Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles
How the sector's enterprises perform: revenue, operating expenses, employee compensation, operating surplus and where they sit geographically, from the official data.
Activities inside the sector · 2024
The 2024 financial figures (SAR billion) come from the structural business statistics survey published by GASTAT, covering enterprises of every size.Read more
Worked example: enterprises in «Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles» had operating revenue of SAR 410.3 billion, made up of SAR 232.7 billion of operating expenses and SAR 46.6 billion of employee compensation, leaving an operating surplus of SAR 131.0 billion, which is 32% of operating revenue.
What the terms mean: Operating revenue Total sales and income earned from the main activity. Operating expenses Operating costs, including rent and intermediate purchases. Employee compensation Wages, salaries and benefits in cash and in kind. Operating surplus What is left of operating income before depreciation, interest, zakat and tax, with its share of revenue below it. It is a measure of operating efficiency, not net profit.
Activities with operating revenue of SAR 100 million or more are listed. Source: GASTAT, structural business statistics bulletins for 2024 ↗.
| Economic activity | Operating revenuebillion riyals | Operating expensesbillion riyals | Employee compensationbillion riyals | Operating surplusbillion riyals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 410.3 | 232.7 | 46.6 | 131.032% |
| Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominatingIncludes: Grocers, supermarkets and hypermarkets selling mainly food alongside other goods | 103.0 | 58.4 | 11.9 | 32.732% |
| Retail sale of pharmaceutical and medical goods, cosmetics and toilet articles in specialised storesIncludes: Pharmacies and cosmetics and perfume shops | 57.4 | 31.6 | 7.2 | 18.732% |
| Retail sale of automotive fuel in specialised storesIncludes: petrol stations | 53.5 | 36.7 | 3.8 | 13.024% |
| Other retail sale of new goods in specialised stores | 35.4 | 20.1 | 3.7 | 11.633% |
| Retail sale of clothing, footwear and leather articles in specialised storesIncludes: Clothing, footwear, bag and leather goods shops | 29.1 | 13.0 | 3.4 | 12.744% |
| Retail sale of hardware, paints and glass in specialised stores | 27.8 | 16.2 | 3.5 | 8.229% |
| Retail sale of electrical household appliances, furniture and lighting in specialised stores | 26.4 | 14.1 | 3.1 | 9.135% |
| Retail sale of computers, peripheral units, software and telecommunications equipment | 19.0 | 13.6 | 2.0 | 3.518% |
| Retail sale of food in specialised storesIncludes: Specialist food shops: greengrocers, butchers, fishmongers, bakers and confectioners | 13.1 | 6.0 | 2.1 | 4.938% |
| Other retail sale in non-specialised stores | 7.8 | 3.9 | 1.1 | 2.937% |
| Retail sale of textiles in specialised stores | 7.2 | 3.9 | 0.7 | 2.636% |
| Retail sale of tobacco products in specialised stores | 5.5 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 2.341% |
| Retail sale of food, beverages and tobacco via stalls and markets | 4.5 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 1.840% |
| Retail sale of sporting equipment in specialised stores | 4.3 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 1.331% |
| Retail sale of books, newspapers and stationery in specialised stores | 3.3 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 1.235% |
| Retail sale of carpets, rugs, wall and floor coverings in specialised stores | 3.2 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 1.031% |
| Retail sale of textiles, clothing and footwear via stalls and markets | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.832% |
| Retail sale of beverages in specialised stores | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.740% |
| Retail sale of audio and video equipment in specialised stores | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.325% |
| Retail sale of games and toys in specialised stores | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.240% |
| Retail sale of second-hand goods | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.134% |
| Retail sale of music and video recordings in specialised stores | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.135% |
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 305.0 | 177.6 | 15.0 | 112.537% |
| Wholesale of other household goods | 58.4 | 33.6 | 3.0 | 21.837% |
| Wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco | 49.3 | 30.6 | 2.6 | 16.133% |
| Wholesale of other machinery and equipment | 34.0 | 19.6 | 1.7 | 12.737% |
