Saudi baqalas can no longer sell tobacco, fruits, and more
There will be a six-month grace period…
Saudi Arabia has just announced that its corner store-style supermarkets, better known as baqalas, will no longer be allowed to sell several different goods. This is what you need to know about the updated Saudi baqala rules.
Saudi Arabia has banned baqalas from the sale of tobacco, dates, meat, fruit, and vegetables with immediate effect. The rules are among the new regulations issued by the Minister of Municipalities and Housing, Majed Al-Hogail.
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While the updated Saudi baqala rules will go into immediate effect, existing establishments will still be granted a correction period of no more than six months from now, according to Saudi Gazette.
The new rules prohibit the sale of dates, meat, fruit, and vegetables, as well as tobacco goods, including traditional and electronic cigarettes and shisha, at kiosks, grocery stores, and mini-markets. Although the selling of meat necessitates a separate license, all of these products are permitted to be sold in supply stores or hypermarkets.
According to the updated rules, hypermarkets are permitted to sell all of these goods. Additionally, the revisions permit grocery stores, supermarkets, and hypermarkets to sell charger cables and prepaid recharge cards.
The new rules allow supermarkets to have a minimum floor area of 100 square meters, hypermarkets must have a minimum floor area of 500 square meters, and grocery stores must have a minimum floor area of 24 square meters.
Visit: momah.gov.sa
