Retail

There are few destinations more closely identified with retail than Dubai. Indeed, its duty-free and low-tax shopping is one of the hallmarks of the emirate. Dubai is home to some of the world’s largest malls, most diverse retail outlets and most value-added shopping experiences, with everything from giant aquariums to ski-slopes adorning its air-conditioned retail spaces. Various substantial projects are set to come on-stream in 2019, with established centres also seeing new extensions and refits. Meanwhile, a range of special events, such as Black Friday, White Thursday and Cyber Monday, have extended the shopping calendar far beyond the original Dubai Shopping Festival, which will also extend its running time from four to five weeks in 2019. This chapter contains an interview with Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice-Chairman and CEO, Dubai Duty Free.