
Majid Al-Futtaim expands lifestyle retail footprint across Saudi Arabia
Majid Al-Futtaim, a leading shopping malls, communities, retail, and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia, has announced the expansion of its lifestyle retail footprint in Saudi Arabia. As part of its continued commitment to the Saudi market, the group's lifestyle business plans to open 13 new stores in 2025 — five already launched — bringing its total store count in the Kingdom to 31.
The expansion features a mix of global lifestyle and luxury brands across Riyadh and Jeddah. This includes the launch of the first Saudi stores for Italian smart luxury brand Eleventy and luxury menswear label Corneliani, both of which debuted this month at Solitaire Mall, Riyadh. In May, Poltrona Frau — the iconic Italian luxury furniture house — will open its first store outside the UAE at Centria Mall, further reinforcing Majid Al-Futtaim's commitment to growing its luxury presence in the Kingdom.
Abercrombie and Fitch and lululemon also opened new stores in Solitaire Mall last month, marking an important step in their continued regional growth. The brands now operate six and nine stores respectively across the Kingdom, with new locations set to open in Jeddah later this year.
Fahed Ghanim, CEO of Majid Al-Futtaim Lifestyle, said: 'Saudi Arabia continues to be a core focus for our business, and our retail expansion reflects both growing consumer demand and our confidence in the market. From fashion and wellness to home and design, our goal is to deliver more of the brands our customers love — while introducing fresh experiences through our exclusive global partnerships.'
'In a region where customers have an abundance of choice, our ambition is to curate a portfolio of global lifestyle and luxury brands that offer something truly distinctive in the Kingdom. By introducing brands like Eleventy, Corneliani, and Poltrona Frau, we are bringing new dimensions to the luxury market — combining timeless craftsmanship with modern sensibilities that resonate with the refined tastes of our customers.'
The launch of Eleventy in Solitaire Mall is part of an ambitious regional expansion for the brand with another four standalone Eleventy stores opening in key locations in 2025, including Mall of the Emirates, Marsa Al-Arab, Dubai Mall and The Grove in the UAE. Known for its commitment to sustainable practices and premium materials, Eleventy reflects the growing consumer demand for quality and subtle sophistication, all under the 'Made in Italy' banner.
Marco Baldassari, co-founder and menswear creative director at Eleventy, said: 'Eleventy's philosophy of understated elegance and commitment to sustainability resonates strongly with the sophisticated Middle Eastern consumer. We are excited to strengthen our partnership with Majid Al-Futtaim, whose visionary approach to luxury retail is shaping a new vision with a growing focus on customer needs. Together, we aim to redefine luxury retail by offering timeless craftsmanship, sustainable practices, and innovative experiences.'
Majid Al-Futtaim's lifestyle portfolio will also welcome a new Crate and Barrel store at Sahara Mall, Riyadh, reinforcing the brand's presence in the capital. Meanwhile, in Jeddah, five new stores will launch at Jawharat Mall, including lululemon, Hollister, Eleventy, Abercrombie and Fitch, and AllSaints — bringing some of the world's most in-demand fashion and lifestyle brands even closer to Saudi customers.
