DUBAI: BinDawood Superstores said it would open ten new branches in Riyadh as the retailer expands its footprint in the Kingdom.
The company, a unit of BinDawood Holding, said in a stock exchange statement that it would open the branches over five years from 2022 to 2027.
BinDawood Holding on Monday said first-quarter profit fell by more than half to SR62.1 million ($16.5 million) compared to a year earlier.
Revenues declined by a fifth to SR1.12 billion because of “non-recurring pantry buying” at the start of the pandemic when consumers stocked up on purchases.
That rush was not repeated in the first quarter of this year.
“It has been a tough start to the year as the local Saudi grocery retail market continues to remain subdued.It is heartening to see some green shoots of recovery but overall, we see a return to pre-COVID sales only in the second half of 2021,” said Ahmad AR. BinDawood, CEO of BinDawood Holding.
However the group remains cautiously optimistic as its sales in Makkah and Madinah pick up and are expected to benefit from the gradual return of pilgrims to the Kingdom.
At the same time it has been able to reduce its costs associated with COVID-19, it said.
BinDawood said the company’s store opening program would result in more jobs for Saudis in the supermarket sector.
