Saudi Arabia

Jeans are a staple in the wardrobes of young and middle-aged consumers in Saudi Arabia, being popular amongst both expatriates and native consumers. Whilst elderly people prefer more traditional clothing, the growing young population often prefer…

Supermarkets is the largest grocery retailers channel in Saudi Arabia and it continued to see stable growth in current value terms in 2022. The supermarkets channel was one of the big winners from the pandemic, with these stores remaining open…

Sales of womenswear continued to recover in 2022 registering dynamic growth in current value and retail volume terms. In 2020, lockdown, home seclusion and few opportunities to socialise, alongside reduced numbers at religious gatherings, resulted in…

Hosiery was hit hard by the onset of the global pandemic and measures imposed to limit the spread of COVID-19. Consumers had to stay at home and had few opportunities to socialise. While there is a growing number of women in paid employment in the…

Life in Saudi Arabia returned to relative normality in 2022 after the government removed all the remaining COVID-19 restrictions. Consumers returned to shopping malls, schools and the workplace with this positively impacting sales through vending…

Retail in Saudi Arabia witnessed a strong recovery in domestic demand as the remaining COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. Sales also benefited from an increase in retail space in 2022 with a significant number of new outlets opening, including within…

Wipes continued to see steady, yet unspectacular growth in current value terms in 2022, continuing the trend of the previous year. This was in contrast to 2020, when an increase in the rate of VAT, from 5% to 15%, led to sharp price rises for wipes,…

Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 demand for polishes had been growing at a slow but steady pace. However, during 2020 and the early part of 2021 many consumers switched to working from home and they also spent far more time at home. Under these…

Hypermarkets witnessed strong growth in 2020 following the outbreak of COVID-19, with panic-buying and stockpiling benefiting sales through the channel. However, as COVID-19 restrictions were gradually lifted local consumers started spending less…

The discounters channel is relatively small in Saudi Arabia with only one player being present in the channel. Dabbagh Group Holding Co Ltd, which operates the Al Dukan chain of discounters, closed a significant number of underperforming stores in…

Hand dishwashing continues to dominate sales of dishwashing in Saudi Arabia. The diversity of hand dishwashing products available in the Kingdom in terms of prices, fragrances, and the assortment of brands on offer is enormous and continues to…

The lifting of the remaining COVID-19 restrictions in the Kingdom helped to stimulate growth in menswear in 2022, continuing the recovery that started in 2021. Further steps towards normality included the allowing of full capacity at the two grand…

The Ministry of Education ended remote learning in August 2022, finally bringing an end to remote learning. During 2020 schools and parks were closed and all sports activities were banned, while children under the age of 15 were not permitted to…

Bleach experienced a dramatic surge in demand in 2020, with retail volume sales growing at an incredible rate. This was due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia and the increased hygiene awareness in the Kingdom as consumers sought to prevent…

The government’s focus on developing sports in Saudi Arabia is driving strong demand for sportswear in the Kingdom. Furthermore, sportswear is increasingly preferred since it is seen to be comfortable and appealing especially among generation Z.

Sales of footwear continued their recovery in 2022, with this being supported by several factors including the latest fashion trends, the government’s focus on sport and fitness, more women joining the workforce and children returning back to school.…

Laundry care remains by far the largest category in home care in Saudi Arabia, despite sales declining in retail volume terms in 2022. In 2020, consumers in Saudi Arabia faced a range of restrictions as the Kingdom looked to contain the spread of…

Sanitary protection saw steady, yet unremarkable growth in current value terms in 2022, a slight improvement on the previous year. This was in contrast to 2020, when an increase in the rate of VAT, from 5% to 15%, led to sharp price rises for…

Retail tissue saw modest growth in current value terms in 2022 continuing the trend of the previous year. Boxed facial tissues remained by far the largest subcategory, with such products found in every room of most consumers’ homes, as well as in…

The rising number of women entering the paid workforce in Saudi Arabia is leading to an increase in demand for apparel accessories. This is both because working lifestyles require investment in new clothing and accessories, and because female…