Apple announced this weekend that it will launch its online Apple Store in Saudi Arabia in summer 2025, allowing customers in the country to order all Apple products directly for the first time. The company also revealed plans to open several physical Apple Stores in the country starting in 2026, including a flagship store in Diriyah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site near the Saudi capital Riyadh. For comparison, France has 20 Apple stores, including 8 in Île-de-France.
For the occasion, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, was passing through and declared:
We are excited to expand into Saudi Arabia with the launch of the Apple Online Store next year and the opening of several flagship Apple Stores as soon as 2026, including a flagship store in the beautiful Diriyah location.
Our teams look forward to strengthening our connections with customers and bringing the best of Apple to help people across the country explore their passions, grow their businesses, and take their ideas to the next level.
Apple’s first direct presence in Saudi Arabia
Until now, Saudi Arabia has had hundreds of Apple Authorized Resellers, but the arrival of the Apple Store marks the company’s first direct commercial presence in the country. In recent years, the firm has been able to establish itself in many new countries such as India and Vietnam in 2023.
Expansion in the United Arab Emirates
Apple also announced that it will open a new store in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, in 2025. This will bring the number of Apple Stores in the country to five, where its online store has been available since 2011.
In his press releaseApple highlighted its continued commitments and investments in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Tim Cook recently spent several days in the region, meeting with app developers, attending a Formula 1 Grand Prix, and more.