| Wholesale of solid, liquid and gaseous fuels and related products | 33.7 | 20.8 | 1.2 | 11.735% |
| Wholesale of waste, scrap and other products n.e.c. | 24.1 | 13.5 | 0.7 | 9.941% |
| Wholesale of construction materials, hardware, plumbing and heating equipment | 21.2 | 12.3 | 1.3 | 7.535% |
| Wholesale of computers, peripheral equipment and software | 17.4 | 8.9 | 0.7 | 7.845% |
| Wholesale of textiles, clothing and footwear | 14.6 | 8.6 | 1.0 | 5.034% |
| Wholesale of agricultural raw materials and live animals | 13.7 | 8.1 | 0.7 | 4.936% |
| Wholesale on a fee or contract basis | 11.3 | 6.8 | 0.7 | 3.834% |
| Wholesale of metals and metal ores | 11.1 | 5.2 | 0.5 | 5.549% |
| Non-specialised wholesale trade | 6.9 | 4.0 | 0.6 | 2.333% |
| Wholesale of electronic and telecommunications equipment and parts | 6.5 | 4.1 | 0.2 | 2.335% |
| Wholesale of agricultural machinery, equipment and supplies | 2.8 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 1.244% |
| Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 203.7 | 111.8 | 16.5 | 75.437% |
| Sale of motor vehiclesIncludes: Wholesale and retail sale of new and used cars | 92.3 | 53.0 | 6.6 | 32.635% |
| Maintenance and repair of motor vehiclesIncludes: Car service and repair workshops, bodywork and paint, washing and polishing | 60.8 | 30.3 | 5.6 | 24.941% |
| Sale of motor vehicle parts and accessoriesIncludes: Sale of car parts and accessories | 47.4 | 26.7 | 4.1 | 16.735% |
| Sale, maintenance and repair of motorcycles and related parts | 3.2 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 1.136% |
By enterprise size · 2024
| Size | Revenue (SAR billion) | Pay as a share of revenue | Surplus as a share of revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micro | 311.1 | 10% | 39% |
| Small | 156.2 | 8% | 37% |
| Medium | 156.4 | 6% | 39% |
| Large | 295.3 | 8% | 26% |
Large-enterprise data: operating revenue and operating surplus are taken from the published bulletins; expenses and employee compensation are derived by subtracting the micro, small and medium figures from the sector total. Source: GASTAT, SME statistics ↗; GASTAT, structural business survey ↗.
Workers and Saudi share · Q1 2026
Saudis as a share of the sector's workers
Workers currently insured at enterprises in this sector. Source: GASTAT, social insurance contributors by sector ↗.
Sector workers by region · Q1 2026
| Region | Workers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Riyadh | 684,022 | 37.7% |
| Makkah | 464,587 | 25.6% |
| Eastern Province | 261,863 | 14.4% |
| Al-Madinah | 84,642 | 4.7% |
| Aseer | 80,367 | 4.4% |
| Al-Qassim | 68,232 | 3.8% |
| Jazan | 50,448 | 2.8% |
| Tabuk | 31,416 | 1.7% |
| Hail | 28,461 | 1.6% |
| Najran | 21,328 | 1.2% |
| Al-Jouf | 17,836 | 1.0% |
| Northern Borders | 11,781 | 0.6% |
| Al-Baha | 11,420 | 0.6% |
Workforce figures are assigned administratively to the enterprise's registered head office. Source: GASTAT, workers by administrative region and economic activity ↗.
Point-of-sale spending
The Saudi Central Bank classifies point-of-sale sales by spending category, and those categories have been matched to the parallel economic sectors; some sectors are therefore absent, and «other services» holds a mix of categories. Source: Saudi Central Bank, point-of-sale transactions ↗.
Bank credit to the sector
Source: Saudi Central Bank, bank credit by sector ↗.
Revenue and surplus, year by year
| Year | Revenue (SAR billion) | Surplus as a share of revenue | SME share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 919.0 | 35% | 68% |
| 2023 | 846.8 | 34% | 68% |
| 2022 | 757.2 | 30% | 68% |
| 2021 | 719.6 | 28% | 69% |
| 2020 | 585.0 | 28% | 65% |
| 2019 | 689.1 | 29% | 69% |
Operating surplus: what is left after operating expenses and employee compensation are taken from total revenue, before depreciation, financing costs, zakat and tax. It is the operating return, and is not net profit. Source: GASTAT, structural business survey ↗.
Revenue month by month
The operating revenue index (2021 = 100). Bankruptcy filings over the last 12 months: 92. Source:: GASTAT, short-term business indicators ↗.
Real GDP
The sector's share of GDP in Q2 2026: 12.2%, and year-on-year growth: -1.9%. At constant prices. Source: GASTAT, national accounts ↗.
Foreign investment licences
| Year | New licences |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 939 |
| 2022 | 602 |
| 2021 | 272 |
| 2020 | 174 |
| 2019 | 126 |
| 2018 | 96 |
| 2017 | 38 |
Source: Ministry of Investment (Invest Saudi) ↗.
Cumulative foreign direct investment stock in the sector: 149.6 billion riyals at the end of 2024, with inflows during the year of 18.2 billion riyals. Source: GASTAT, foreign direct investment stock ↗.