Saudi Arabia

An increasing number of Saudi men are now considering using men’s grooming products to help them to create the best versions of themselves. Saudi men want to be well groomed but want to follow simple and relatively quick routines to achieve this. As…

Mass beauty and personal care continued to see strong growth in current value terms in 2023, albeit slightly slower than in the previous year as the country’s economy contracted. With the pandemic being declared over in early 2023 more consumers…

Hair care continued to see strong growth in retail volume terms in 2023. Despite the Kingdom’s economy contracting in 2023 there remained a renewed consumer confidence in the wake of the pandemic with more consumers returning to the workplace and…

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…

Sales of depilatories continued to decline in retail volume terms in 2023. Aside from a brief recovery during 2020 when hair and beauty salons were forced to close – and thus women had to take a DIY approach to hair removal – sales of depilatories…

With consumers spending more time outside of the home again there was greater incentive to wear deodorants in 2023 with this helping to fuel demand. With the World Health Organisation declaring the pandemic to be over in early 2023 more consumers…

The government continues to support female empowerment in Saudi Arabia striving for equality between men and women in the workplace, enhancing their rights, support systems and care programmes with the aim of improving their work environment in all…

Although the Saudi economy actually contracted in 2023 due to a drop in oil revenue when it came to the Kingdom’s non-oil economy there continued to be growth, with this including spending on beauty and personal care. The retail industry is looking…

Many bath and shower products are seen as an essential part of the daily hygiene routines of the local population with bar soap in particular being a relatively mature category. As such, growth in part is linked to population growth. Therefore, sales…

There has been an increased focus on personal health and hygiene since the pandemic in Saudi Arabia which continued to support demand for a wide range of baby and child-specific products in 2023. Parents are now focusing more on preventive care and…

Positive natural change will drive population growth in Saudi Arabia from 2021 to 2040. Ageing will increase, influencing consumer trends and spending habits as quality healthcare boosts the 65+ population. Urbanisation will continue to be swift as…

Vending saw strong growth in current value terms in Saudi Arabia in 2023 with the category still seen to have further growth potential. New opportunities are arising from the increase in tourism and the development of new shopping and entertainment…

Consumers are becoming more health-conscious and are seeking healthier food options. Supermarkets in Saudi Arabia are looking to respond to this by offering a wider range of organic, natural, and locally sourced products. They are also providing more…

Small local grocers continue to face strong competition from modern grocery retailers and e-commerce. This is because modern grocery retailers such as supermarkets and hypermarkets look to provide a wide variety of products under one roof and use…

Retail in Saudi Arabia continued to experience positive growth in current value terms in 2023 with the end of the pandemic and improved consumer confidence helping to encourage spending. Although the Saudi economy actually contracted in 2023 due to a…

Retail e-commerce in Saudi Arabia has seen huge gains with sales having more than doubled since 2019 in current value terms. This is largely attributed to the digital adoption wave and evolving shopping preferences, especially among millennials. The…

The Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, acquired a 30% stake in Riyadh-based grocery store chain Tamimi Markets Company in 2023. The PIF is looking to help Tamimi Markets realise its full potential, with the aim of…

The overall growth of the retail market in Saudi Arabia has had a positive impact on home product specialists. As the retail market expands and evolves, there is an increasing demand for specialised professionals who can provide expert advice on home…

The rise of e-commerce and digital platforms has transformed the retail landscape in Saudi Arabia, including when it comes to beauty specialists. Beauty specialists in Saudi Arabia have adapted to the digital age by establishing an online presence,…

Value-oriented department stores such as Centerpoint and RedTag continued to lead the category in 2023 outperforming outlets with a more premium positioning. This was largely due to price increases with many shoppers displaying a more conservative…

Al Dukan from Dabbagh Group Holding Co Ltd remained the only player present in the discounters category in Saudi Arabia in 2023. The group focused on increasing its number of outlets in the western province of the Kingdom in 2023 with it opening a…

Increasing health awareness and consciousness of consumers in Saudi Arabia helped to maintain strong demand for home delivered bottled water in 2023, which is one of the leading products within direct selling. Most households in Saudi Arabia are…

Due in part to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy the Kingdom is experiencing accelerated population growth and internal migration toward concentrated metropolitan areas. This has presented opportunities for quality-focused convenience stores to…

Appliances and electronics specialists in Saudi Arabia experienced steady growth in current value terms in 2023. Factors that contributed to this positive growth included increasing purchasing power, population growth and urbanisation. Furthermore,…

Apparel and footwear is thriving in Saudi Arabia with strong demand stemming from changing fashion trends, consumer preferences, the return of religious pilgrims and tourists, the demand for quality products and government regulations. Moreover, the…

Wipes in Saudi Arabia continued to be driven by increased hygiene awareness, a rising demand for convenience, improving disposable incomes, travel, the rebound and development of tourism and hospitality as consumers continued to resume pre-COVID-19…

