NielsenIQ: Saudi and UAE grocery shoppers move to value and premium.
NielsenIQ's Consumer Outlook 2027 shows shoppers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE shifting grocery spend away from mainstream products towards value and premium ones, according to Communicate's report of 28 October. Communicate says the study covers more than 21,000 respondents in 31 countries and includes the UAE for the first time.
As Communicate reports it, Saudi FMCG sales value splits 20.3% value, 41.9% mainstream and 37.9% premium. Over the year, mainstream lost 2.5 points while premium gained 1.5 and value 1.0. In the UAE the split is 22.0% value, 32.8% mainstream and 45.2% premium, with mainstream down 0.7 points, premium up 0.5 and value up 0.3.
The mood data points the same way. Some 46% of Saudi respondents say they are better off than a year ago, against 30% globally, while in the UAE 37% say better off and 31% worse off. Among those in financial difficulty, 68% in Saudi Arabia and 69% in the UAE cite rising living costs. Quality or performance beats affordability as the main driver of perceived value, by 43% to 29% in Saudi Arabia and 36% to 28% in the UAE. About seven in ten shoppers in both markets say AI tools influence their grocery purchases at least sometimes, compared with 55% globally.
A caution on sourcing: NielsenIQ's own report page is dated 30 September and its full PDF focuses on global findings. We could not match the Saudi and UAE figures, or the 27 October release date given by Communicate, against NielsenIQ's published text. The article also gives no country sample sizes, fieldwork dates or definitions of the price tiers, so treat the numbers as Communicate's reading and check NielsenIQ before quoting them.
If the split holds, premium is no niche in Gulf grocery: it is already the largest tier in the UAE. Value messaging that leans on quality, not price alone, fits the finding that performance outranks affordability, and the AI influence figure suggests grocery brands should check how assistants describe them.
Why it matters
Premium is the biggest grocery tier in the UAE and close behind mainstream in Saudi Arabia. Figures come via Communicate and could not be matched to NielsenIQ's public report.
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