisation and infrastructure developments to drive strong growth
Consolidation trend will gather pace
Digitalisation will offer an important competitive tool
Supermarkets in Saudi Arabia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Supermarkets benefit from growing demand for modern retailing
Tamimi Group enters hypermarkets with Al Raya acquisition
Local retailers look to strengthen their position
Supermarkets will benefit from rising demand for modern grocery retailers
Differentiation will be essential as competition intensifies
Digitalisation will remain a core part of business expansion strategies
Hypermarkets in Saudi Arabia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Hypermarkets experience strong growth in 2024
Panda Retail Co retains lead despite more intense competition
Digitalisation continues to transform operating environments
Government investment in infrastructure will lead to hypermarket expansion
Spinneys is likely to intensify competition in the premium segment
Innovation will remain centred on digitalisation
Discounters in Saudi Arabia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Discounters benefit from strong demand for affordable goods
Dabbagh Group joins forces with regional discount player Kazyon Limited
Competition grows from other grocery retailing channels and e-commerce
Discounters will remain the fastest growing channel
Al Dukan Retailing Co is likely to face competition
Discounters to open in strategic locations outside of urban centres
Small Local Grocers in Saudi Arabia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Small local grocers remain relevant despite tough competition from modern channel
Players embrace technology to keep up with modern channel
Small local grocers required to meet new municipal conditions to obtain permit to operate
Competition from modern retail channels likely to challenge the growth of small local grocers
Small local grocers will have to reinvent themselves to remain relevant
Technology will remain pivotal to compete
General Merchandise Stores in Saudi Arabia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Mixed performance for general merchandising stores
Centrepoint maintains its lead as it expands outlets
Social media aids in encouraging new sales for the channel while thriving tourism industry brings new shoppers to the Kingdom
Department stores set to benefit from economic growth
Variety stores to benefit from rising demand for value propositions
Higher tourism footfall likely to boost sales in general merchandise stores
Apparel and Footwear Specialists in Saudi Arabia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Apparel and footwear retailers face challenging trading conditions
Cenomi Retail divests brands as part of restructuring plan
E-commerce challenges major apparel and footwear specialists
Robust growth as expansion continues in upcoming years
More local brands to enter the Saudi market
Utilising technology and AI to develop the shopping experience
Appliances and Electronics Specialists in Saudi Arabia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Appliances and electronics specialists post steady growth
Competitive landscape evolves with new partnership deals
Competition intensifies with e-commerce retailers
Appliances and electronics specialists will benefit from changes in socio-economic conditions
Focus on retail experiences to create competitive advantage
Alat initiative is set to strengthen supply chain
Home Products Specialists in Saudi Arabia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Homeware and furniture stores see influx of new players
Saudi Co For Hardware (SACO) retains its lead in home improvements
Pet shops and superstores are expanding rapidly
Urbanisation and rising home ownership will drive demand for home improvement and gardening products
Local homeware and furniture players might consider regional expansion
Social media and new technology should help home products specialists to capitalise on the growing interest in DIY and interior design
Health and Beauty Specialists in Saudi Arabia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Beauty specialist retailers are adapting to evolving consumer needs
Bin Dawood Group acquires Zahrat Al Rawdah pharmacy
Optical goods stores benefit from growing demand among young consumers
Competition will intensify between beauty specialists as growth continues
Improvement in operating environment will support pharmacy expansion
Innovation will be centred on convenience
Vending in Saudi Arabia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Vending machines witness steady increases
Competitive landscape evolves to accommodate more products and services
Saudi Energy Ministry grants first license for LPG cylinder vending machines
Infrastructure development will drive expansion in vending machines
Vending machines expected to see more diversified offerings
Increase in tourism footfall and new commercial shopping areas creates new vending opportunities
Direct Selling in Saudi Arabia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Direct selling remains dominated by wellness products
Al Manhal Water factory retains its leading position
Beauty and personal care direct selling faces mounting competition from other retail channels
Expected growth driven by ongoing need for essential goods and convenience
Bottled water is expected to remain a driving force in direct selling
Lines will become blurred between e-commerce and direct selling
