MOSCOW, February 12. /TASS/. Russian perfume and cosmetics retailer Zolotoye Yabloko (Gold Apple in English) is entering the Saudi Arabian market and intends to launch an online store and a brick-and-mortar location in the country in the coming months, the retailer's press service told TASS.

According to the Russian Export Center (REC), the company will become the first Russian retailer in that country.

"The company will enter the market omnichannel - in the coming months, an online store and the first physical store in the city of Jeddah will be launched. The flagship Gold Apple store will cover an area of about 2,000 square meters and feature shopping, beauty consultations and workshops," the press service said.

Initially, the retailer will create more than 100 jobs in the kingdom, about half of which are expected to be filled by female citizens of the country.

"Russian exporters are showing increasing interest in the Saudi Arabian market, entering online channels through distributors and opening their own single-brand stores. Gold Apple will become not only the first Russian beauty retailer to enter the market of the kingdom, but also the first multi-brand retailer to enter omnichannel," said Abdulselim Vagabov, a representative of the Russian Export Center in Saudi Arabia, as quoted by the retailer's press service.

Saudi Arabia will become the sixth country where Gold Apple will have stores and the third in the Middle East. In the spring of 2024, the company began operations in Qatar, opening a store in Doha and launching delivery of online orders throughout the country. In December last year, the retailer launched a trial of an online store in the UAE. Orders are currently delivered across all seven emirates, and brick-and-mortar store is set to open in Dubai.

As the company's press service notes, the range of products in the Middle Eastern stores of the chain is constantly growing: since the launch in Qatar, it has tripled, in the UAE it has grown 1.5 times.

About the company

Zolotoye Yabloko (Gold Apple) is one of the largest omnichannel perfumery and cosmetics retailers in the CIS. Besides Russia, the company is developing its business in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Qatar and the UAE. Online orders are delivered in all five countries. In Russia, the chain has physical locations in 19 cities, with its range of products covering more than 4,500 brands in such categories as beauty products, accessories, home goods and others.