Middle East & Africa Food Gifting Specialty Retail Market: Current Analysis and Forecast (2025-2033)

Food gifting specialty retail is a category of specific stores, brands, and online shops that assemble food and beverage items with a particular purpose of gifting. These are high-end retailers specializing in high-end snacks and aesthetically packaged products like chocolates, gourmet snacks, artisan snacks, specialty teas and coffees, and health-conscious snacks. They focus on presentation, storytelling, and customization of products (who have custom-made hampers, custom messages, and collections around events such as festivals, weddings, and corporate milestones). Incorporating indulgence, convenience, and emotional attributes, food gifting specialty retailers turn the ordinary consumables into lasting experiences and are instrumental in personal as well as business relationship building.

The Middle East & Africa Food Gifting Specialty Retail market is set to show a growth rate of about 4.5% during the forecast period (2025- 2033F). The retail market of the Middle East and Africa food gifting specialty is growing steadily with the increased experience, premium, and personalized gifting. The trend toward urbanization, increased disposable income, and the culture of social and religious celebrations are driving demand towards the custom-made hampers, crafted confectionery, gourmet dates, specialty teas, coffees, and healthy snacks. Specialty brands are becoming more visible with organized retail, malls, airports, and modern trade forms, and product standards are being heightened by boutique chocolatiers and patisseries. Foreign companies are coming or increasing in major cities and, in most cases, collaborating with local manufacturers to localize flavors, formats, and packaging. Meanwhile, local brands are professionalizing their business, taking up branding, and using regional products, including dates, nuts, and spices, to distinguish themselves in a fast-growing competitive market.

The Middle East & Africa Gifting Specialty Retail market is divided into chocolates, sweets & baked goods, snack products, tea & coffee, wellness food, and others, depending on the type of products. Among them, the chocolate category has occupied a significant market share due to its general attractiveness to people of all ages, high connection with luxury and festive gifting, and the broad presence of foreign and local brands. The demand is also supported by constant product innovation in flavors, packages, and formats with seasonal and limited-production collections to celebrate specific festivals like Ramadan and Eid. Besides this, striking gift boxes, customization of gifts, and powerful marketing by international confectionery players strengthen the role of chocolate as the ideal and most desirable food gifting option in the area.

The Middle East and Africa food gifting specialty retail market has been divided into economy, mid-range, premium, and luxury based on price point. Among them, the mid-range category has occupied a large market share, owing to its moderation of prices and apparent quality. The urban centers are seeing a growing demand by consumers for aesthetically packaged, branded gifts that convey thoughtfulness at a not-too-costly price. The mid-range box assortment of chocolates, dates, and snacks is also well received in terms of their frequent visitation to the social setting, office parties, and seasonal gift giving. The firm presence in the supermarkets, malls, and the web also contributes to mid-range volume growth in the region.

For a better understanding of the market adoption of Middle East & Africa Food Gifting Specialty Retail, the market is analyzed based on its presence in countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Turkey, Israel, and the Rest of the Middle East & Africa. Saudi Arabia's food-gifting specialty retail market is changing at a rapid pace, which is necessitated by the increasing disposable incomes, a young population, and a gifting culture that is more than rooted in religious and family events. High-quality collections of chocolates, luxury dates, nuts, Arabic sweets, and health-aware snacks are becoming more popular instead of the generic hampers.

Some major players in the market include Patchi, Bateel, Al Rifai, Neuhaus, Jomara, Godiva, Al Nassma, Forrey & Galland, Mirzam, and Hallab 1881.