DUBAI’S
MALL MANIA

By Hina Hussain

The culture of shopping is hardly alien to Dubai. Long before the contemporary breed of real estate developers gave a new meaning to shopping by building mega malls, the city was known for its bargain prices of jewellery, perfumes, electronic items and a host of other goods. But the arrival of huge real estate projects has changed the whole retail game. These days it does not matter what you buy, it is also important where you buy.

Small shopping centres and souks in old areas are no longer in vogue. Shopping is now coupled with entertainment and family outings, and for many people it is also a refuge from the heat outdoors. Shopping has become so pervasive that parents of school and college-age children have begun to worry that they are bringing up a new generation of youth who are more interested in fashion and merchandise than in spending time in libraries, laboratories and on sports grounds.

The city’s retail revolution is not settled yet; it is evolving and we still do not have a clear shape of things to come. This change is coupled with a similar evolution in other aspects of Dubai’s economic, cultural and social life. A lot of these changes go directly with the nature of real estate development. Nowadays no big property project is complete without the developer telling you that the development will have so many square metres of retail space. Naturally, there are questions how far this mall mania can be sustained.

Such developments are no longer restricted to Dubai alone. The shopping revolution is spreading to other emirates. In fact, some property projects launched in Abu Dhabi will make Dubai look small. In Ras Al Khaimah, tourism has been introduced as a centerpiece of economic development. This will require creation of Dubai-style retail centres.

But it is Dubai that is still leading the retail revolution. At present there are 35 malls that are members of the Dubai Shopping Malls Group, an industry association. This number is going to increase significantly as new malls are built.

Descriptions of upcoming shopping malls are mind-boggling. One wonders, if all this is for real. As if to answer some of these questions, Dubai is making a great effort of selling itself as a tourist destination internationally. Stakes are indeed high for those in the retail industry. With the total UAE population being about 4.1 million and that of Dubai just 1.5 million, no one in his right mind thinks that there will be enough shoppers that can produce profits for the retails business once the ongoing mall developments are completed.

The sheer size, scale and style of the upcoming malls leave no one in doubt that the city will need huge numbers of tourists to survive in this new unique cut-throat retail world that it has created for itself. Dubai’s tourism bosses hope to attract 15 million tourists in 2010, which seems a tall order considering that in 2005 the city received about 6 million tourists. Yet the authorities are optimistic that their ongoing tourism promotion efforts will bear fruit and the targets will be achieved.

To accommodate increased numbers of tourists, a large number of hotel projects are under way. It is expected that the city will have 90,000 rooms by 2010, more than double the number of hotel rooms available at present. A look at hotel construction projects reveals that Dubai wants to draw high-end leisure travelers rather than budget tourists in the long-run. Most new hotels being built in the city are in the five-star category.

Another strategy that Dubai has adopted is that of resident tourism. Both government-related and private real estate developers are hunting for buyers across the world to buy homes in their luxury leasehold and freehold developments.

Luxury and largeness have become the defining parameters of any project. Dubai Mall, which is part of the development that will create the world’s tallest tower Burj Dubai, promises to add 12 million square feet of retail space. “Dubai Mall is expected to attract over 35 million visitors in the first year of operations. Every imaginable store will greet shoppers from high end retail stores and boutiques to daily necessities. Whilst the shopping will be without equal, restaurants and movie theatres will make Dubai Mall an entertainment destination that has something for everyone,” declares Emaar, the mall’s developer.

The story of other malls is no different. They all make similar promises of a great number of stores, multi-screen cinemas, food courts and children’s entertainment.

On the other hand the Mall of Arabia, part of the 20-million square foot City of Arabia development within the giant Dubai land tourism and entertainment zone, is being touted as “a Phenomenal Shopping Resort.” It has been described by the developers as “a unique lifestyle experience with its vast ancient Middle Eastern exterior housing the best of international fashion brands, a state-of-the-art stage for theatrical performances, a 15-screen cinema, bowling alley and a world-class spa.” It also promises to be a “delightfully different” shopping experience.

