Saudi Arabia

Gum sales were negatively impacted by the pandemic in 2020 due to lockdowns in Saudi Arabia and limited mobility outside of the home. In addition, local consumers were more focused on purchasing essential commodities such as medicine and groceries,…

Wine is not available in Saudi Arabia as alcoholic drinks are not permitted in the country under Islamic Law.

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…

Ever since the remaining COVID-19 related restrictions have been lifted there has been a strong demand among locals to start travelling again with many people having already gone back to all of their pre-pandemic travelling habits and more. Direct…

Beauty and personal care in Saudi Arabia continues to be led by well-established regional and international luxury brands. This includes leading local players in fragrances, such as Abdul Samad Al Quraishi, Arabian Oud, and Al-Majed for Oud. The…

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…

The cheese market witnessed a decline in volume sales in 2022, largely as a result of the impact of the high rate of inflation, which led to significant increases in the price of cheese products. Companies revised their pricing constantly during the…

Despite the expectation of a slowdown compared with the high growth rates seen during the pandemic, vitamins is set to maintain solid retail volume and current value growth in 2023, supported by recommendations from pharmacists and doctors. In…

Headphones is another category enjoying volume growth in Saudi Arabia in 2023, albeit at a lower rate than seen with wearable electronics. The increasing adoption of headphones and earphones in Saudi Arabia, especially for use while exercising and…

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.

In 2023, there have been stock shortages for some analgesics in key distribution channels in Saudi Arabia, resulting from producers, suppliers, and/or distributors. As a result, end consumers have been switching to alternative products containing the…

Political opposition and civil liberties are restricted in Saudi Arabia, whilst its economic freedom continues to face challenges. The economy has performed strongly, but is set to slow down and reliance on oil remains high, although inflation is…

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…

In 2023, dermatologicals is set to return to solid current value growth, although performances are expected to vary widely across categories. For instance, hair loss treatments is expected to continue to benefit from consumers’ perception of their…

Travel in Saudi Arabia is performing exceptionally well in 2023, having ranked first among all of the other Arab nations in terms of highest inbound visitors in 2022. Saudi Arabia has also experienced an incredible recovery in the number of airlines…