Saudi Arabia

Health and wellness trends, as enhanced by both the era of the pandemic and the government’s healthy living promotions as part of the Saudi Vision 2030, have inspired consumers to adopt healthy eating habits. In turn, this has encouraged interest in…

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…

Overall smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco saw triple-digit rises in both volume and current value sales In Saudi Arabia in 2023. The popularity of heated tobacco products continued to expand, led by Phillip Morris as the main…

The market for snacks in Saudi Arabia is expected to register robust growth in current value terms in 2024, continuing the trend of the previous year. This will be consistent with a more positive economic outlook, thanks to easing inflation and an…

Sales of soft drinks have continued to see healthy growth in retail volume and value terms in 2023, with sales benefiting from a booming economy. Furthermore, the country’s hot climate means there is a constant demand for soft drinks. Saudi Arabia…

The introduction of the excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in Saudi Arabia, which came into force on 1 December 2019, has had a notable influence on beverage companies' packaging strategies, particularly evident in the sizes of packs utilised by…

The Saudi government is focusing on promoting sports across the Kingdom with it aiming to encourage people to lead healthier lifestyles through its Quality of Life programme, which is one of its Vision 2030 initiatives. It is paying great attention…

With all sports centres, activities, and events suspended for significant periods during the COVID-19 pandemic, sports nutrition suffered a drastic decline in 2020. Consumers were not able to work out as regularly as they did previously, meaning that…

Sporting activities are a large part of the Saudi Vision 2030, and we are seeing this influence trends in sportswear and sports-inspired apparel and footwear, particularly so in menswear and increasingly so in childrenswear and womenswear. Notably,…

Sales of stale foods have continued to see healthy growth in retail volume and value terms in 2023, with sales benefiting from a booming economy. The market saw several challenges in 2022 from Russia's invasion of Ukraine and global inflation which…

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…

Sugar confectionery in Saudi Arabia continues to register healthy growth in retail volume and current value terms. In addition to economic factors, including an easing inflation rate and an increase in the rate of employment, sales are being driven…

There is limited demand for sun care in Saudi Arabia, with sun protection accounting for the bulk of retail volume sales. While the local climate is very hot and the sun is strong – the Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle of the Kingdom –…

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…

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%…

Recycling and reducing plastic and water use are well-established in Saudi Arabia, with over two-thirds of consumers aiming to impact the planet positively, shaping their sustainable purchasing decisions. As such, implementing the recycled claims and…

Sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruits snacks represents one of the best-performing categories within snacks in Saudi Arabia, and this trend is expected to continue into 2024. Stronger demand is being driven by the resumption of normal, fast-paced…

The market for sweet spreads continued to see positive growth in volume terms in 2023, albeit at a slower pace than the previous year. This was mainly due to the stabilisation of sales via the foodservice channel, following a boom in the aftermath of…

Glass jars remained the dominant pack type in sweet spreads packaging in 2022. Glass provides excellent protection from the effects of the outside environment, including sunlight, ensuring the product remains unaffected and prolonging its shelf life.…

Tea is a popular drink in Saudi Arabia with a long history and tradition. Tea, along with coffee and dates, is also among the drinks traditionally offered as a show of hospitality in the region. As such, demand continues to grow at a stable pace in…

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,…

Tobacco in Saudia Arabia saw marginal volume growth overall in 2023. Cigarettes remained the largest category in tobacco despite the growing trend towards heated tobacco. Health and wellness trends as well as high taxation and increasing prices…

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…

Interest in domestic travel continues to grow at an extraordinary rate, with the number of domestic trips more than doubling between 2019 and 2023. Domestic tourism is rapidly growing in popularity driven by the government’s efforts to highlight and…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Electronic wearables is the winning category in Saudi Arabia in 2023, with double-digit volume growth. This is thanks to the success of smartwatches, which dominate activity-monitoring technology, as consumers value the analysis connected to health…

One of the most notable consequences of the pandemic was the propensity for Saudi people to put on weight as a consequence of social distancing and home seclusion, which meant that many people were engaged in far lower levels of physical activity…

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

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…

Women’s empowerment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in line with the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030, helps to support growth in womenswear. The government continues to support female empowerment and strive for equality between men and women, through…

Wound care is expected to maintain solid growth in both retail volume and current value terms in 2023. With many aspects of life in Saudi Arabia back to normal after the pandemic disruption, consumers are spending more time outside the home and being…

The yoghurt and sour milk products category has shown healthy growth even within the tough economic situation and the slower growth of consumption as a result of the high rate of inflation. The category’s strong performance has mainly been due to its…