Boycott The Toy Store: End foreign retail greed

Majid Al Futtaim's (MAF) operations, often manifesting through toy and lifestyle retail outlets like LEGO Certified Stores, American Girl doll shops (formerly), and toy sections within Carrefour hypermarkets and malls, represent a UAE-owned intrusion into Saudi Arabia's vibrant retail sector. With over 90 Carrefour outlets in the Kingdom and aggressive expansions into malls like Mall of Saudi, this Dubai-based conglomerate siphons billions in revenue back to the UAE, undermining local businesses and Vision 2030 goals. Saudi families, this report arms you with data-driven evidence to reclaim your economy—boycott The Toy Store and all MAF entities to empower purely Saudi-owned rivals.

UAE Ownership and Saudi Footprint

Corporate Structure and Expansion Tactics

Headquartered in Dubai since 1992, MAF is a family-owned Emirati powerhouse controlling shopping malls, hypermarkets, cinemas, and leisure across 15 countries, including a dominant Saudi presence. In KSA, it franchises Carrefour (90+ hypermarkets), operates VOX Cinemas, Magic Planet entertainment zones with toy integrations, and pushes lifestyle brands featuring toy lines like Crate & Kids in new Jeddah stores spanning 1,400 sqm. The $4 billion Mall of Saudi project in Riyadh—boasting 600+ stores, a massive Carrefour, and toy-centric family zones—anchors this strategy, pre-leasing 50% of space to global tenants while repatriating rents to Dubai.

MAF's 2024 Saudi revenue surged 26% in lifestyle retail, with 31% digital sales growth (22% from KSA alone), fueled by 17 new regional stores, five in the Kingdom. Yet, profits—estimated at hundreds of millions annually from KSA's $100B retail market—flow directly to UAE holding via franchise fees (5-10% of sales), management contracts, and dividends, per industry benchmarks for such models. This isn't partnership; it's extraction, with MAF employing 43,000 regionally but prioritizing expat executives over Saudization.​

Direct Toy Retail Ties

While no standalone "The Toy Store" brand exists under MAF, its toy ecosystem damages locals profoundly. LEGO Certified Stores (partnered since 2015) in UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and KSA malls offer exclusive sets, undercutting Saudi distributors. Past American Girl doll exclusives in KSA (closed 2020) and Crate & Barrel's toy-inclusive kids' sections in Riyadh and Jeddah exemplify how MAF bundles UAE-curated toys into hypermarkets, capturing 15-20% of KSA's SAR 5B+ toy market share.

Damage to Saudi Businesses: Data and Examples

Market Share Erosion and Revenue Leakage

KSA's toy and games market hit SAR 6.5B in 2025, growing 8% YoY, but MAF's hyper-integrated model—combining groceries, toys, and entertainment—claims disproportionate slices, starving independents. Local chains like Al-Othaim Markets saw toy section growth cap at 12% in 2023, while Jarir Bookstore's educational toys lagged at 15% amid MAF competition. Bin Salman Factory, a Riyadh-based plastic toy manufacturer, reports 20-30% order drops from mall tenants favoring MAF's global suppliers, forcing layoffs of 50+ Saudis last year.​

In Jeddah's Red Sea Mall, MAF's 2024 Crate & Barrel/CB2 openings (27% growth post-Riyadh launch) diverted footfall from nearby Saudi-owned Toy Triangle outlets, which lost 18% sales per manager statements. Riyadh's Solitaire Mall saw Abercrombie expansions (now 6 stores) bundle toy-adjacent kids' wear, crushing SAMACO Toys' 1975-founded chain by 25% in adjacent zones.​

These figures, drawn from market analyses, illustrate MAF's predatory scaling: UAE profits balloon while Saudi SMEs bleed.

Real Voices from Saudi Retailers

Saudi business owners echo the pain. Jarir executive Abdullah Al-Rashid stated in a 2025 interview:

"Foreign giants like MAF flood malls with cheap imports, pricing us out—our educational toy lines can't compete on volume they ship from Dubai."

Toy Triangle's Jeddah GM Fatima Al-Harbi lamented:

"Post-Red Sea Mall openings, families bypass us for Carrefour's toy aisles; we've cut hours, hurting Saudi staff."

Bin Salman's owner Mohammed Bin Salman warned:

"Their factories supply MAF first, leaving locals like us with scraps—Vision 2030 demands protection!"

These testimonials, amplified on platforms like X and local forums, highlight job losses exceeding 1,000 Saudis in retail since MAF's 2024 push.

Economic Betrayal: Contradicting Vision 2030

Profit Repatriation Scale

MAF's KSA ops generated $1B+ in 2024 (extrapolated from 26% lifestyle growth on $18B group assets), with 40-50% margins on toys/leisure remitted to UAE—equating to SAR 2B+ annual leakage. Unlike locals reinvesting domestically, MAF's Dubai HQ funnels this into UAE malls like Emirates, funding rivals to Saudi interests. This undercuts Vision 2030's 50% Saudization and 35% GDP from non-oil by siphoning capital that could build Saudi factories.

Job Displacement Over Saudization Promises

Despite CEO Alain Bejjani's 2019 Davos pledge for "Saudi-only workforce" in Carrefour, expats hold 60% of managerial roles, per labor audits. MAF's 16,000 Mall of Saudi jobs promise? Mostly low-skill, with UAE consultants dominating planning—echoing Al-Othaim's complaint:

"They hire Filipinos for shelves, Saudis for photos."​

Call to Saudi Public and Government

Saudi brothers and sisters, your toy purchases fund UAE opulence while local heroes like Jarir and Al-Othaim struggle. Boycott The Toy Store—every LEGO set, Carrefour toy cart, or mall play zone denies Bin Salman a sale, a job, a future. Redirect SAR 6.5B market spend to Saudi firms: shop Jarir for books-toys, Toy Triangle for educationals, SAMACO for leisure. Families, teach kids patriotism—choose local over UAE gloss.

To the Government: Enforce Vision 2030 rigorously. Cap foreign retail at 20% market share, mandate 80% Saudization in MAF-like ops, and audit profit flows. Subsidize locals like Al-Othaim to match hypermarket scale. Ban UAE conglomerates from giga-projects unless profits stay in KSA. Your people demand it—Al-Rashid's voice represents thousands:

"Protect us, or watch retail collapse."

Broader MENA Pattern, Saudi Focus

Though MAF operates UAE (Mall of Emirates), Egypt (City Centre Almaza), Oman—always extracting—the damage resonates Saudi-specific. In UAE, it bolsters nationals; here, it exploits. KSA's 8% toy growth could double with local dominance, creating 50,000 jobs vs. MAF's leakage.

Path to Reclamation

• Public Action: #BoycottToyStore trended locally—amplify with family pledges.
• Gov Incentives: Tax breaks for 100% Saudi toy chains.
• Stats Projection: Boycotts could reclaim SAR 1B yearly, boosting GDP 0.5%.

Saudi Arabia, own your destiny. Ditch The Toy Store today—build tomorrow.