Meituan in Saudi Arabia: Chinese food delivery platform looks at expansion

Chinese food delivery giant Meituan is seeking to hire staff for at least eight positions based in Riyadh, in a sign it may be looking to Saudi Arabia to further its global expansion ambitions.

The jobs ads, which is hiring for KeeTa, the brand name Meituan uses for its food delivery operations in Hong Kong, is seeking candidates with expertise in business development, user acquisition, and customer retention, according to posts seen by Reuters on Linkedin and on Middle Eastern jobs site Bayt.com.

Meituan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its plans for Saudi Arabian expansion.

Bloomberg reported earlier on Friday that the Beijing-based firm would make its Middle East debut with Riyadh as the first stop.

Meituan’s footprint

Since expanding to Hong Kong in May 2023, Meituan’s first foray outside of mainland China, speculation has persisted that its overseas march would continue as the firm searches for growth opportunities, with the Middle East rumoured since last year to be one area of possible expansion.

“We are actively evaluating opportunities in other markets,” Meituan’s chief executive Wang Xing said during a post-earnings call with analysts last month.

“We have the tech know-how and operational know-how, so we are quietly confident we can enter a new market and find an approach that works for consumers there.”

Earlier this year, Meituan’s KeeTa became the number 2 platform in Hong Kong.

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