Apple Inc plans to expand its retail presence in Saudi Arabia, starting with its first online store in the kingdom next summer, followed by multiple physical locations including a flagship outlet at a UNESCO World Heritage site, the company said.
The tech giant will launch its Arabic-language online store in summer 2025, marking the first time Saudi customers will have direct access to Apple’s full product range with dedicated Arabic-language support services.
The retail expansion will continue into 2026 with the opening of several flagship Apple Store locations across the country, including what the company describes as an “iconic store” planned for Diriyah, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
“We’re excited to be expanding here in Saudi Arabia with the launch of the Apple Store online next year, and the first of several flagship Apple Store locations starting in 2026, including an iconic store at the stunning site of Diriyah coming later,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement.
The expansion builds on Apple’s existing investments in Saudi Arabia, which include the region’s first Apple Developer Academy, opened in Riyadh in 2021 in partnership with the Saudi government, Tuwaiq Academy, and Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University.
The company’s all-women Developer Academy, housed at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, has already trained nearly 2,000 students in coding and app development. These graduates are now publishing applications on the App Store for both domestic and international markets.
Apple recently expanded its educational initiatives by launching the country’s first coed Apple Foundation Programme, a month-long course focused on coding and game development. The company plans to offer additional coed programmes, with the next cohort scheduled for spring 2025.
The iOS app economy has shown significant growth in Saudi Arabia, with developer earnings increasing by over 1,750 per cent since 2019, according to Apple.
Apple’s investment in Saudi Arabia extends beyond retail and education. The company has spent more than SAR10 billion ($2.67 billion) with Saudi companies over the past five years.
The expansion announcement comes as Apple services continue to gain traction in the kingdom.
Earlier this month, Riyadh became the first Middle Eastern city to offer Express Mode for Apple Pay on its public transit system, allowing users to pay for metro and bus rides by simply holding their iPhone or Apple Watch near a reader.
Apple Pay, which launched in Saudi Arabia in 2019, has seen strong adoption, with the company noting that many Saudi customers have completely replaced their physical cards with the digital payment service.
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