Retail sector in the Middle East and North Africa - statistics & facts

In the past years, the MENA region has witnessed growth in the retail sector. Particularly, retailers in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region have benefited from a favorable macroeconomic environment. Grocery, apparel, electronics, and other retail segments have achieved profits and returns above the global industry average. Saudi Arabia had the highest consumer spending in the region, with more than 16 billion U.S. dollars. The region accounted for around two percent of the world’s leading 250 retailers.  

 Retail sector outlook

  In recent years and before the COVID-19 pandemic, the region has undergone several challenges, namely the decline in oil prices, geopolitical instability, and the rapid evolution of digital technology, which have significantly slowed growth in many sectors including retail. However, a survey showed that more than one-third of consumers believe that the retail industry is the ripest for digital change among other consumer industries. E-commerce accounted for a growing share of the retail sector over the years. By 2025, it is estimated that e-commerce will have a penetration rate of 16 percent of the retail sector.

Shifts in consumer trends post COVID-19 

   The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted trends and lifestyles around the world and, the retail sector in MENA was no exception. The pandemic resulted in an urgent need for digital adoption among retailers to respond to changing consumer preferences towards online retail. More than half of consumers stated that they expect their online shopping frequency to increase as a response to the pandemic. On a category level, more consumers are moving towards increased online shopping in categories such as grocery, food, and beverages, while products such as shoes, apparel, and accessories witnessed a decline. The retail sector is expected to continue to evolve, largely due to a technology-led disruption where data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and changing consumer behavior will reshape the retail industry landscape to improve customer experience.     
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Feb 15, 2023

Key insights

Annual growth in retail sales volume UAE
0.6%
Food delivery share in quick commerce market share MENA
73%
Per capita consumer spending Israel
23
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Quick commerce market size in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) from 2018 to 2024 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Online Retail

Q-commerce market size in MENA 2018-2024

Quick commerce market share in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) from 2018 to 2024, by sector

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Q-commerce market share in MENA 2018-2024, by sector

Revenue of the food and beverages sector in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 2016 to 2020 (in million U.S. dollars)

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Revenue of food and beverages sector UAE 2016-2020

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