GMG inks exclusive partnership with headwear brand New Era in Saudi Arabia and across the MENA region

GMG to become the official New Era distributor across the GCC, Egypt and Iraq with plans to open New Era branded stores in the coming years
Riyadh, KSA – March 03, 2022: GMG—a global well-being company retailing, distributing and manufacturing a portfolio of leading international and home-grown brands across sport, food and health sectors—has been selected by international lifestyle brand New Era to become the brand’s official distributor within Saudi Arabia in a deal that cuts across the GCC, Iraq and Egypt. The announcement follows GMG expanding its investments in Saudi Arabia last year with the opening of a new country head office in Riyadh as well as a new mega-warehouse to support its retail operations.
Over the next five years, New Era will partner with GMG to expand its products into GMG’s multi-brand stores, while exploring opportunities to open and operate branded New Era retail stores in the region. GMG will also connect New Era to its robust distribution network that supplies wholesale customers in its countries of operation.
As the world’s leading headwear brand, New Era is well known for its long-standing exclusive on-field headwear partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB) and currently holds over 500 licenses in its portfolio. The brand’s iconic caps have been immortalized in numerous music videos and movies, and are the headwear of choice of generations of sports stars, artists, actors and celebrities. New Era has been present in the Middle East since 2011.
New Era will benefit from GMG’s decades of experience in the active lifestyle market in Saudi Arabia and throughout the MENA region. Operating over 400 stores globally, GMG Sport’s global portfolio features both home-grown concepts and international powerhouse brands such as Nike, Columbia, Jordan, The North Face, Timberland, Vans and more.
Paul Gils, Vice President EMEA at New Era, said: “We are pleased to announce our partnership with GMG during a pivotal moment for the New Era brand. We are committed to bringing innovative products to the MENA region by accelerating our retail offering and increasing brand visibility.”
Mohammad A. Baker, Deputy Chairman and CEO of GMG, noted: “We are driven by a desire to inspire and empower our community to live healthy and active lifestyles. With New Era, we have found a partner that also believes in these values. We look forward to innovating new ways to bring superior retail experiences to New Era customers, while delivering strong returns to New Era as a trusted partner for growth in MENA.”
The partnership with New Era comes amidst an aggressive global expansion for GMG. Last year, the company announced that it aims to double its global workforce by 2025, backed by a new corporate strategy. GMG also entered the Iraqi market in 2021 and recently announced plans to open more than 100 new stores in Egypt by 2026.
To date, GMG has introduced more than 120 brands into its markets through four business verticals: GMG Sports, GMG Food, GMG Health, and GMG Consumer Goods.