Apple plans to launch an online store in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in summer 2025, providing consumers in the country with service and support directly from Apple in Arabic. And beginning in 2026, the tech retailer plans to open several flagship physical locations, including one in Diriyah, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Apple’s retail expansion builds on investments the company already has made in Saudia Arabia, including the all-women Apple Developer Academy, which opened in Riyadh in 2021 in partnership with the Saudi Arabian government, Tuwaiq Academy and Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University. Nearly 2,000 students have completed programming courses through the academy and are now publishing their apps on the App Store for both domestic and global audiences.
Additionally, Apple hosted Saudi Arabia’s first coed Apple Foundation Program this past summer. The monthlong course brought together students from across the country to learn the fundamentals of coding and app development, with a focus on gaming.
“We’re excited to be expanding here in Saudi Arabia with the launch of the Apple Store online next year, and the first of several flagship Apple Store locations starting in 2026, including an iconic store at the stunning site of Diriyah coming later,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple in a statement. “Our teams are looking forward to deepening our connections with customers and to bringing the best of Apple to help people across this country explore their passions, build their businesses and take their ideas to the next level.”
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In July 2023 Apple opened an online storefront on WeChat in China, making Apple products available to the site’s 1.2 billion users in that country.
