Primark’s Saudi Arabia debut: Alshaya to open first Riyadh store in 2027

Dubai: Irish fashion retail giant Primark is heading to Saudi Arabia, with its first store in the Kingdom set to open in Riyadh in March 2027 as the brand accelerates its expansion across the Gulf following a strong reception in Dubai and Kuwait.

The first Saudi store will open at The Avenues Mall in Riyadh, in partnership with Alshaya Group. The mall is scheduled to open in March 2027 and is planned as one of the region’s major shopping and leisure destinations, the Kuwaiti retail juggernaut said in a statement issued Thursday.

The Saudi launch will take Primark’s presence to five countries in the region and 22 countries worldwide.

Dubai demand

The move follows Primark’s rapid expansion in the UAE, where it opened three stores at Dubai Mall, City Centre Mirdif and Mall of the Emirates earlier this year.

The Dubai openings drew thousands of customers, with strong interest in the retailer’s combination of fashion trends and everyday essentials across womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, home and beauty.

The reception has also encouraged Alshaya to move faster on the brand’s regional expansion.

John Hadden, CEO of Alshaya Group, said, “We are incredibly proud to announce our first flagship Primark store in KSA to open at the fantastic The Avenues in Riyadh in March 2027, with more stores to follow in the Kingdom.”

He added that the company was looking forward to “more stores in 2026” before the Saudi opening next year.

More Gulf stores

Saudi Arabia is not the only new market on Primark’s Gulf expansion map.

The retailer is due to open its first store in Bahrain at City Centre Bahrain on September 23, 2026, followed by its first Qatar store at Doha Festival City on October 29, 2026.

That will build on its existing presence in Kuwait and the three-store UAE rollout.

Primark CEO Eoin Tonge said the response to its first stores in Kuwait and Dubai had strengthened the company’s confidence in the region.

“The demand we’ve seen for our first stores in Kuwait and Dubai has given us real confidence in the strength of the Primark brand and strong opportunity for us across the region,” Tonge said.

“Saudi Arabia is an important next step in our growth, and we’re pleased to be building on our partnership with Alshaya to bring Primark here next.”

He said the company was excited to be part of The Avenues Riyadh development and introduce Saudi shoppers to Primark’s “unique value”.

Big mall

The Avenues Riyadh is being developed as a large-scale retail and leisure destination, spanning 390,000 square metres of land, with gross leasable area exceeding 400,000 square metres.

The development will feature global retail brands alongside leisure and entertainment concepts.

For Alshaya, the Primark opening forms part of a wider investment in the project.

Last year, the retail operator signed an agreement with Shomoul Holding, the developer of The Avenues Riyadh and a subsidiary of Mabanee Company, to invest more than $150 million, opening 100 stores from its international brands and creating more than 2,500 opportunities for Saudi nationals.

UAE expansion

Primark’s Saudi announcement comes as Alshaya continues to assess further opportunities for the brand in the UAE.

Following the stronger-than-expected response to Primark’s Dubai launch, Hadden previously said Alshaya wanted to be “more aggressive and grow quicker than what we originally planned” for the retailer.

The company was also in talks with major landlords in Abu Dhabi and reviewing additional Dubai locations, with the retailer requiring large-format spaces.

At the time, Hadden said an Abu Dhabi opening was expected to be “certainly within the next 12 months”.

The Dubai expansion itself was accelerated after strong consumer demand, with the Mall of the Emirates opening brought forward from its original schedule.

For Gulf shoppers, the latest announcement signals that Primark’s regional rollout is moving beyond its initial UAE and Kuwait launches, with Bahrain and Qatar coming later this year and Saudi Arabia next year.