Al Othaim and Al Fahim expand international brands across six Saudi retail destinations
The partnership covers around 3,315 square metres across six Al Othaim destinations, including Saudi Arabia’s first X Beauty store, with openings scheduled through early 2027.
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Al Othaim Investment has announced a partnership with the UAE’s Al Fahim Group to bring international fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands to its portfolio of retail destinations in Saudi Arabia. Announced on 25 October 2026, the expansion covers six destinations and a combined area of approximately 3,315 square metres, with openings spanning Riyadh, the Eastern Province and northern Saudi Arabia.
A multi-brand partnership across several destinations
The Al Fahim Group brands taking part in the expansion are X Beauty, MUMUSO, D1 Milano, Calliope, DUOZUOLU and The Editor Market. Each Al Othaim destination will have a different mix, rather than all six centres hosting the same brands.
Al Fahim Group operates across the automotive, property, hospitality and international brand franchising sectors. The new partnership allows the group to expand its brands’ presence in Saudi Arabia, while adding shopping options across several categories to Al Othaim’s destinations under a single agreement.
For those following the franchise sector, the announcement highlights the brands’ growing geographical reach across the capital and other cities. However, it describes the arrangement between Al Othaim and Al Fahim as a partnership to bring brands into retail destinations. This does not, in itself, mean that individual franchises are being offered to investors or that rights to operate these stores are available to third parties.
This distinction matters when reading expansion news: adding locations to a brand’s network concerns its retail presence, whereas a franchise opportunity requires a separate announcement and its own terms. The specific information provided here covers the brands, host destinations, combined floor space and some opening dates.
A varied brand mix for Dammam and Al Khobar
At Al Othaim Park in Dammam, the partnership includes Saudi Arabia’s first X Beauty store, covering approximately 868 square metres, alongside MUMUSO and Calliope. This gives the announcement significance beyond an increase in store numbers, as it includes a brand’s announced debut in the Saudi market.
The 868-square-metre figure applies specifically to the X Beauty store in Dammam, while the 3,315-square-metre figure refers to the partnership’s total space across all six destinations. The two should therefore be kept separate when assessing the scale of the expansion: the total is not the size of a single store or the space allocated at any one destination.
Al Othaim Circle in Al Khobar will host five brands: MUMUSO, D1 Milano, DUOZUOLU, The Editor Market and X Beauty. Its line-up therefore differs from Dammam’s, although both destinations are in the Eastern Province and form part of the same partnership.
The allocation of brands offers a more detailed picture than the expansion headline alone. Dammam stands out as the location of Saudi Arabia’s first X Beauty store, while Al Khobar brings together five brands from the portfolio. The announcement does not give specific opening dates for each store at these two destinations, unlike the timings provided for the other openings.
From the Riyadh opening to plans for 2027
The expansion follows the opening of a MUMUSO store at Al Othaim Mall in Al Rabwah, Riyadh, in October 2026. This is the opening the announcement identifies as already completed before setting out the forthcoming schedule for Hail, Arar and Al Ahsa.
Under the announced schedule, MUMUSO stores are due to open at Al Othaim Mall in Hail and Al Othaim Mall in Arar by the end of 2026. MUMUSO and Calliope stores at Al Othaim Mall in Al Ahsa are then scheduled to open in early 2027, adding a further phase to the expansion programme.
MUMUSO appears in the line-ups for all six destinations: Dammam, Al Khobar, Hail, Arar, Al Ahsa and Riyadh. The other brands are allocated to specific locations in the announcement. This helps clarify that, although the partnership involves several brands, it does not place every brand in every participating destination.
Separating the completed Riyadh opening from those scheduled in other cities also ensures an accurate reading of the news. The forthcoming dates represent announced plans, not confirmation that all stores covered by the partnership are already welcoming shoppers.
What does this mean for the franchise sector?
The partnership aims to broaden shopping options and introduce new experiences at Al Othaim’s destinations, while giving Al Fahim Group opportunities to grow its brands’ presence in Saudi Arabia. It combines one brand’s market debut with additional locations for others, under a programme spanning several cities and opening dates.
For those following the franchise sector, the announcement provides a reasonably clear map of locations and brands to watch, rather than a detailed investment proposition. Tracking each opening remains a practical way to check whether the announced plans have become operating stores.
Practical takeaway: When following these brands, distinguish between stores already open and forthcoming openings. Do not treat an expansion announcement as an offer of franchise rights; verify the nature and terms of any opportunity directly before making an investment decision.
