UAE Retail Is Holding Its Line, But With Clearer Contours (image)

UAE Retail Is Holding Its Line, But With Clearer Contours

As we move through 2025, UAE retail real estate is proving both resilient and more selective. Headline demand remains solid, but leasing conversations, tenant expectations, and pricing strategies have all tightened.

This is no longer a growth-at-any-cost cycle - it's one defined by clearer lines of performance and risk. Prime rents in Dubai’s Tier 1 malls are holding at AED 1,000–1,100 per sqft, with occupancy at 95% and above - but that’s not the full story. Retailers are getting sharper, particularly in second-tier locations where lease structures are now more flexible, turnover-linked, and shorter in term.

New launches are becoming more purposeful. Projects like J1 Beach and Nad Al Sheba Mall are not chasing volume - they’re designed for experience, adjacency, and differentiation. Dubai Harbour’s anchor development and retail strip are still in pre-opening phase, but the intent is clear: anchoring retail within lifestyle-led, waterfront, or residential ecosystems is no longer experimental; it’s a requirement.

Tourism remains a vital demand driver. Official sources state that Chinese visitors surged by nearly a third year on year in 2024, and malls with curated F&B, concierge services, and connectivity to cruise terminals are seeing leasing interest reflect that. Dubai Harbour’s future potential is tied directly to its alignment with marine tourism and premium hospitality offerings.

In Abu Dhabi, retail growth is being shaped by format and location. We’re seeing smaller-format, locally led, food-first retail concepts gain traction - particularly near dense residential corridors and cultural districts. Yas Mall continues to lean into immersive leisure and experiential dining, while independent operators are reshaping select high street environments.

From a landlord perspective, the message is clear: future leasing value is being built on adaptability and operational fit, not legacy footfall alone. And for investors, it's increasingly about alignment with the next generation of demand. That includes fintech integration – Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) platforms like Tabby and Postpay are actively shaping leasing strategies - and rethinking what counts as a “retail tenant.”

There is no broad pullback underway. But there is a quiet reallocation. Mid-2025 finds UAE retail at a point of commercial clarity: the best assets are leased, the best formats are evolving, and the rest are being tested.

Click to read the latest Cushman & Wakefield Global Cities Retail guide – Europe - to find out more about markets around the region.

Related Thought Leadership

What Occupiers Want: UAE (image)
Thought Leadership • UAE

What Occupiers Want: UAE

The latest global occupier survey from Cushman & Wakefield tracks how real estate priorities are evolving in step with broader shifts in corporate structure, cost control, and workforce strategy.
Robert Thomas • 2025-07-23
UAE Real Estate Mid-Year 2025: A Market Tightening Beneath the Headline Stability (image)
Thought Leadership • UAE

UAE Real Estate Mid-Year 2025: A Market Tightening Beneath the Headline Stability

At the halfway point of 2025, the UAE real estate market remains anchored by the same fundamentals that have drawn capital here for years: population growth, government-led diversification, and an expanding role in global capital flows.
P.P. Varghese • 2025-07-18
Abu Dhabi and Dubai Take Top Global Rankings in Data Center Growth (image)
Thought Leadership • UAE

Abu Dhabi and Dubai Take Top Global Rankings in Data Center Growth

Abu Dhabi and Dubai now lead the world’s emerging data center markets, taking first and second place in Cushman & Wakefield’s 2025 Global Data Center Market Comparison.
Edward Macura • 2025-06-30
YOUR PRIVACY MATTERS TO US

With your permission we and our partners would like to use cookies in order to access and record information and process personal data, such as unique identifiers and standard information sent by a device to ensure our website performs as expected, to develop and improve our products, and for advertising and insight purposes.

Alternatively click on More Options and select your preferences before providing or refusing consent. Some processing of your personal data may not require your consent, but you have a right to object to such processing.

You can change your preferences at any time by returning to this site or clicking on Privacy & Cookies.

MORE OPTIONS