RCM26Day 1 · 5 October 2026 · Fireside
Brand Retail in the Gulf: Sustaining Growth in a More Demanding Market
Three takeaways
- 01John Hadden said The Avenues Riyadh, a 370,000 square metre mixed-use development, opens on 27 March 2027, when Alshaya will open 65 stores, the most it has ever opened in one day.
- 02Hadden said 80 per cent of Gen Z make purchase decisions online first, so online and store must be joined up, yet Alshaya still makes most of its money in its stores.
- 03For landlords, Hadden's request was practical: make access, parking and exits easy, keep common areas and toilets clean, and join retailers in lobbying for duties and regulation on cheap, unregulated cross-border e-commerce players.
About the session
The Gulf is one of the few retail markets where populations, visitor numbers and new supply are all still growing, and the brands arriving to meet that demand are raising the bar for what a store and a mall must deliver. John Hadden, Chief Executive Officer of Alshaya Group, discusses in a one-on-one interview what the Gulf customer now expects, how shopping and entertainment are converging, how physical and online are aligning, and what the region must do to stay a centre for brand retail.
“It is on us as retailers to give the best customer experience as they go through the threshold into our store.”
From the room
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