38 retail & e-commerce companies in Manama ranked by 1-year headcount growth. The top 10 are free below, each with a short data note. The full ranked list of 38 is a CSV + Excel download.
Edition October 2026 · updated 2026-10-09 · source: licensed B2B firmographic and technographic data
Key numbers
- Median 1-year headcount growth: 10.8% across 38 companies (range 1.3% to 59.0%). 0 of 38 at least doubled their headcount.
- Size mix: 10–19 employees: 5, 20–49 employees: 8, 50–99 employees: 11, 100–249 employees: 5, 250–499 employees: 9. The most common band is 50–99 (29%).
- Main sub-industries: Grocery Retail (6), Drug Stores & Pharmacies (5), Consumer Electronics & Computers Retail (5).
- Largest company on the list: Al Jazira Group (250–499 employees, 7.7% growth). 13 of 38 have fewer than 50 employees.
- Versus the whole October 2026 dataset (3246 companies), this page's median is lower: 10.8% vs 22.1%.
- Same sector by city (median growth): Abu Dhabi 23.5% (n=50), Doha 20.0% (n=50), Dubai 53.1% (n=50), Jeddah 10.1% (n=50), Riyadh 29.7% (n=50), Sharjah 13.6% (n=50), Kuwait City 8.1% (n=45), Manama 10.8% (n=38), Dammam 14.3% (n=26), Muscat 10.4% (n=24).
- Same location by sector (median growth): real estate 12.5% (n=5), IT services & software 11.7% (n=21), education & training 11.5% (n=11), construction 10.9% (n=19), retail & e-commerce 10.8% (n=38), manufacturing 9.1% (n=14), professional services 7.7% (n=20), hospitality & restaurant 5.8% (n=15).
Top 10 by headcount growth
| # | Company | Industry | Size band | 1-yr growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Zayani Commercial Services | Office Products Retail & Distribution | 20–49 | 59.0% |
| 2 | Al-Jishi | Drug Stores & Pharmacies | 50–99 | 45.7% |
| 3 | Cazasouq | Consumer Electronics & Computers Retail | 10–19 | 42.1% |
| 4 | Mazad BSC | Home Improvement & Hardware Retail | 10–19 | 33.3% |
| 5 | Food World Group | Department Stores, Shopping Centers & Superstores | 250–499 | 32.4% |
| 6 | Hamad Town Pharmacy Group | Drug Stores & Pharmacies | 100–249 | 27.6% |
| 7 | Alia Flowers | Flowers, Gifts & Specialty Stores | 20–49 | 22.2% |
| 8 | Al-salam | Consumer Electronics & Computers Retail | 50–99 | 22.1% |
| 9 | Legend Drug Store | Drug Stores & Pharmacies | 20–49 | 18.5% |
| 10 | Kooheji Industrial Safety | Apparel & Accessories Retail | 20–49 | 15.3% |
| + 28 more companies, ranked 11–38, in the full list | ||||
#1 Al Zayani Commercial Services
Headcount grew 59.0% in 12 months, 5.4× this ranking's median of 10.8%, #1 of 8 companies here in the 20–49-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Office Products Retail & Distribution; revenue band $5M-$10M.
#2 Al-Jishi
Headcount grew 45.7% in 12 months, 4.2× this ranking's median of 10.8%, #1 of 11 companies here in the 50–99-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Drug Stores & Pharmacies; revenue band $5M-$10M.
#3 Cazasouq
Headcount grew 42.1% in 12 months, 3.9× this ranking's median of 10.8%, #1 of 5 companies here in the 10–19-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Consumer Electronics & Computers Retail; revenue band $1M-$5M.
#4 Mazad BSC
Headcount grew 33.3% in 12 months, 3.1× this ranking's median of 10.8%, #2 of 5 companies here in the 10–19-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Home Improvement & Hardware Retail; revenue band $1M-$5M.
#5 Food World Group
Headcount grew 32.4% in 12 months, 3.0× this ranking's median of 10.8%, #1 of 9 companies here in the 250–499-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Department Stores, Shopping Centers & Superstores; revenue band $10M-$25M.
#6 Hamad Town Pharmacy Group
Headcount grew 27.6% in 12 months, 2.5× this ranking's median of 10.8%, #1 of 5 companies here in the 100–249-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Drug Stores & Pharmacies; revenue band $10M-$25M.
#7 Alia Flowers
Headcount grew 22.2% in 12 months, 2.0× this ranking's median of 10.8%, #2 of 8 companies here in the 20–49-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Flowers, Gifts & Specialty Stores; revenue band $1M-$5M.
#8 Al-salam
Headcount grew 22.1% in 12 months, 2.0× this ranking's median of 10.8%, #2 of 11 companies here in the 50–99-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Consumer Electronics & Computers Retail; revenue band $10M-$25M.
#9 Legend Drug Store
Headcount grew 18.5% in 12 months, 1.7× this ranking's median of 10.8%, #3 of 8 companies here in the 20–49-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Drug Stores & Pharmacies; revenue band $1M-$5M.
#10 Kooheji Industrial Safety
Headcount grew 15.3% in 12 months, 1.4× this ranking's median of 10.8%, #4 of 8 companies here in the 20–49-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Apparel & Accessories Retail; revenue band $5M-$10M.
Get the full list
CSV + Excel + PDF with every company on this page (name, website, city, industry and sub-industry, size band, employee count, growth and a careers-page search link). Secure card checkout; the files arrive by email within a few hours. One-time $7, 14-day refund.
Want every sector in Manama? The all-sectors list for Manama is $29.
Need a fresh list every month? GCC Growth Radar ($99/month) sends a new ranked list on the 1st of each month.
Methodology
Source: licensed B2B firmographic and technographic data, pulled 9 Oct 2026; page updated 2026-10-09. Scope: companies headquartered in the city with 10–500 employees and at least 10 data profiles; the top 50 by 1-year headcount growth per industry, after removing likely local branches of foreign or 1,000+ staff groups; companies with zero or negative growth are left out. Growth is the modelled change in the company's own employee count over the last 12 months; values above 200% are labelled estimated because they come from small headcounts. Location is the company's headquarters city; firms headquartered elsewhere with large local offices are not included, and likely local branches of foreign or 1,000+ staff groups were removed by a name/website rule that can miss some branches. Some companies are local branches of larger groups; the size band is for the local entity. Figures move between monthly editions. Company-level data only: no personal names, emails or phone numbers.
We publish a ranking only when at least 15 companies qualify, and skip a page when its top 10 would repeat another page.
FAQ
- Which retail & e-commerce company in Manama grew fastest this year?
- In the October 2026 edition, Al Zayani Commercial Services ranks first with 59.0% 1-year headcount growth, followed by Al-Jishi (45.7%) and Cazasouq (42.1%).
- How fast are retail & e-commerce SMBs in Manama growing?
- The median company on this list grew headcount by 10.8% in 12 months. This is a list of fast growers, not a sector average.
- What does "growth" mean here?
- The change in the company's own employee count over the last 12 months, modelled from licensed B2B firmographic data. It is not revenue growth and not a count of open vacancies.
- Why do some figures say "estimated"?
- Growth above 200% usually comes from a small starting headcount, so a few hires move the percentage a lot. We keep these companies but label the figure.
- What is in the paid list?
- All 38 companies on this page with website, city, industry, size band and growth, as CSV and Excel. Company-level only: no personal contact details.
- How often is this updated?
- Monthly. Each edition is dated; this one is October 2026.