Apple announces Apple Retail expansion in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

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12/08/2024 - 08:00 PM

The company is also expanding the coed Apple Foundation Program to enhance learning opportunities for more students at the Apple Developer Academy

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Apple® today announced plans to expand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, starting with the launch of the Apple Store® online in summer 2025. The online store will bring customers across Saudi Arabia new ways to shop Apple’s full range of products, with exceptional service and support directly from Apple in Arabic for the very first time.

Starting in 2026, Apple will begin opening the first of several flagship Apple Store locations in Saudi Arabia. These retail stores will offer customers in the country even more ways to connect with Apple’s knowledgable team members and find the perfect products and services. As part of this expansion, Apple is in the initial stages of planning an iconic retail store coming to 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,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “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.”

Whether online, in-store, or in the Apple Store app, Apple offers truly unique and personalized experiences for customers to compare and find the right product; choose from a variety of financing and payment options; and get set up with their new device — all with the help of Apple’s incredible team members.

Apple’s retail expansion builds on its existing investments and activities in the country. This includes the region’s first Apple Developer Academy, which opened in Riyadh in 2021 in partnership with the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Tuwaiq Academy, and Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University.

The all-women Apple Developer Academy located at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University offers world-class training for aspiring coders, designers, and entrepreneurs, preparing them for careers in the country’s vibrant app economy. Nearly 2,000 students have completed programming courses through the academy, and are now publishing their apps on the App Store® for both domestic and global audiences.

Apple continues to enhance learning opportunities through its academy programs and partnerships. This summer, Apple hosted the country’s first coed Apple Foundation Program. This monthlong course brought together students from across the country to learn the fundamentals of coding and app development, with a focus on gaming. Apple plans to further expand the coed Foundation offerings, with the next cohort planned for spring 2025.

Apple Developer Academy graduates are not alone in pursuing careers in the country’s thriving iOS app economy. The Saudi developer community is a powerful force for economic growth, supporting jobs across the country at companies large and small. And the app economy is growing at a rapid pace as more coders, entrepreneurs, and creators utilize the App Store and Apple’s many developer tools to enter the market. Since 2019, earnings for developers in Saudi Arabia are up over 1,750 percent.

Apple continues to invest across Saudi Arabia, spurring job creation and bringing new technologies to artists, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and commuters. Over the past five years, Apple has spent more than 10 billion SAR with companies across the country. And Apple services help power businesses across Saudi Arabia. With the opening of the new metro earlier this month, Riyadh is the latest to join the list of over 250 cities where users can ride transit with Apple Pay®. Riyadh is also the first city in the Middle East where users can ride the metro and buses with Express Mode, a seamless and secure way to tap and pay for transit by simply holding an iPhone® or Apple Watch® near a reader — no need to wake or even unlock the device. Apple Pay offers security and convenience, and since its launch in Saudi Arabia in 2019, many Saudi customers have stopped using their plastic cards entirely.

Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV+. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it.

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