Primark to open in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in partnership with Alshaya Group

Primark will open its first store in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in March 2027, the retailer and franchise partner Alshaya Group have confirmed. The flagship Primark will launch in The Avenues Mall, Riyadh — a development spanning a 390,000 square metre site with gross leasable area exceeding 400,000 square metres — expanding Primark’s presence to five countries in the region and 22 countries worldwide.

Executive reaction

“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. 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. We’re excited to be part of this landmark development and to introduce customers in Saudi Arabia to Primark’s unique value,” said Eoin Tonge, Primark CEO.

Details and context

The opening in Riyadh follows the retailer’s recent launches in the UAE — at Dubai Mall, City Centre Mirdif and Mall of the Emirates — and the flagship Primark opening in Kuwait last October. Alshaya Group, which will operate Primark in KSA, said the Riyadh store is the first of multiple planned outlets in the Kingdom, with additional Primark stores due to open across the region in the coming months.

• Primark will open stores in Bahrain (City Centre Bahrain) on 23 September 2026 and in Qatar (Doha Festival City) on 29 October 2026.
• Alshaya Group signed an agreement last year with Shomoul Holding, developer of The Avenues – Riyadh and a subsidiary of Mabanee Company, to invest over $150 million to open 100 stores from its brands and create more than 2,500 employment opportunities for Saudi nationals.
• Alshaya operates over 3,500 stores, cafés, restaurants and leisure destinations across MENA, Türkiye and Europe, and represents more than 70 international brands.
• Primark, founded in Ireland in 1969, employs more than 80,000 colleagues across 19 countries in Europe, the Middle East and the US, and has over 500 stores globally.

John Hadden, CEO of Alshaya Group, commented: “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. As we work with Primark to grow the brand in the region, after such a fantastic reception in Dubai we are now looking forward to more stores in 2026 and then the much-anticipated opening in KSA next year, marking an exciting moment in our partnership and for our customers in the Kingdom.”

Outlook

The planned Riyadh opening will further entrench Primark’s physical-store strategy in the Middle East, leveraging Alshaya’s extensive regional retail footprint and logistics capabilities. With Alshaya’s $150 million-plus investment tied to The Avenues – Riyadh development and commitments to local hiring, the Primark launch is positioned as both a retail expansion and a commercial anchor for the mall’s broader mix of global brands and leisure offerings.

Primark has emphasised its value-led positioning — “great value without compromise” — across womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, home and beauty ranges. The retailer and Alshaya will now move forward with openings in Bahrain and Qatar later this year, ahead of the high-profile Riyadh debut in March 2027.