JEDDAH, 21 April 2005 — Readymade dress market in Saudi Arabia, which is now estimated at SR8 billion, is poised to grow by 20 percent in the next three years, according to Abdullah Al-Mashat, a member of the Trade and Industrial Committee at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He attributed the growth to the arrival of Umrah pilgrims throughout the year. “The Umrah-plus program marketed by the Haj Ministry last year helped in increasing the number of pilgrims by 700,000,” he pointed out.
The largest number of pilgrims came from Iran, Pakistan, India, Turkey, Egypt and European and African countries. “Most pilgrims are interested to purchase readymade dresses from the Kingdom where they can get a variety of attractive dresses imported from nearly 60 countries,” he said.
Mashat, who has been specializing in readymade dresses for several years, said the Kingdom’s readymade trade witnessed tremendous development during the last two decades as a result of the opening of big shopping centers.
According to statistics revealed by Mashat, expatriates accounted for 38 percent of readymade dress sales last year, followed by pilgrims 22 percent. Saudis topped the list with 40 percent. Sales of women’s dresses represented 65 percent and dresses of men and children 35 percent, he pointed out.
Mashat owns a chain of readymade dress showrooms and is agent of many international brands.