Wednesday, July 16, 2025
New Rules in Saudi Arabia Ban Tobacco Sales in Grocery Stores and Kiosks
Tobacco products cannot be sold in any grocery shop (Baqala) or kiosk in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, according to the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing. Most Viewed: Saudi police arrests 12 expats on charges of illegal activities in an apartment
The ministry issued new regulations for supermarkets, hypermarkets, and grocery stores to improve the business climate and increase consumer protections on food safety.
These items include all cigarette products, both smoked and unsmoked, that are licensed by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, as stated in the ministry's regulations issued on Monday.
Tobacco goods such as shisha, regular and electronic cigarettes, and others fall into this category.
Grocery stores must have at least 24 square meters of area to legally sell packaged food, personal care items, detergents, disinfectants, and related products, as well as plastic and paper products.
Kiosks are small, freestanding structures that function as grocery stores; they may have walls or be open and are designed to blend with the urban character of the city.
Tobacco products must adhere to accepted standard requirements, according to the ministry. The ministry mandates that tobacco products must be completely invisible to facility visitors and stored in closed drawers. You can't sell them to anyone who is not 18 years old or older, whichever is older, according to the Anti-Smoking Law. The vendor has the authority to request proof of legal adulthood from any purchaser. Recommend: Saudi Moroor unveils the penalty for changing lanes without signaling
Kiosks in shopping malls are required to be at least 4 square meters in area, while those on commercial or mixed-use land must be at least 10 square meters.
Grocery stores, supermarkets, and hypermarkets are each required to have 24 square meters, 100 square meters, and 500 square meters of area, respectively.
The changes also clearly define the licensing requirements. These requirements now include obtaining civil defense permission prior to license issuing and providing a legitimate business registration that details the activity that needs to be licensed.
In terms of physical space, the most recent revisions state that the site has to be situated on a commercial street, inside a commercial building, or on land reserved for commercial use, in line with all applicable rules and directions.
Kiosks are subject to several regulations, the most important of which is that they must be placed at least 6 meters from building entrances and 1.8 meters from pedestrian areas. If kiosks are located on commercial or mixed-use land, they must have a designated driving lane.
The new regulations make it possible to construct kiosks in parking lots of many commercial complexes, with the approval of the mayoralty or municipality, as long as the capacity of the parking is not compromised. Read: Flyadeal announces 4 new direct flights to Pakistan from Saudi Arabia
Kiosks can have extra activities approved by the ministry, but only under certain criteria. For example, the total size of the extra activities can't be more than half of the entire area, and the main activity's minimum area must be preserved.
The extra space for activities, not including self-service kiosks or machines, must be at least 6 square meters.
Regulations permit supermarkets and hypermarkets, excluding grocery stores, to incorporate various other operations.
Here you may find a wide variety of foodstuffs, such as nuts, coffee, spices (unpackaged), dates, veggies, fruits, cheeses, pickles, salads (unpackaged), seafood (fresh and refrigerated), tobacco products, and several types of bakeries (normal, semi-automated, and automated). Only hypermarkets are allowed to sell medications, mobile phones, and food.
To present a unified business identity, all logos, brand colors, and written texts must adhere to certain standards. These standards cover everything from the color of the font to its size, style, and color, as well as all of its individual visual components. There are a total of four colors that can be used: yellow, green, and all three shades of green. Trending: Saudi Arabia modifies Eid Holidays labor law for government entities
The goals of the changes are to make shopping easier for everyone, boost public health, make food safer, reduce visual distortion, decrease environmental and structural problems, and enhance overall health.
Location and space requirements, food product storage, display, and preparation requirements, commercial sign requirements, and requirements for personnel in the sector are all part of the new criteria.
Food safety management, distribution of supplementary activities throughout the facility, provisions for displaying goods within the facility, refrigeration and freezing units, and basic equipment for grocery stores and supermarkets are also included in the criteria. Saudi Expatriates News on Threads
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