Emaar Malls - owner of Dubai Malls - posted better than expected profits for the second quarter. Tom Dulat / Getty Images
Emaar Malls - owner of Dubai Malls - posted better than expected profits for the second quarter. Tom Dulat / Getty Images
Emaar Malls - owner of Dubai Malls - posted better than expected profits for the second quarter. Tom Dulat / Getty Images
Emaar Malls - owner of Dubai Malls - posted better than expected profits for the second quarter. Tom Dulat / Getty Images

Shop talk: shopping and spending habits in the UAE


Panna Munyal
  • English
  • Arabic

It is no secret that the UAE is a mall-centric society. Much of this can be attributed to the fact that today’s uber malls offer much more than an opportunity to buy stuff – they are self-proclaimed “lifestyle destinations”, filled to the hilt with restaurants, supermarkets, banks, multiplex cinemas, play areas, edutainment centres and the suchlike.

Nonetheless, a recent study of the shopping habits of UAE residents threw up a few surprises, while cementing the idea that malls are an intrinsic part of the UAE’s social fabric. Researcher and consultant Nadine Touma Gammage presented the results of a year-long Mall Mapping study at the Arab Luxury World conference in Dubai, which tracked the habits of 4,800 people living in the UAE. It found that more than half visit a mall at least once a week. No big surprises there. What was interesting, given that both Abu Dhabi and Dubai are chock-full of malls, was that 38 per cent of respondents from Abu Dhabi, and 21 per cent from Dubai, commute between the two emirates at least once every three months – the former to visit either The Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates or Ibn Battuta, and the latter attracted by the charms of Yas Mall or Marina Mall.

“To understand this, we need to come back to the role of the mall in Gulf countries. In a society historically bound by restrictions and constraints, particularly when it comes to gender-mixing, the mall brought a space where all could interact relatively freely, and express themselves among the community and outside the confines of their homes. The mall took the place of the village square,” explains Gammage.

“All this is obviously emphasised by the fact that the weather is quite hot a great deal of the year. When we restrict the role of malls to shopping, it makes it difficult to understand why people would shop in Dubai when they live in Abu Dhabi, and vice versa. However, when we understand that malls have a bigger role in the community, we can understand why this is the case,” she adds.

When it came to the most frequented malls in the two emirates, the team was surprised to see a few smaller, older and more localised names, some of which took precedence over newer, swankier options. For instance, while The Dubai Mall is most popular in Dubai, it is followed by Deira City Centre and City Centre Mirdif. In Abu Dhabi, in spite of the recent opening of Yas Mall, World Trade Center Mall and The Galleria, it was Marina Mall and Khalidiyah Mall that earned the top two positions, with Madinat Zayed and Dalma Mall also making the list. "These choices definitely reflect a sense of comfort and familiarity: ‘I know it, I know how to shop there and I know where to shop there,’” says Gammage.

A second talk at the Arab Luxury World conference shed further light on the spending patterns of affluent shoppers in the Middle East. The discussion was hosted by Graziela Martins, vice president of merchant business for American Express, Middle East, and was based on research conducted earlier this year. The AMEX research department surveyed 125 people in the UAE, and 754 people in total from five other countries in the Middle East. “Citizens and expats living in the UAE say that they will spend an average of Dh7,000 per month on luxury products and services in 2017,” Martins says. Even though all of the respondents earned at least Dh23,000 per month, this still means that they intend to spend a whopping 30 per cent of their income on luxury items this year.

There were also a few contradictions. For instance, while every person interviewed said that saving money is their number-one priority this year, 46 per cent also said that they are planning to spend the same amount this year as they did last year. And a quarter reported that they would, in fact, spend more than they did in 2016. “The three reasons people gave for wanting to spend the same or more were: greater confidence in their jobs; changes in personal circumstances, such as getting married or having children; and hope for an upswing in the global economy,” says Martins.

