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SAUDI ARABIA   RETAIL MARKET   Saudi Arabia is by far the largest population of any real spending power in the region and with improving trading regulations,offers attractive prospects for the international hypermarket operators. Géant has revealed plans for some 15 stores in the Kingdom within the next three years. According to Carrefour Saudi Arabia, a joint venture between Al-Olayan Group and Majid Al Futtaim Group, the company aims to launch more than 20 stores in the Kingdom over the next 10 years. Key locations already identified include the eastern Province, Buraida, Tabuk, Medina, Jeddah, Makkah, Taif and Abha.   Géant, from French-owned Groupe Casino, opened its doors with some 135,000 sq ft and 60 checkout counters is probably the largest hypermarket in the Gulf after the first Carrefour at Deira City Centre, Dubai. Plans has it that the group is keen to rollout further stores in Saudi Arabia, in an attempt to catch up with Carrefour’s rapid expansion plan in the Kingdom. Four more are due in 2006 bringing the year-end total for 2006 to nine. Groupe Casino’s partner in Saudi Arabia is the Fawaz Al Hokair Group, a major retail player in the Kingdom with a significant number of retail franchises as well as real estate and construction interests.   Local player Saudi-owned Savola Group currently operates the HyperPanda and Panda hypermarket. With these three high-profile hypermarket brands emerging in identical markets across the region with a comparable offer, the test will be on competitive price and on quality product.        KEY STATISTICS   Population: 27,019,731   Age structure: 0-14 years: 38.2% (male 5,261,530 / female 5,059,041) 15-64 years: 59.4% (male 9,159,519 / female 6,895,616) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 342,020 / female 302,005) (2006 est.)   Population growth rate: 2.18% (2006 est.)   GDP (purchasing power parity): $338 billion (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $12,800 (2005 est.)   Unemployment rate: 13% male only (2004 est.)

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