Chalhoub targets 22 new branches in Saudi Arabia this year: Official

Managing Director of Chalhoub Group Bachar Sabbagh

Chalhoub Group opens 20-25 branches annually and closes the units that do not perform well, Managing Director Bachar Sabbagh told Argaam on the sidelines of the Retail Leaders Circle (RLC) in Riyadh.

He added that the group targets to increase the total number of branches to 312 in Riyadh, Jeddah and Makkah, Madinah and Khamis Mushait by the end of 2023.

The group's e-commerce sales rose to dominate over 15% of the total sales, compared to 2-3% earlier.

Chalhoub warehouses span 40,000 square meters between Riyadh and Jeddah, the official said, indicating that Dammam and Qassim are served by Riyadh warehouses, while Medina, Makkah and Khamis Mushait are served by Jeddah warehouses.

The group's market share in the retail sector ranges between 60–90% according to each brand, and hits 85% in perfume and cosmetics distribution.

Chalhoub operates in retail and distribution and started its business in the Kingdom in 1989, with the total number of employees amounting to 4,000. The Saudization rate in the group exceeded 90%, while the percentage of female employees reached more than 76%.

Further, Sabbagh noted that Chalhoub Retail Academy in Saudi Arabia continuously contributes to boosting the growth and development of the sector, as well as enhancing its performance in general.

Last year, the academy was officially accredited as a training center by the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation. The academy provides training programs for frontline employees in the group, who deal directly with customers, especially in sales. The move aims to provide the trainees with a distinguished customer experience and enable them to build a distinguished career in this field.

The official added that the group does not plan to list its shares in any of the region's markets since it is a family business.