Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — The average size of the market of school stationery, including clothes, shoes and other accessories, was estimated to be about SR7 billion of which between 60-50 percent would go to the shops and electronic markets, local daily Al-Madina reported on Sunday quoting market sources.

They said the remaining would go to the traditional sales points and popular shops.

Essam Khalifa, member of the Saudi Economic Society, said the new school year has put a lot of burden on the parents because of the school tuition and the cost of stationery.

"The school summer vacation had coincided with the month of Ramadan and the two Eids thus depleting the family's budget," he said.

Khalifa said the stationery market has witnessed a real boom with millions of boy and girl students resuming their studies after a lengthy summer vacation.

He said every family might need at least SR2,000 for each one of its school-going children to buy school necessities consisting of costumes, bags, shoes, sports wear and stationery.

According to market sources, competitive prices, varieties of goods, easy accessibility and the 24-hour shopping possibility are the main factors that attract the parents toward stationery shops and book stores.

The Kingdom has as many as 5,986,414 students of general education consisting of 3,043,875 girls and 2,937,844 boys who are attending 314,021 schools in various regions.