Saudi Arabia: Saudi women to sell goods in Jeddah mall

Saudi Gazette
By Mohammad Hadhadh
JEDDAH – Twenty-two Saudi women have signed contracts to rent stalls at Al-Murjan Mall in Jeddah after being selected in a public draw at the Jeddah Mayoralty in conjunction with Abullatif Jamil Center for Community Service.
The contracts were signed to put an end to a problem created when municipality staff removed the stalls of some women from the mall almost two months ago. It is important to reorganize stalls since some women used to sell their goods randomly in front of the mall, said Dr. Nasir Al-Jarallah, Director General of Public Interest Markets and head of the Stalls Organizing Committee in Al-Murjan Mall.
However, Ali Al-Qahtani, Director of Bab Rizq Jameel Program in Jeddah, explained that the stalls project is aimed at finding job opportunities for women and at supporting small businesses.
He said that the problem started when a number of women erected stalls randomly in front of Al-Murjan Mall without licenses. We contacted the municipality which chose appropriate places for the stalls. The mall owner volunteered space for the stalls inside the mall, while the Bab Rizq Jameel Program agreed to pay the rental fees which have been reduced from SR3,600 yearly to SR2,400. Women investing in the stalls will pay back the amount in installments. – Okaz/SG