Tissue and hygiene in Saudi Arabia continued to see overall retail volume and current value growth in 2023. Rising awareness of the importance of hygiene and cleanliness supported demand. This performance was also supported by population growth,…

Retail tissue in Saudi Arabia continued to register retail volume and current value growth in 2023, although it face challenges, such as raw material availability and environmental sustainability. Meanwhile, the government's commitment to local…

Retail adult incontinence in Saudi Arabia, despite continued overall healthy retail volume and current value growth in 2023, remained constrained by a number of factors. One is the taboo surrounding adult incontinence, with many sufferers still too…

Inflation has had an impact on nappies/diapers/pants in Saudi Arabia, leading to increased costs for manufacturers and retailers. This is because prices of raw materials and the costs of transportation and production factors have increased due to…

Within menstrual care in Saudi Arabia, sustainable products are becoming increasingly popular, in line with the global trend. These products are designed to be eco-friendly and reduce waste, compared to traditional disposable menstrual care products.…

Away-from-home (AFH) tissue and hygiene in Saudi Arabia maintained strong volume and current value growth in 2023. At the end of the review period, AFH tissue continued to rebound from a decline in 2020, caused COVID-19-related measures and…

The COVID-19 crisis had a very strong negative impact on the performance of street stalls/kiosks in Saudi Arabia. Both chained and independent street stalls/kiosks recorded big declines in foodservice value sales and the number of transactions as…

The self-service cafeterias category is expected to achieve a full recovery to a pre-pandemic level of value sales in 2023 and is expected to maintain healthy growth over the forecast period due to the growing number of expats entering the kingdom,…

Vision 2030 is making Saudi Arabia one of the most attractive markets for investors worldwide. The goals of Vision 2030 are to increase the appeal of Saudi Arabia, not least in terms of entertainments like consumer foodservice. Prior to the COVID-19…

In 2019, there was no 15% VAT (value-added tax) implementation, expats’ families were not liable for dependence fees, and inflation and the cost of utilities like electricity, as well as tuition fees, were significantly lower. Therefore, consumers…

The Saudi Arabian consumer foodservice market is expected to witness a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels in value terms in 2023. The market has seen growing consumption and the opening of new outlets, involving both new brands entering the market…

Stand-alone maintained its dominant position in the Saudi Arabian consumer foodservice market in 2023. The strength of stand-alone locations is largely to do with the convenience and easy access they provide to consumers. There is a growing trend…

Cafés/bars was one of the categories in the consumer foodservice industry to be hit hardest by the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic led to the closure of many outlets, especially cafés located in shopping centres, as those were extremely severely…

Among the many formats of toilet care products, toilet liquids/foam remained the most in demand in Saudia Arabia at the end of the review period, due to its perceived convenience in easy-glide application. Local consumers appreciate toilet care…

Despite a decline in value sales due to falling unit price driven by price promotions, demand for surface care remains elevated in relation to pre-pandemic levels, and continued to rise in 2023. Products in surface care claiming to kill 99.99%…

Demand for polish continued to rise in 2023, following the retail volume declines of 2020 due to pandemic-induced home seclusion. The latter resulted in waning interest in polishing one’s footwear, for instance, with the latter experiencing the…

Despite a further drop in value sales in 2023, in line with a weakening average unit price, laundry care remained the largest category in home care in Saudi Arabia. Within laundry care, laundry detergents remained the dominant category with powder…

Rising urbanisation and busier lifestyles, along with extremely hot and humid weather for long periods of 2023, supported the significant growth of crawling bugs, ants and cockroaches in Saudi Arabia. This helped drive up demand for home…

Following a period of normalisation over 2021-2022, when retail volume sales of home care in Saudi Arabia declined compared to the surge witnessed in 2020 as a result of pandemic-induced home seclusion, demand for many products increased in 2023.…

Hand dishwashing continued to dominate sales of dishwashing in Saudi Arabia at the end of the review period. The diversity of hand dishwashing products available in the local market in terms of prices, fragrances, and the assortment of brands on…

Unlike many home care categories in 2023, the average unit price of bleach continued to rise in Saudi Arabia, resulting in more dynamic current value growth compared to retail volume. Nevertheless, demand continued to rise in 2023, as bleach offers a…

Despite greater time spent at home at the height of the pandemic, demand for air care notably declined in 2020, as many local consumers, faced with mounting financial pressures, reduced their spending on perceived non-essential home care. In…

In 2022, PET bottles remained the preferred choice for cooking and table sauce packaging in Saudi Arabia due to their cost-effectiveness, durability, lightweight properties and affordability in production and transportation. In chocolate…

Robotic vacuum cleaners are starting to gain relevance in Saudi Arabia, seeing growing volume sales following a sluggish and/or negative performance over the review period. This is attributed to ongoing economic developments in the Kingdom, with…