Majid Al-Futtaim's retail expansion in Saudi Arabia builds on a record-breaking 2024, which saw a 26 percent increase in revenue across its lifestyle portfolio and a 31 percent surge in digital sales — including a 22 percent uplift in Saudi Arabia alone. The year also saw the opening of 17 new stores across the region, five of which are in the Kingdom, as well as flagship locations for brands such as lululemon, Crate and Barrel, and CB2, alongside 27 e-commerce platforms.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Leaders
19 hours ago
- Leaders
Georgian Prime Minister Meets CEO of Saudi Fund for Development
Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, held a meeting with Sultan bin Abdulrahman Al-Marshad, CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD). As part of his visit, Al-Marshad also met with key Georgian officials, including First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Levan Davitashvili, Minister of Finance Lasha Khutsishvili, and Minister of Infrastructure Revaz Sokhadze. The meetings centered on strengthening development cooperation between Georgia and the SFD. Discussions focused on supporting and financing projects across multiple sectors to drive growth and unlock strategic opportunities within the country. Related Topics : Saudi Arabia's Cultural Development Fund to Showcase Cultural Innovation at Expo 2025 Osaka A Look into the Tasks of Saudi National Development Fund Chambers Federation Discusses Launch of Georgian Bank in Saudi Arabia Saudi Crown Prince receives Georgia's Prime Minister in Riyadh in an official session of talks Short link : Post Views: 1 Related Stories


Saudi Gazette
a day ago
- Saudi Gazette
Chinese citizens flee Iran as conflict with Israel rages on
TEHRAN — Hundreds of Chinese workers, students and tourists have fled or been evacuated from Iran to neighboring countries as the conflict with Israel spirals. Masa Li, a 24-year-old Chinese citizen who has lived and worked in Tehran for the past few years, fled the city on Monday after three days of bombing. 'At night, we took turns keeping watch. There were explosions every night, lasting until two or three o'clock in the morning,' she said, adding that she saw several strikes hitting the city from where she lived. On the final day, Li decided to flee with nine colleagues and friends. It took them more than 30 hours to reach a border crossing in Armenia — a drive stalled by repeated car breakdowns and frequent stops for questioning and phone checks by police and military officers. 'I didn't expect this to really happen,' Li told CNN from the Armenian capital of Yerevan. 'There were two minor flare-ups last year, but I didn't expect things to escalate so quickly this time.' Many Chinese in Iran work for Chinese companies that have invested in the oil-rich country. China has for years been Iran's largest trading partner and the biggest buyer of Iranian oil. The Middle Eastern nation is an enthusiastic supporter of Beijing's 'Belt and Road Initiative,' a global infrastructure and investment drive. The Chinese Embassy started evacuating Chinese citizens from Tehran on Tuesday, according to state media. China's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that more than 1,600 Chinese nationals had been relocated from Iran, while several hundred Chinese citizens had been evacuated from Israel. China, a key diplomatic and economic backer of Iran, has condemned Israel for violating Iran's sovereignty and escalating tensions in the Middle East by launching the attack. It has urged both sides to de-escalate tensions and offered to play a 'constructive role' in resolving the conflict. — CNN


Leaders
a day ago
- Leaders
Generative AI Will Create New Job Opportunities: Study
Saudi Arabia's Digital Government Authority (DGA) has released a recent study tackling the current state of the AI's adoption and the possible economic impact. Titled 'Generative AI in Digital Government Business', DGA's study explores the key challenges and recommendations for decision makers and involved stakeholders. It also focuses on how to leverage from the solutions of the generative artificial intelligence at the local level and how to employ them to elevate government services. Importantly, the study anticipates that the expected contribution of AI to the gross domestic product by 2030 will be $135 billion. Moreover, the Saudi authorities revealed that investment in AI will reach $40 billion. 90% of AI experts see that generative AI will create new job opportunities. Benefits of Generative AI Apart from this, the study discusses the benefits of using the generative AI in government sectors. The adoption will accelerate the development of software solutions through the preparation of reusable code sets and automation of debugging. It will also reduce operational costs by automating repetitive tasks and allow resource reallocation. By automating routine tasks such as document and report preparation, the generative AI will increase productivity and boost operational efficiency. Depending on generative AI techniques will also improve decision making and provide real-time access to sensitive data for legal teams and intelligence operations. Moreover, it will provide customers with smooth and seamless experiences by automating virtual support solutions. In the light of all these factors, the use of generative AI will encourage innovation by creating new ideas for public programs and analyzing comprehensive data sets to identify emerging trends and introduce advanced policies. Related Topics: Saudi Arabia Launches Generative AI Training Initiative SDAIA: Generative AI Market Value Expected to Reach $1.27tn by 2032 SDAIA, KSU to Launch Generative Artificial Intelligence Forum Short link :