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The Ministry of Commerce detailed in its quarterly consumer protection bulletin that teams completed more than 151,000 field and electronic inspections of commercial establishments and online stores throughout April to June 2026. Inspectors focused on regulatory compliance across sectors, the bulletin stated. These activities form part of sustained oversight that the ministry has maintained in prior quarters, when similar campaigns covered hundreds of thousands of outlets according to earlier ministry reports.
More than 4,000 discount permits were issued in the period, encompassing over 12 million individual products and goods, the bulletin showed. The ministry processed more than 137,000 consumer complaints and reports, achieving an average resolution time of 36 hours. Online stores accounted for the largest share of submissions, primarily involving violations of exchange and return policies, according to the ministry’s breakdown.
The bulletin further reported that 25 separate product recall campaigns were executed, resulting in the removal of more than 48,000 defective vehicles and consumer products from circulation. These campaigns targeted safety issues identified through inspection and complaint data. The ministry’s recall efforts align with broader consumer safeguards that have prevented millions of counterfeit items from reaching markets in previous reporting periods, as noted in its Q3 2025 bulletin.
A separate Ministry of Commerce business sector bulletin released earlier in July 2026 placed the total number of active commercial registrations above 1.91 million by the end of the quarter, Arab News reported on July 10. That bulletin indicated more than 71,000 new registrations were issued, reflecting continued expansion of the commercial base subject to the consumer protection inspections. The growth follows an 18 percent increase in establishments over the past five years documented in ministry figures.
Consumer protection measures detailed in the latest bulletin support e-commerce transparency initiatives introduced by the ministry, including directives requiring shipping companies to permit package inspection before acceptance. Such steps respond to record growth in online transactions across the kingdom, according to regulatory updates compiled by Asharq Al-Awsat. The ministry continues to refine complaint handling procedures to maintain the 36-hour average resolution standard.
Inspection volumes in the second quarter contributed to the ministry’s annual oversight targets, building on campaigns that exceeded 950,000 visits in earlier full-year aggregates published by the ministry. Data from the consumer bulletin will inform subsequent enforcement rounds, the ministry indicated. Coordination with other government bodies ensures that recalled products and resolved complaints feed into updated regulatory guidance for commercial operators.
