Apple to launch online store in Saudi Arabia in 2025

RIYADH: Apple announced plans on Monday to expand in Saudi Arabia, starting with an online store launch in summer 2025.

The store will offer the full product range with service and Arabic support.

In 2026, Apple will open flagship retail stores, enhancing customer access to products and services.

As part of this expansion, Apple is planning an iconic retail store in Diriyah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said: “Our teams are looking forward to deepening our connections with customers, and to bringing the best of Apple to help people across this country explore their passions, build their businesses, and take their ideas to the next level.”

Apple’s retail expansion builds on its investments in Saudi Arabia, including the region’s first Apple Developer Academy, launched in Riyadh in 2021 in partnership with the Saudi government, Tuwaiq Academy, and Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University.

The all-women academy at the university offers world-class training for aspiring coders, designers, and entrepreneurs, preparing them for careers in Saudi Arabia’s growing app economy.

Nearly 2,000 students have completed programming courses and are now publishing apps on the App Store for both domestic and global audiences.

Apple is expanding learning opportunities through academy programs and partnerships. This summer, it hosted Saudi Arabia’s first coed Apple Foundation Program, a monthlong course on coding and app development focused on gaming.

Apple plans to expand the coed foundation offerings, with the next cohort scheduled for spring 2025.

Apple is investing in Saudi Arabia, creating jobs and introducing technologies for artists, entrepreneurs, small businesses, and commuters. Over the past five years, it has spent over SR10 billion ($2.6 billion) with local companies.

With the opening of the new metro earlier this month, Riyadh became the latest city to join over 250 others where users can ride transit with Apple Pay.