Winter clothes sales surge in the UAE amid cold snap

Warm clothing has been flying off the shelves since January, with wintry conditions set to continue

Residents in Dubai wrap up warm, with temperatures dropping to single digits in some parts of the UAE. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Lulu Group reported an increase of up to 30 per cent in January sales of winter clothes compared with the same month last year, amid a cold snap in the UAE.

V Nandakumar, the group’s director of marketing and communications, said it noticed an increase in the sale of winter gear towards the end of January, a surge that typically happened in November and December.

Mr Nandakumar said annual end-of-season sales played a role but the cooler temperatures across the UAE in the past few weeks also made a difference.

He said sales rose by up to 30 per cent in January, compared with 2023.

“Normally, we don’t see a jump at the end of winter,” Mr Nandakumar told The National. “This time we have. This year, we are experiencing cooler temperatures in January and February, so people who did not have something [warm] started to look.

“We saw increased interest in warmer clothes towards the third week of January onwards.”

People are purchasing jackets, sweaters, boots, mufflers, caps and hoodies as conditions remain cool and dust clouds, rain and strong winds are reported across the UAE, Mr Nandakumar said.

Temperatures have sunk to single digits in parts of the country in recent days. The National Centre of Meteorology recorded a low of 4.2°C on Jabal Al Rahba in Ras Al Khaimah on Friday, with the temperature recorded at 3.8°C on Jebel Jais on Thursday.

Further unsettled weather lies ahead. Heavy rain and high winds are forecast across the UAE from Sunday until early next week. Temperatures are also expected to drop.

Adventure HQ also said it observed a "significant jump in demand for winter gear, especially for camping, biking, and hiking, aligning with the UAE's recent cooler weather" across its five outlets in the UAE.

"We are committed to offering high-quality, diverse products to meet this growing interest," it said.

A store manager for Decathlon UAE in Dubai said there was an “incredible increase” in people buying winter gear and clothing.

“Some are to wear in the country due to the cold weather we are experiencing and the rest is for travelling,” a representative said. “I can say that the winter sports trend for this year is remarkable.”

Dubai Police last month launched a winter clothing drive to support more than 300 blue-collar workers.

About 350 workers living in accommodation in Jebel Ali were provided with warm clothing to help them cope with the cooler months.

Mr Nandakumar, meanwhile, said sales of winter clothes in the UAE are increasing not just to ward off the cold but because people want to feel the “vibe of winter”, which he attributes to a range of factors encompassing social media trends, global fashion and influencers.

“Winter lifestyle and winter fashion has gained momentum for Lulu generally,” he said. “We have seen increased demand.”

It is not yet clear how much longer the conditions will last, but the winter months can bring some extreme weather to the UAE that persists beyond January.

In January 2020, Jebel Jais was blanketed in snow and, in the same month in 2021, temperatures in parts of Al Ain sank to minus 5°C. People in Al Raknah had to scrape ice from cars and icicles formed on trees and plants.

In 2023, April temperatures were the lowest recorded in the country for 25 years.

Wild weather in the UAE - in pictures

People run for cover during the March 9, 2016 storm in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, when strong winds and driving rain caused chaos across the UAE. Christopher Pike / The National

City streets were inundated with water, such as here on 8th Street in Abu Dhabi. Antonie Robertson / The National

While the rain and winds caused major damage they brought smiles of glee for some of the younger residents of Abu Dhabi. Delores Johnson / The National

The sky darkened from early on March 9, 2016. The view from Abu Dhabi's main bus station is of murky skies. Jonathan Raymond / The National

However, storms have always been a feature of the weather here, such as this squall on Abu Dhabi's Corniche taken at some point between 1962 and 1964. Photo: David Riley

Flooding is seen in Fujairah following heavy rainfall. Photo: Storm Centre UAE

Floodwater often inundated Abu Dhabi island during the 1960s as defences had yet to be built. Photo: David Riley

A huge storm that swept through the region in 1963 left the Sharjah Airbase flooded, as this photograph shows. Photo: Vic Cozens

Snow can also be common in the winter. Snowmen are often built, such as this one in Jebel Jais in January, 2020. Photo: Ahmed Al Bedwawi

Snow also fell on Jebel Jais mountain in Ras al Khaimah in January and December 2017. Photo: Mike Charlton

Most of Jebel Jais was blanketed in a pristine layer of snow. Photo: Ahmed Al Bedwawi

Dense fog is also common in the mountains, as this 2015 shot from Jebel Jais shows. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Fog and mist cover the Burj Al Arab. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Early morning fog in Discovery Gardens, Dubai in April, 2020. Pawan Singh / The National

Dense fog is common during winter, reducing visibility on the roads. Pawan Singh / The National

Dubai Media City enveloped in fog. Pawan Singh / The National

Dust storms are also common, causing havoc on the roads such as this one from March, 2017 in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

A lightening strike in Umm Al Quwain. Photo: Storm Centre UAE

Another dust storm from 2018. Antonie Robertson / The National

A dust storm passes by the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Fujairah, April, 2020. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Rain storms can cause the most chaos, however, as the March 2016 one did. A construction barrier fell onto parked cars in Abu Dhabi. AFP

Trees were uprooted on 29th Street in Abu Dhabi during the same storm. Ravindranath K / The National