Retail E-Commerce in Saudi Arabia
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Retail e-commerce continues to evolve and prosper
Buy Now Pay Later boosts demand for e-commerce
Competition continues to intensify as new players enter the Saudi market
Bright outlook for e-commerce over the forecast period
BNPL will continue to thrive as e-commerce expands
E-commerce competitive landscape likely to face consolidation
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Retail
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- Convenience Stores
- Forecourt Retailers
- Supermarkets
- Hypermarkets
- Discounters
- Warehouse Clubs
- Food/Drink/Tobacco Specialists
- Small Local Grocers
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- Department Stores
- Variety Stores
- Apparel and Footwear Specialists
- Appliances and Electronics Specialists
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- Home Improvement and Gardening Stores
- Homewares and Home Furnishing Stores
- Pet Shops and Superstores
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- Beauty Specialists
- Pharmacies
- Optical Goods Stores
- Health and Personal Care Stores
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- Bags and Luggage Specialists
- Jewellery and Watch Specialists
- Sports Goods Stores
- Traditional Toys and Games Stores
- Other Non-Grocery Retailers
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- Fashion Vending
- Health and Beauty Vending
- Appliances and Electronics Vending
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- Alcoholic Drinks Vending
- Hot Drinks Vending
- Soft Drinks Vending
- Tobacco Products Vending
- Foods Vending
- Home Products Vending
- Other Products Vending
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- Apparel and Footwear Direct Selling
- Personal Accessories Direct Selling
- Eyewear Direct Selling
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- Beauty and Personal Care Direct Selling
- Consumer Health Direct Selling
- Tissue and Hygiene Direct Selling
- Appliances and Electronics Direct Selling
- Drinks and Tobacco Direct Selling
- Foods Direct Selling
- Home Products Direct Selling
- Other Products Direct Selling
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- Apparel and Footwear E-Commerce
- Personal Accessories E-Commerce
- Eyewear E-Commerce
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- Beauty and Personal Care E-Commerce
- Consumer Health E-Commerce
- Tissue and Hygiene E-Commerce
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- Consumer Appliances E-Commerce
- Consumer Electronics E-Commerce
- Toys and Games E-Commerce
- Drinks and Tobacco E-Commerce
- Foods E-Commerce
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- Home Care E-Commerce
- Home and Garden E-Commerce
- Pet Care E-Commerce
- Other Products E-Commerce
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- First-Party (1P) Marketplace E-Commerce
- Third-Party (3P) Marketplace E-Commerce
- Grocery E-Commerce
- General Merchandiser E-Commerce
- Apparel and Footwear Specialist E-Commerce
- Appliances and Electronics Specialist E-Commerce
- Home Products Specialist E-Commerce
- Health and Beauty Specialist E-Commerce
- Leisure and Personal Goods Specialist E-Commerce
- Other E-Commerce Retailers
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Retail
Retail is the sale of new and used goods to consumers from a business for personal or household consumption from retail outlets, kiosks, market stalls, vending, direct selling and e-commerce. Retail is the aggregation of Retail Offline and Retail E-Commerce. Excludes specialist retailers of motor vehicles, motorcycles, vehicle parts. Also excludes fuel sales, foodservice sales, rental transactions, and wholesale sales (e.g. Cash and Carry). Sales value excluding or including VAT/Sales Tax. Retail also excludes the informal retail sector. Informal retailing is retail trade which is not declared to the tax authorities. Informal retailing encompasses (a) sales generated by unregistered and unlicensed retailers, i.e. retailers operating illegally, and (b) any proportion of sales generated by a registered and licensed retailer that is not declared to the tax authorities. Unregistered and unlicensed retailers operate predominantly (although not exclusively) as street hawkers or operate open market stalls, as these channels are harder for the authorities to monitor than permanent outlets. Activities in the illegal market, which is usually understood to refer to trade in illegal, counterfeit or stolen merchandise, are included within our definition of informal retailing. Activities in the “grey market”, which is usually understood to refer to trade in legal merchandise that is sold through unauthorized channels – for example cigarettes bought legally in another country, legally imported, but sold at lower prices than in authorized channels – will be included as informal retailing if no tax is paid on sale by the retailer. However if the retailer pays tax – for example on cigarettes bought legally in another country but sold at a lower price than standard – the sale is included within formal retail.
See all of our definitionsWhy buy this report?
- Gain competitive intelligence about market leaders
- Track key industry trends, opportunities and threats
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This report originates from Passport, our Retail research and analysis database.
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