Saudi Arabia

Packaged food in 2019 witnessed a slower growth rate than in 2018, impacted by the VAT implementation that occurred in 2018, which saw packaged food goods increased by 5%. The result of this has made consumers in Saudi Arabia more price-conscious, ...

Having seen sales fall in 2018, due to the imposition of 5% VAT and the departure of expats as a result of the government’s Saudization policy, chocolate confectionery returned to current value growth in 2019. The improved performance resulted in ...

Coffee in Saudi Arabia saw overall retail volume and current value growth rates slow in 2019. This was mainly due to a weaker than expected performance by the Saudi economy, with low oil prices, global trade tensions and terrorist attacks on major ...

Similar to coffee and tea, worsening economic conditions and the exodus of foreign workers from Saudi Arabia contributed to a slowdown in retail volume and current value growth rates for other hot drinks in 2019. The development of the category was ...

While hot drinks in Saudi Arabia continued to develop positively in 2019, overall retail volume and current value growth rates were down on 2018, and also slower than the respective CAGRs for the entire review period. A similar slowdown was evident ...

As was the case with coffee, the negative impact that worsening economic conditions and the exodus of foreign workers from the Kingdom had on retail volume and current value growth rates for tea in 2019 was cushioned by the government’s Saudisation ...

Olive oil registered faster growth than other edible oils in 2019. As consumers are becoming increasingly health-conscious, they are making choices that they believe are best for their health. Olive oil is considered by consumers as one of the ...

The holy month of Ramadan is a significant part of the calendar in Saudi Arabia. As Muslims are expected to fast from dawn to sunset during Ramadan, some consumers desire quick and easy full meal solutions. This supports the demand for ready meals, ...

Since it is an essential cooking ingredient in Saudi Arabi, tomato paste and purées remains the lead offering in sauces, dressings and condiments. The leader in tomato paste and purées, Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff by SADAFCO, is a well-known player ...

Instant soup is gaining attention in Saudi Arabia as it is straightforward to store and quick and easy to prepare. The consumer simply has to pour hot water in a cup. Soup cups launched recently to 2019, and in 2019 they were slowly gaining ...

In general, health and wellness impacts sweet spreads negatively due to the high sugar and fat content of most product types. The most impacted is chocolate spread, jams and preserves and nut and seed based spreads. Jam witnesses a decline in 2019, ...

Baked goods is one of the most prominent offerings in the packaged food industry since bread and pastries are consumed daily in Saudi Arabia. Of all the offerings, frozen baked goods continues to record increasing values sales, mainly due to rises in...

Breakfast cereals maintained a healthy growth in Saudi Arabia, benefiting from being a traditional Saudi breakfast choice. A factor that has helped support breakfast cereal growth is women joining the workforce, which will consequently increase their...

Shelf stable beans has a high level of value sales in processed vegetables, boosted by the high level sold and consumed in to create foul medames – a traditional stew cooked with beans, cumin, vegetable oil and blended with different herbs and ...

Frozen processed poultry value sales increased, primarily due to the removal of a government subsidy for domestic players, that provided support to lower the cost of imported animal feed, vaccines and equipment, in turn assisting in keeping ...

Dried pasta recorded the highest retail current value sales growth in 2019, as young Saudi Arabians continued to opt for a more Western lifestyle through the consumption of international cuisines. Consumers are also being introduced to Italian meals ...

Credit card transactions registered very strong growth in 2019 and this can be attributed in no small part to the fact that Saudi consumers are starting to use their credit cards to make micro payments. Although credit cards have traditionally been ...

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Towards the end of the review period, pre-paid cards received a major boost from changes to the law in Saudi Arabia which now require all those who employ domestic staff to pay their workers via electronic transfer to pre-paid payroll or salary ...

Charge cards continued to register further declines in the number of cards in circulation and transactions value in 2019. The category is already far smaller than either debit cards or credit cards. Moreover, charge cards now faces even stronger ...