Issued by the Media Centre of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment

17 July 2015

Dubai retailers enjoy strong Eid sales

“Eid in Dubai – Eid Al Fitr” boosts the retail sector and reinforces purchasing power

With the ‘Eid in Dubai -Eid Al Fitr’ celebrations in full swing, Dubai’s retailers have been witnessing a boost in sales with some of them anticipating a double digit growth during the citywide festivities which ends on 22 July.

Along with the opportunity to choose from an exciting line-up of events, entertainment and attractions during Eid in Dubai, residents and visitors have been going on a shopping spree, picking up amazing offers and discounts across the fashion, cosmetics and furniture sectors, and further reinforcing Dubai’s position as the preferred destination of families during the Eid Al Fitr holidays.

The jump in retail sales during ‘Eid in Dubai’ comes as shoppers go on a buying frenzy at a time when malls and souqs across Dubai launch special offers and promotions including the Eidiyat Dubai promotion run in collaboration with the Dubai Shopping Malls Group, offering shoppers spending AED 200 at participating malls the chance to win a total of AED 1.5 million in prizes.

‘Eid in Dubai – Eid Al Fitr’ is organized by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). DFRE’s Media Centre spoke to some leading fashion and lifestyle retailers to understand how they have been faring so far during the Eid season.

“The retail sector is expecting a huge increase in footfall, especially since families from the GCC countries are converging in the country to celebrate Eid. And we are expecting more than 10% in sales during Eid.” said Mr. Ismail Al Fahim, Group Commercial Manager of Paris Gallery.

“For the very first time this year, Paris Gallery is running the Summer Surprises Sale, which runs all through EID and DSS, from July 1st to August 31st. The sale offers 70% off on selected items at Paris Gallery stores across the UAE, and it will benefit tourists from the GCC and other parts of the world who visit the country during Eid and DSS. Furthermore, many brands are celebrating the season by offering customers gifts with purchases on a wide range of products and categories during the time of Eid,” he added.

“Perfumes have always been the best performing segment during Eid as they are more suitable for gifting compared to cosmetics. However, the cosmetics segment also will do well during this time as brands roll out many offers for female customers who often make huge purchases during this time. The major highlight for us during Eid and DSS is the Summer Surprises Sale, and we believe our customers will take advantage of it during this season, as a lot of them will be looking out for good deals to give their loved ones and friends.

“We believe there will be a huge inflow of tourists from the GCC, especially more families from Saudi Arabia. "Therefore, we expect good footfall in our stores and increased sales for the niche and exclusive categories, in perfumes as well as high-end watches, accessories, sunglasses and jewellery.” Al Fahim concluded

Pallavi Bhatia, Business Head of Label 24 said: “. Since Ramadan falls in summers most of the customers prefer shopping before the start of the holy month. We have people from KSA, Kuwait and Qatar coming to Dubai especially for shopping. There is an increase of 40 – 50 % sale during the period before Ramadan. As usual, the first few days of Ramadan were slow, but sales again picked up during the last 10 days before Eid as shoppers plan for the festivities ahead “.

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