NEWS
SAUDI ARABIA TO OPEN TWO MORE ALCOHOL STORES FOR NON-MUSLIM COMMUNITY
By Staff Reporter
27-11-2025
Source: Visit Saudi
Saudi Arabia plans to open two new alcohol stores, including one inside an Aramco compound in Dhahran and another for diplomats in Jeddah, Reuters news agency reported.
The Dhahran store will operate within accommodation owned by Aramco and will be accessible to non-Muslim staff working for the energy giant, Reuters quoting sources as reporting.
Two other sources told Reuters that a separate outlet is planned for non-Muslim diplomats in Jeddah, where many countries maintain consulates.
Both stores are expected to open in 2026, although no official timetable has been confirmed. Saudi authorities have not publicly commented on the plans.
The expansion follows the launch of the kingdom’s first modern-era alcohol shop, opened last year in Riyadh for non-Muslim diplomats.
That outlet — known informally among some diplomats as the “booze bunker” — marked the first such opening since alcohol was banned 73 years ago.
Access to the Riyadh store has recently expanded to include non-Muslims with Premium Residency status, Reuters reported.
These residencies are granted to entrepreneurs, major investors and individuals with specialist skills.
Bloomberg reported that Premium Residency holders have already used the Riyadh outlet, citing a foreign resident who confirmed they had purchased alcohol there.
Before the opening of the Riyadh store, alcohol in the kingdom was largely restricted to diplomatic mail, the black market or home production.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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