Board Member of the Riyadh Chamber, Adnan Al-Khalaf, took part in a session titled “Homegrown Rising in the Gulf Consumer Market” during the World Retail Leaders Forum 2026. The session discussed the rapid transformations in the “consumer economy” across the GCC countries and highlighted the key factors driving the rise of local brands at this stage.

During the session, Al-Khalaf emphasized that the current timing is highly supportive of the growth of Gulf brands, amid economic openness, an evolving regulatory environment, expanding market size, and increasingly healthy competition. He noted that these combined factors have elevated performance standards and accelerated the transition of local brands from achieving “local success” to adopting a strategy focused on expansion and sustainable growth.

He further pointed out that competitive advantage is no longer purely marketing-driven, but equally operational. He explained that the concept of “speed to market” is no longer limited to the pace of product launches, but rather depends on the operational ecosystem’s ability to respond swiftly to changing consumer behavior while maintaining high levels of efficiency, quality, and brand identity.​