Interview with Abdulrahman Alkhan, Managing Director of Pet Arabia

Abdulrahman Alkhan was originally a banker – an unusual background for someone who is now so passionate about the pet industry. But, as a dog owner, he found the toys available in Bahrain were poor quality and spotted an opportunity to create something new.

In 2009, after spending some time researching and learning about both materials and pet nutrition, he opened his first pet shop.

Pet Arabia is active in Bahrain, and the company recently opened a store in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia – a fiercely competitive environment.

How would you describe the pet retailing landscape in Bahrain?

The landscape in Bahrain is constantly changing, with many pet retail stores opening, but just as many of them shutting down quickly, too.

Unlike flower shops, electronics stores or clothing retailers, simply displaying products on shelves doesn’t guarantee success.

I would estimate that there are now at least 55 pet stores in Bahrain, including our 5 branches. When Pet Arabia started 15 years ago, there was only one pet shop in the whole country and that was more like a farm.

My goal was to create a pet store where families could shop comfortably in a clean, pleasant-smelling environment, similar to the experience of shopping for themselves.

Tell us more about your stores…

We have 5 stores in Bahrain, ranging from 40 to 400 sq m. If we do our job properly, size doesn’t matter much – it’s about the experience and service.

So if we don’t have a product in one location due to space, we source it from another branch or our warehouse.

Our first shop was a standalone villa that we converted into a commercial space with a garden. It has a cozy, home-like feel, and we still use it for events like pet- friendly tea parties.

Other locations include a basement store in a mall and a branch next to a high-end supermarket where customers can buy pet supplies alongside their groceries.

Each location serves a different purpose – we don’t rely on a single model.

You were the first to introduce professional pet grooming in the country…

Grooming simply didn’t exist here in Bahrain. I had a hard time convincing the government to grant me a commercial license for pet grooming, because they had never heard of it before. I had to show them photos online and explain the process.

Then I had to show them that there would be a table, a dog on it, and a groomer working on the pet. I had to take them through every detail.

Eventually, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce created an official activity classification for pet grooming, allowing me to launch the service in 2010.

You’re also present in Saudi Arabia. Is that a tough market to break into?

Yes and no. We’ve been distributing in Saudi for a long time, so we have insights into the market, but this is our first physical retail store there.

Saudi is a unique market – it’s not like Bahrain, Oman or Qatar. The consumer mindset is different and the current standards are low.

Many customers don’t know the difference between high-quality and low-quality pet products, even if they can afford them. Their perspective is often: “Why should I pay more if it looks the same?”

The real difference becomes clear in services. That’s where we stand out. Our groomers are professionally trained, they understand pet anatomy, they follow international breed standards and we maintain strict hygiene protocols.

What can you tell us about the pet culture in the region?

Pet culture here is different. People don’t often take their dogs out for walks. So as an outsider, you might assume there are no pets here. But that’s not the case. People do own pets – they’re just not visible in public spaces.

Customers often come in with little knowledge about what they need, what works best for them or even what’s available on the market. They require guidance throughout the process.

Many pet stores don’t provide that, nor do they have a strong brand identity. Instead, they compete heavily on pricing – a dangerous game. Compete solely on price and someone else will always undercut you, which might easily drive you out of business.

Can you walk us through the consumer journey at Pet Arabia?

The average basket value has changed since COVID. Like in many other markets, there has been a big shift towards online shopping.

In terms of product categories, we’ve seen a noticeable drop in spending on accessories – things that aren’t essential. At the same time, that’s been compensated [for] by a much higher demand for treats and wet food, which weren’t as popular before.

Another interesting shift is in-store behavior. Previously, many customers just wanted to get in and out quickly.

Since COVID, we’ve seen a different pattern – customers now take more time in the store. They’re more willing to browse and even wait while their pets are being groomed.

So customer education is a core part of your business model?

When it comes to human food, people are expected to understand nutrition and read labels. But with pet food, they expect us to guide them.

What’s best for their pet? When to feed it? How to switch foods? Because there’s little public discussion about pet care, people rely on us for that information.

That’s also why we’ve been successful for 15 years. We understand that it’s not just about stocking shelves and hoping products sell. If we did that, we’d be in direct competition with Amazon and other online retailers on price alone. Instead, we differentiate ourselves by creating an experience for customers and training our staff to provide expert advice.

Can you share more details about your SKUs?

In our stores in Bahrain, we have around 8,000 SKUs. Plus, we distribute pet products in over 120 locations nationwide at the moment.

In Saudi Arabia, we currently have 1,490 SKUs, and we are gradually expanding that number. This lower coverage is mainly due to product registration.

In Bahrain, you just need an import permit, and that’s it. In Saudi, you need to register the food and hygiene items separately. They need to be in a separate warehouse, and each needs a license. So it’s not a straightforward import process.

How do you differentiate when it comes to the product offering?

One key difference is our product selection. We don’t carry anything with artificial flavors, colorants, chemical preservatives or high fillers. Each and every treat and food product goes through a filtering process before it makes it onto our shelves.

This means that customers can trust that whatever they pick – even if it’s a blind choice – meets a certain quality standard.

This approach is different to how a marketplace like Saudi Arabia usually works, with distributors flooding the market with all kinds of products and waiting to see what customers buy.

Do pet parents in Bahrain prefer specialist retailers or grocery stores?

I think most consumers – cat owners in particular – prefer going to grocery stores or supermarkets because of convenience.

Dog owners, on the other hand, tend to go more to specialty stores because they require other items, not just food.

That said, dog food still sells well in supermarkets. But when we started 15 years ago, the percentage of pet food sold in supermarkets was much higher.

In places with fewer pet stores, like Qatar, the vast majority of sales of pet products and food comes from vet clinics. That’s because there aren’t many professional pet stores.

The landscape is changing there, as 2-3 new stores opened recently and customers are becoming more aware of them.

Are supermarkets in Bahrain increasing the shelf space dedicated to pet products?

Supermarkets work with high registration fees and want guaranteed sales. So they were open to selling cat litter and food, but hesitant about accessories like brushes.

But when we created demand, they started giving us bigger spaces. We work with supermarket chain Carrefour, designing and implementing the whole pet section in its 11 locations.

How much does online contribute to your sales revenue?

Online is still relatively small, making up about 20% of our business.

The online channel does have huge potential. In this region – Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf countries – there’s a heavy reliance on third-party apps like Talabat, which is owned by Delivery Hero in Europe.

I’d like to stress that Pet Arabia isn’t just retail and e-commerce.

A big portion of what we do is distribution and export. That division has been growing steadily. We started it about 5 years ago, and now it accounts for over 70% of our business, with a strong upward trajectory.

This growth is being driven by the expansion of pet stores and vet clinics across the region, especially in Saudi Arabia. Riyadh alone now has over 800 pet-related businesses, and most of them opened in the past 2-3 years.

We are also actively expanding our distribution in Qatar and Oman, reinforcing our long-term vision beyond Saudi Arabia.

How’s the future looking for Pet Arabia?

My plan is to go more into subscription-based models and have smaller shops that cater for members only. In Saudi, specifically, we want to cater to neighborhoods while minimizing the number of staff needed – which keeps costs down.

We recently introduced a membership program called BathClub, that already has around 400 active users. This initiative has helped us build a community around our brand and drive more people to our website.

Subscribers get unlimited access to selected pet grooming services, depending on their membership tier. Members receive a welcome pack with a special tag for their pet, a membership card and exclusive discounts on certain services and products.

The plan is to scale up this service significantly in Saudi Arabia, as it is a much bigger market.