Saudi Arabia

Despite the increased need for home entertainment during the long periods of home seclusion during the COVID-19 epidemic, home cinema and audio is unlikely to be the first choice for Saudi Arabian consumers in 2020. Home audio and cinema was already ...

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on in-car entertainment in Saudi Arabia in 2020. The uncertainty hindering consumer spending on non-essentials, together with lockdowns from March onwards, resulted in drivers spending ...

Smartphones enjoy an extremely high penetration rate in Saudi Arabia and it is therefore perhaps no surprise that unit sales are expected to record their first decline in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 crisis as some consumers delay replacing their devices...

Televisions recorded moderate retail volume declines in 2018 and 2019 as the economic situation continued to have an impact on consumer purchasing power, whilst a growing number of Saudi Arabians began to use portable devices such as smartphones and ...

Demand for imaging devices is likely to witness another year of plummeting unit sales in 2020. Smartphone cameras seem to be upgraded with each new launch, offering a wider wide of capabilities and quality. Smartphones have an extremely high ...

The Covid-19 epidemic and the measures introduced in 2020 to control and reduce infection rates are set to lead to a steeper decline in unit sales in 2020 than witnessed over the previous year. The Kingdom introduced various curfew regulations which ...

Computers and peripherals had recorded three years of retail volume declines prior to 2020. However, the country’s lockdowns as part of the measures against the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020 meant students and most employees have been forced to work at ...

Demand for most types of portable players continued to decline drastically over the review period as more consumers utilised their smartphones for a wider variety of purposes. Smartphones enjoy high penetration rates in Saudi Arabia and are available...

Wearable electronic devices began life as fitness aids, supporting active consumers in measuring their activities such as walking and running and tracking their progress against their goals. In Saudi Arabia, the majority of consumers exercise in gyms...

Sales of non alcoholic beer, the only category present in alcoholic drinks in Saudi Arabia, declined over the course of 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic led to the government-mandated closure of all on-trade establishments throughout the Kingdom for ...

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

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

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

Among the most pressing challenges faced by leading players in non alcoholic beer towards the end of the review period was the departure of huge numbers of expatriates, largely in response to structural changes under the auspices of Saudisation. This...

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In response to COVID-19 the government imposed a strict lockdown with 24-hour curfews in major cities. This has made distribution challenging with some retailers seen to be having difficulties obtaining permits to remain open during the curfew. Added...

Water pipe smoking – also called hookah and shisha – remains widespread in the country due to social trends and the misconception among some that it is less harmful than cigarettes. The prevalence of cafés, restaurants and hotels providing shisha ...

There were no significant sales of smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products or heated tobacco in Saudi Arabia in 2018. The act of vaping is not explicitly prohibited by Saudi law and people are free to engage in vaping publicly. However, it was not ...

Following legislation passed by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), all cigarettes sold in the country must now come in standardised packs and sticks with no branding or packaging design allowed as from 23 August 2019. Following this, no ...

Hair care managed to avoid the sales declines seen in numerous beauty and personal care categories in 2019 as the importance of personal grooming and maintaining a clean, smart and well-groomed appearance ensured consistent demand. Recent years have ...