About one-third of the sample group said they would spend most of their money on luxury travel this year. Of the six countries surveyed, only those from Oman said that they expect to travel only once this year, while UAE residents said that they are likely to travel between two and four times in 2017.

"While travel takes the lead in the top three luxury categories that people are looking to spend on, this is followed by fashion and, surprisingly, home furnishings, which has overtaken fine dining from last year," says Martins.
As for luxury shopping destinations in the region, Martins says that because the UAE has been coming up as the top choice for several years now, this year, the team wanted to see how the country compared to some of the key global hubs for luxury spending. "While Paris, London, Milan, New York, Hong Kong and Singapore are all countries that people from the Middle East say they shop in, the UAE still ranks as the most popular, with 21 per cent saying they are most likely to do their luxury shopping at a mall in Dubai," she reveals.

Dubai World Cup prize money

Group 1 (Purebred Arabian) 2000m Dubai Kahayla Classic - $750,000
Group 2 1,600m(Dirt) Godolphin Mile - $750,000
Group 2 3,200m (Turf) Dubai Gold Cup – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Turf) Al Quoz Sprint – $1,000,000
Group 2 1,900m(Dirt) UAE Derby – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Dirt) Dubai Golden Shaheen – $1,500,000
Group 1 1,800m (Turf) Dubai Turf –  $4,000,000
Group 1 2,410m (Turf) Dubai Sheema Classic – $5,000,000
Group 1 2,000m (Dirt) Dubai World Cup– $12,000,000

The biog

Name: Samar Frost

Born: Abu Dhabi

Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends

Favourite singer: Adele

Pupils in Abu Dhabi are learning the importance of being active, eating well and leading a healthy lifestyle now and throughout adulthood, thanks to a newly launched programme 'Healthy Lifestyle'.

As part of the Healthy Lifestyle programme, specially trained coaches from City Football Schools, along with Healthpoint physicians have visited schools throughout Abu Dhabi to give fun and interactive lessons on working out regularly, making the right food choices, getting enough sleep and staying hydrated, just like their favourite footballers.

Organised by Manchester City FC and Healthpoint, Manchester City FC’s regional healthcare partner and part of Mubadala’s healthcare network, the ‘Healthy Lifestyle’ programme will visit 15 schools, meeting around 1,000 youngsters over the next five months.

Designed to give pupils all the information they need to improve their diet and fitness habits at home, at school and as they grow up, coaches from City Football Schools will work alongside teachers to lead the youngsters through a series of fun, creative and educational classes as well as activities, including playing football and other games.

Dr Mai Ahmed Al Jaber, head of public health at Healthpoint, said: “The programme has different aspects - diet, exercise, sleep and mental well-being. By having a focus on each of those and delivering information in a way that children can absorb easily it can help to address childhood obesity."

The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House 

PREMIER LEAGUE STATS

Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring statistics in the Premier League 
Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals

2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25  

Upcoming games

SUNDAY 

Brighton and Hove Albion v Southampton (5.30pm)
Leicester City v Everton (8pm)

 

MONDAY 
Burnley v Newcastle United (midnight)

SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20electric%20motors%20with%20102kW%20battery%20pack%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E570hp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20890Nm%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Up%20to%20428km%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C700%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

Porsche Taycan Turbo specs

Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors

Transmission: two-speed

Power: 671hp

Torque: 1050Nm

Range: 450km

Price: Dh601,800

On sale: now

The specs: 2018 Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic HSE

Price, base / as tested: Dh263,235 / Dh420,000

Engine: 3.0-litre supercharged V6

Power 375hp @ 6,500rpm

Torque: 450Nm @ 3,500rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Fuel consumption, combined: 9.4L / 100kms

List of officials:

Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.

Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.

The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

How to get there

Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
 

Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
RESULT

Australia 3 (0) Honduras 1 (0)
Australia: Jedinak (53', 72' pen, 85' pen)
Honduras: Elis (90 4)