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