JEDDAH, 14 November 2004 — Mahmoud Saeed Company intends to establish five new shopping centers in various parts of Jeddah in order to meet the requirements of increasing population as well as the growing number of pilgrims who visit the city after performing Haj and Umrah.
Mahmoud Saeed, a prominent businessman, said the new shopping centers were planned after conducting a feasibility study, which proved that Jeddah could accommodate more such centers, especially in densely populated areas.
“We have taken into consideration the density of population as well as the demographic distribution. More over thousands of pilgrims visit the city throughout the year for shopping after performing their rituals in Makkah,” he pointed out.
There are 189 shopping centers and more than 18 traditional souks across the business city. “Shopping centers help people find their needs under one roof,” he told Al-Eqtisadiah, a sister publication of Arab News.
The five centers will be established in the central and northern parts of the city, Saeed said. He did not give the total value of the project, but pointed out that the centers would be constructed in accordance with modern architectural designs.
Saeed recently launched Sary Mall, a modern shopping center in Jeddah specialized in leather goods. The mall, covering an area of 1,500 square meters on Sary Street, comprises 208 showrooms in addition to shops selling perfumes and gifts.
The value of leather products sold in the Kingdom during Ramadan is estimated at SR1 billion. “This is half of the value of the total Saudi leather market estimated at SR1.8 billion,” a market analyst said. These products include shoes, vanity bags and other accessories.
Haya Ibrahim Al-Senaidy, an agent for international companies specializing in leather products, said European goods have high demand in the Kingdom.
“I do not find any difficulty to supply the latest fashions for summer and spring seasons,” said Haya, who has been in the market for over 10 years. “A large number of women contact us to get the latest products they want,” Al-Madinah Arabic daily quoted Haya as saying.
Saudi Arabia imports more than 75 percent of leather requirements from abroad while the rest is produced by national industries. European shoes are the most popular in the Kingdom, she said, adding that they constitute about 60 percent of the imports.
