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Policymakers, executives and global business experts will gather in Riyadh on Monday for the opening of the Retail Leaders Circle Summit for the Middle East and North Africa.
Vast wealth and the promise of dramatic change make for cautious optimism concerning Saudi Arabia, the chief executive…
6 Views | the publication reaches you by | Saudi Arabia TodayIt aims to “activate a much-needed dialogue to explore the changing retail and consumer landscape in Saudi Arabia and the broader region,” according to the official website.
Some 1,500 delegates will hear plenary sessions and roundtables involving more than 50 speakers, and take part in exhibitions and networking at the Fairmont hotel in the Saudi capital. Headline partners include corporate Fawaz Alhokair, the Saudi Telecom Co., Visa and Microsoft.
Other top-level partners include Chalhoub Group, Facebook, McKinsey & Co. and IKEA. Arab News is the strategic media partner for the event.
The summit takes place in a rapidly changing retail and consumer landscape in the Kingdom and the Middle East.
Consumer spending is on the increase after several years of restraint linked to concerns about energy revenues and government expenditure, but the coronavirus outbreak in China has again cast a shadow over the health of demand in international energy markets.
At the same time, the impetus given to consumer spending in Saudi Arabia by the Vision 2030 strategy has thrust the sector into the forefront of policymakers’ thinking.
The big population and youthful demographic in the Kingdom makes it a leader in the regional retail industry.
The retail and consumer sectors are also facing changing internal dynamics with the growth of online shopping in the e-commerce revolution, set against an accelerated program of mall openings as Saudi shoppers look for entertainment and relaxation options in the food and beverage sectors.
In a survey of consumer sentiment to be released on the opening day of the summit, consultants McKinsey said consumer sentiment is improving for the first time in five years in the region, especially among Saudis, who are upbeat about the economy, with 45 percent giving positive survey responses.
Only 38 percent of consumers feel economic pressure today, and 36 percent feel it will increase next year.
But the “new normal” in the industry is confirmed, with consumers still very cautious about spending and seeing value for money, McKinsey said.
The project for the design, engineering and procurement of the new 400,000m3/day Jubail II seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO)…
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The Arab states of the Persian Gulf are the seven Arab states which border the Persian Gulf, namely Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).This excludes the non-Arab state of Iran. All of these nations except Iraq are part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
