JEDDAH, 6 November 2004 — Demand is growing rapidly for leather goods and footwear in Saudi Arabia, which is already the largest apparel and leather market in the Middle East. This has resulted in an increased number of factories manufacturing shoes as also their import from abroad, according to market leaders.
As a result, dedicated shopping malls for leather goods and footwear now dot some of Jeddah’s streets. One of them is Sari International Market on Sari Street where there are rows of malls with outlets specialized in footwear and leather apparel and accessories.
The mall is itself new with most of its shops getting ready for opening.
“Demand for men’s and women’s shoes is ever increasing,” Ali Abdullah O. Khalil, owner of Urban Sole, an outlet dealing in Pakistani shoes, said at the outlet’s opening at Sari International Market on Thursday night.
There is fierce competition in the Saudi footwear market between different importers and local manufacturers. There are more than 15 registered footwear factories across the Kingdom producing over six million shoes annually, which meets around 25 percent of the local market demand. The remaining 75 percent is imported from several international markets including Italy, China, France, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Thailand, Greece, Korea, Brazil and the United States.
The volume of the shoe market is estimated to be upward of $600 million.
Pakistan has many manufacturers of high-quality leather apparel and shoes. “The idea in opening a shop dedicated to Pakistani shoes made by a reputable manufacturer in Lahore is to demonstrate how consumers could get best quality shoes at ‘remarkably competitive’ prices here, said Muhammad Naeem Amin, who is associated with Urban Sole, which is one of Shafi Group’s 11 companies.
The cost of shoes showcased in the shop range from SR100 to SR200. He said he would import leather apparel from Pakistan, as demand is heavy.