What Cenomi Retail does

Cenomi Retail, legally Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair Co., is a Saudi Arabia-based omnichannel lifestyle retailer headquartered in Riyadh, founded in 1991 and listed publicly on the Tadawul Saudi stock exchange under ticker 4240. The company operates with a workforce of 5,001-10,000 employees across physical and digital retail channels, serving consumers primarily in Saudi Arabia with reported footprint extending to the UAE. As a long-established regional lifestyle retailer, Cenomi sits at the intersection of apparel, beauty, and home categories typical of multi-brand franchise operators in the Gulf, although specific brand portfolio and category mix are not disclosed in the supplied data. The revenue model is implied to be classic omnichannel retail: merchandise gross margin across company-operated stores and e-commerce, supplemented by franchise and brand licensing arrangements typical of the Al-Futtaim ecosystem.

In 2025, Cenomi underwent a major ownership change when UAE-based conglomerate Al-Futtaim Retail Co. acquired a 49.95% strategic stake, as part of Al-Futtaim's broader $2.6 billion commitment to Saudi Arabia supporting Vision 2030 objectives. The company concurrently secured $421 million in term loan financing from Emirates NBD Saudi Arabia in December 2025 to refinance existing short-term debt, with Al-Futtaim Private providing a corporate guarantee. The capital structure was further reinforced by two Al-Futtaim capital injections in July 2025 totaling approximately $1.03 billion.

Cenomi is in active corporate transition. Former CEO Salim Fakhouri's resignation took effect October 31, 2025 coinciding with his employment contract expiry, and Sameer Jain was appointed as the new CEO effective July 1, 2026. The Capital Market Authority referred 17 suspects including former and current Cenomi board members to Public Prosecution for alleged violations of capital market and companies laws, creating an open regulatory matter. No financial figures (revenue, EBITDA, margin), product portfolio breakdown, customer segmentation, or technology stack details are provided in the input, limiting diligence on operating mechanics.

Name

Cenomi Retail

Legal name

Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair Co.

Website

https://retail.cenomi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Cenomi Retail (legal name: Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair Co.) is a publicly listed Saudi Arabian omnichannel lifestyle retailer headquartered in Riyadh, founded in 1991, in which Al-Futtaim Retail Co. holds a 49.95% strategic stake acquired in 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fashion and Lifestyle Retail

NAICS

General Merchandise Retailers (455), Warehouse Clubs, Supercenters, and Other General Merchandise Retailers (4552)

SIC

Retail-Department Stores (5311), Retail-Misc General Merchandise Stores (5399)

akta.pro primary industry

General Merchandise/Department Store Omnichannel (CRAFAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Traditional Department Stores (Mid-Market) (CRAGAAAB)

Keywords

• Omnichannel lifestyle retail
• Fashion retail operations
• Department store retail
• Consumer lifestyle products
• Middle East retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Riyadh

HQ country

Saudi Arabia

HQ region

Middle East

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Core offering

Cenomi Retail is an omnichannel lifestyle retailer headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, operating fashion and lifestyle retail stores and digital channels. The company, formerly known as Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair Co., sells fashion, lifestyle, and consumer products across physical retail locations and online platforms in the Middle East.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Majid Al Futtaim Holding: The largest lifestyle retail operator in the Middle East, operating Carrefour franchises, malls, and fashion retail across MENA. Highly comparable to Cenomi as a regional omnichannel lifestyle retail platform and effectively the broader-market incumbent that Al-Futtaim (Cenomi's new 49.95% owner) competes with.
• Alshaya Group: Kuwait-based conglomerate operating franchise retail brands across fashion, beauty, and lifestyle in the Middle East. Directly comparable to Cenomi as a multi-category, multi-brand lifestyle retailer serving similar MENA consumers through department-store and omnichannel formats.
• Landmark Group: UAE-based conglomerate operating department stores (Centrepoint, Splash, Babyshop) and value lifestyle retail across MENA and South Asia. Closely comparable to Cenomi in category mix (fashion-led lifestyle), regional footprint, and franchise-based department store model.
• LuLu Group International: UAE-headquartered hypermarket and department store operator with significant Saudi Arabia expansion. Comparable to Cenomi as a large-scale omnichannel general merchandise and lifestyle retailer competing for the same Saudi consumer basket, though anchored in grocery-led formats.

Regional players

• Jarir Marketing Company: Publicly listed Saudi retailer of books, electronics, and office supplies with a strong omnichannel and showroom model. Comparable to Cenomi as a Tadawul-listed Saudi omnichannel retailer of general merchandise, though more category-focused on electronics and stationery.
• United Electronics Company (eXtra): Leading Saudi electronics and home appliances omnichannel retailer, Tadawul-listed, with a similar store-in-store and credit-based consumer model. Comparable to a subset of Cenomi's broader lifestyle offering, particularly any consumer electronics and appliance categories, and a relevant Tadawul-listed peer.
• Savola Group (Panda Retail): Saudi-listed food and retail conglomerate that operates Panda hypermarkets and other consumer-facing formats. Comparable to Cenomi as a major Tadawul-listed Saudi consumer retailer with broad general merchandise exposure and a parallel omnichannel transformation agenda.
• Americana Group: Kuwait-headquartered food and fashion retail operator with a meaningful MENA footprint and recent strategic ownership change. Comparable to Cenomi as a Gulf-based, multi-format lifestyle retailer that has recently navigated a major sponsor-led transition — a useful reference for Cenomi's Al-Futtaim integration.

Direct peers

• Al Hokair Fashion Group: Saudi-based fashion and lifestyle retail group historically part of the same family business ecosystem as Cenomi (formerly Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair Co.). Operates franchise fashion retail stores in MENA, making it a directly comparable Saudi lifestyle retail peer with overlapping customer base.

Emerging players

• Apparel Group: UAE-based multi-brand lifestyle retail operator covering fashion, beauty, and footwear across MENA and beyond. Comparable to Cenomi in its franchise-led, multi-category lifestyle positioning, with a more fashion-and-beauty-anchored assortment mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cenomiretail
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cenomiretail

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cenomi Retail