The phase one spans over 5.6 million square feet and comprises two levels with over 10,000 parking spaces. Apart from hosting top brands, a five-star hotel and spa and a bowling alley will be part of the mall. Developers say a range of distinct themed areas will create an environment that will excite shoppers from around the world.

One most popular themed mall that already exists is Ibn Battuta Mall. Its concept is based on the travels of the famous 14th century explorer Ibn Battuta and is reflected in the six shopping zones named Andalusia, Tunisia, Egypt, Persia, India and China.

It is considered a must-stop on any shopping tour of the city. Visitors have been impressed by spectacular interior and exterior that present the architecture of places visited by Ibn Battuta. It is not just the glimpses into the past that bring visitors to the mall. Ibn Battuta Mall is home to a 21-screen cinema, including the UAE’s first IMAX cinema. Its developer Nakheel takes pride in offering an environment that creates for visitors a “home away from home.”

Other themed malls are Mercato and Wafi City. Mercato, which means “market” in Italian is patterned after the Renaissance style architecture, combining Italian, French and Spanish architectural styles. The strikingly different Wafi City’s architecture is inspired by the ancient Egyptians.

Barring such themes, Dubai’s malls in most cases have cloned interiors as they offer similar international brands, stores, cinemas and food and beverage outlets.

In the heart of the city, Dubai Festival City has emerged as a leading retail dining and leisure destination. It includes two shopping districts called Festival Waterfront Centre and Festival Power Centre. The former features 550 shops, including 20 anchor stores, 90 restaurants, cafes and bistros, a 12-screen cinema and an entertainment zone. Festival Power Centre is a 1.3 million square foot retail area offering “big box retail stores” and the largest dedicated household shopping centre in the UAE.

A mall specialising in sports goods will be built in Dubai Sports City, an ambitious development centred around the world of games. Presence of sports academies and communities will create lucrative opportunities in the sports goods business. Here again, the developers aim to create something that will cry for international attention. This zone is part of Dubailand and it is expected a sport-based tourism segment will develop in Dubai when Dubai Sports City comes into being.

Promoting local heritage will be the Cultural Village project, which will house a large retail district featuring luxury hotels, designer boutique-style restaurants, coffee shops, rare book shops, and art and craft galleries. There will be a rustic traditional souk, offering Arabian crafts, antiques, and spices and herbs.

From the moment you arrive in Dubai to the time you board a plane back home, it is difficult to take your eyes away from various goods that confront you. This unusual experience begins at the airport’s duty free shops. Dubai Duty Free is marketed as “a convenient place to pick up last minute gifts and presents before jetting off.” Its inbound and outbound shopping areas house 35,000 products from gold, jewellery and watches to electronic goods, perfumes and cosmetics.

A sea change in the shopping scene will occur when Dubai’s waterfront projects are completed. Nakheel’s three Palm Islands, The World and Dubai Waterfront are among the most ambitious. The “exclusive” element of waterfront residential projects will determine the nature of their retail stores. Expect them to be glitzier than what you have seen so far.

Let us hope that Dubai’s old shopping districts will not be mauled by the modern mall mania. Those looking for bargains will still find Karama, Satwa, Bur Dubai and Naif Road areas excellent places for shopping. There are also smaller malls that hold distinct appeals.

However, visiting these malls in busy areas has become a grueling experience due to a lack of parking space. Building multi-storey car parks have not yet caught the fancy of the city’s urban planner. Dubai’s nightmarish road traffic makes malls that provide ample parking space even more attractive. Hopefully, the city’s transport system will improve when the rail network becomes operational.

Although tax-free shopping is still a slogan that is heard in Dubai, it may soon lose its meaning. There are different types of charges that negate the absence of a formal taxation system. Even if everything was really “tax-free,” people forget that shopping is secondary for tourists, whom Dubai needs for continued growth. Nobody flies hundreds of kilometers, spending hundreds of dollars on air ticket and hotel accommodation, just to save a few dollars on buying gloves and watches. Tourists look for an experience, and malls cannot provide that experience on their own.

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