SAUDI ARABIA TO OPEN NEW ALCOHOL STORES DESPITE BAN: REPORT

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Mon 24 November 2025:

Saudi Arabia intends to launch two new liquor outlets, one specifically for non-Muslim expatriate workers at the state-owned energy powerhouse Aramco, advancing its ongoing relaxation of prohibitions, as sources close to the matter told Reuters.

The launch of outlets in the eastern province of Dhahran and one for diplomats in the port city of Jeddah would be a further milestone in efforts, led by de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to open up the country.

The kingdom, which is the birthplace of Islam, last year opened an alcohol store serving non-Muslim diplomats in a nondescript building in the diplomatic quarter of the capital Riyadh, known to some diplomats as the “booze bunker”.

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It was the first such outlet since a ban was brought in 73 years ago.

The new store in Dhahran will be set up in a compound owned by Aramco, one of the three people who talked to Reuters said.

That store would be open for non-Muslims working for Aramco, added the source, who said Saudi authorities had informed them of the plan.

Two of the sources said a third liquor store was also in the works for non-Muslim diplomats in the city of Jeddah, where many missions have honorary consuls.

Both stores were expected to open in 2026, but no timelines had been released, two of the sources said.

The government media office did not immediately reply to questions over the plans for the stores in both locations, which were previously unreported. Aramco declined to comment.

The Riyadh store’s customer base was recently expanded to include non-Muslim Saudi Premium Residency holders, two of the sources said. Premium residencies have been awarded to entrepreneurs, major investors and those with special talents.

Before the Riyadh store, alcohol was largely only available through diplomatic mail, the black market or home brewing.

While alcoholic drinks are still off limits for the vast majority of the population, under bin Salman’s reforms both Saudis and foreigners can now take part in once unthinkable activities from dancing at desert raves to going to the cinema.

Other reforms have included allowing women to drive in 2017, easing rules on the segregation of men and women in public spaces and significantly reducing the power of the religious police.

While underground consumption of alcohol has always existed in the country (with foreign officials often acquiring it through diplomatic pouches), the loosening of rules may anger conservative Muslims who view consumption as prohibited by Islamic teachings.

The 1952 ban came in response to an incident involving Prince Mishari bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and a British diplomat, Cyril Ousman.

At a party hosted by the diplomat, then British vice-consul in Jeddah, the 19-year-old prince shot Ousman dead after he refused to serve him more alcohol.

Following the killing – which saw Prince Mishari sentenced to life imprisonment – King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, founder of the modern Saudi state, banned all alcohol in the country.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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