With the launch of the 25^th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival on 26 December set to kick off Dubai’s Retail Calendar 2020, leading retail groups have reaffirmed their commitment and support to ensure the success of the comprehensive programme of festivals, events and celebrations aimed at showcasing Dubai as the best shopping hub of the region.

Strategic partners, retailers and mall operators in Dubai have referred to the longstanding and strong cooperation they have enjoyed with Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) over the past 25 years, and reiterated they would be stepping up efforts in 2020 to further enhance the overall Dubai offering and experience and ensure Dubai stays at the forefront of global retail destinations in line with the vision of His Highness, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai  to showcase the city as a a ‘must-visit’ family tourism destination.

The annual Retail Calendar is developed and curated with the support of 18 major retail and mall groups within Dubai, ensuring a robust calendar of sales, activations and experiences for shoppers. The latest calendar underpins Dubai’s focus on staying ahead of the curve, amplifying and enriching the shopping experience, benchmarking against the top shopping destinations across the world and striving towards achieving the emirate’s tourism strategy by leveraging the year-round festivals and events to increase visitor numbers.

Omar Khoory, Managing Director of Nakheel Malls, said: “Dubai’s retail sector is a pillar of the emirate’s economy, and Nakheel Malls is proud to continue its key role in further positioning the emirate as a world-leading shopping, dining and entertainment destination.  2020 will be a landmark year as Expo 2020 gets underway, and we look forward to building on our close relationship with DFRE over the next 12 months – and beyond – with new destinations such as Nakheel Mall on Palm Jumeirah, and established, world-famous retail hubs like Ibn Battuta Mall and Dragon Mart.”

Timothy Earnest, Group Director of Al-Futtaim Malls, said: “With the First Expo in the Middle East coming to Dubai in 2020, we are looking forward to making the stay of our global visitors one to remember! Every year, Dubai Festival City Mall has a packed retail calendar, and for 2020 we are looking to take it up a notch. Located just 7mins from DXB International airport, visitors can expect world-class entertainment experiences and creative new promotions throughout the year. Our record-breaking IMAGINE shows will provide guests with free entertainment every night and we are pleased to announce we will have spectacular new shows revealed in 2020. And just in time, our soon to open Festival Plaza, located in South of Dubai, will offer visitors a destination with over 100 renowned brands and 40 cafés and restaurants to shop, dine and unwind just next to the Expo site”.

Mohammad A Baker, Deputy Chairman and CEO of GMG said: “Today Dubai is home to a diverse retail market with promising opportunities for organisations of all sizes. This is underpinned by the 2020 Retail Calendar, which has been injected with exciting new creative elements and ideas. DFRE’s close collaboration with the private sector is further highlighting the value of Dubai as a world-class shopping and entertainment destination. Especially in today’s global marketplace, the increasing use of technology and data is helping Dubai retailers to deliver more competitive and tailored experiences to consumers, while realising synergies between the government and the private sector.”

Renuka Jagtiani, Chairwoman & CEO, Landmark Group, said: “Landmark Group shares a close partnership with Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment. As a home-grown retailer with a portfolio of owned brands, we keep our customers at the heart of everything we do. We provide carefully crafted and customised offerings to both local customers and visitors alike based on the Retail Calendar. The Retail Calendar allows us to build this very customer-centric approach, and drive success through effective promotions through our extensive retail network.”

Nilesh Ved, Chairman, APPAREL Group, said: “The Apparel Group is delighted to coordinate its efforts with Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment in creating new concepts and retail experiences. As a leading retail group that is committed to the growth of the retail sector in Dubai, we will continue to look at ways in which we can contribute towards delivering an exclusive and appealing Retail Calendar 2020 to help drive tourism and further strengthen Dubai’s position as a global shopping destination of choice.”

Sally Yacoub, Chief Malls Officer at Meraas, said: “Our destinations are designed to offer residents and visitors a wide-range of unique experiences. We are committed to offering our customers the very best experiences and value for money through a vigorous calendar of activities in partnership with Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment.

“With 2020 being a landmark year for Dubai, Meraas is gearing up to bring world-class events and activities to our global audiences visiting Expo 2020 at its world-class beachfront, island, urban, traditional and cultural destinations including, City Walk, La Mer, The Beach, Kite Beach, The Outlet Village, Boxpark, Al Seef, Bluewaters and Last Exit. Moreover, visitors will be able to optimize their experiences at our extraordinary attractions such as The Green Planet, Hub Zero, Play Town, Laguna Waterpark and Roxy Cinemas.”

Fuad Mansoor Sharaf, Managing Director of Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Shopping Malls (UAE, Bahrain and Oman) said: “Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment has been instrumental in turning Dubai into a global shopping and entertainment destination. At Majid Al Futtaim Properties, we are proud to align with and support DFRE’s vision through our network of customer-centric shopping malls across the city.  We have been creating unique retail experiences since 1995 and evolved our offering in response to our customers’ needs. As we look towards 2020, we will be leveraging our partnership with DFRE to attract residents and visitors alike, while ensuring Dubai’s continued international standing as a must-visit shopping destination. We look forward to an exciting year ahead of retail-associated events and activities, starting with Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2020.”

Saj Arshad, Chief Marketing Officer from Alshaya Group said, “Ahead of its fourth year, we are once again delighted to support this hugely popular range of events taking place in Dubai, including the 25th anniversary of the Dubai Shopping Festival.  We offer customers a choice of more than 400 stores, cafes and restaurants across Dubai representing 60 well-loved brands; these events are an important part of our calendar and of the wider retail landscape in Dubai.  Colleagues working in our stores are looking forward to taking part and serving our customers from across the UAE and beyond.”

An Emaar Spokesperson said: “Emaar Malls has been a strategic partner of Dubai Festivals & Retail Establishment since our inception and we will continue to support the varied initiatives designed to strengthen Dubai’s retail and leisure sector. The Retail Calendar is a remarkable initiative that offers residents and visitors a ring-side view of all retail activations, enabling them to make travel and retail planning in advance. This, in turn, will contribute to both the retail and tourism sectors and help achieve our leadership’s vision to establish Dubai as a global hub. With 2020 to be one of the landmark growth years for the UAE, led by the Expo 2020 Dubai, we will work with DFRE to bring innovative initiatives that add value to the record visitors expected for the event as well as the year-round arrivals of tourists.”

With an impressive line-up of even more city-wide events, activations and experiences, Retail Calendar 2020 is being unveiled on a larger scale, featuring 18 festivals, events, celebrations and promotions over 248 days, and with enhanced offerings in line with the global and domestic retail and fashion cycles,  which play a major role in Dubai’s thriving retail economy.

The calendar is set to further boost consumer spending on shopping throughout the year, and encourage and increase the participation of retailers across a broader and diversified range of product categories and brand segments.

The 2020 Retail Calendar will feature the following festivals and events; Dubai Shopping Festival, Russian Holiday, Chinese New Year, Dubai Shopping Festival Final Sale, Dubai Food Festival, Spring/Summer Collection Launch, Dubai Home Festival, Ramadan in Dubai, Eid in Dubai (Eid Al Fitr), Eid in Dubai (Eid Al Adha) 3 Day Super Sale (2 events), Dubai Summer Surprises, Dubai Summer Surprises Final Sale, Back to School, Fall/Winter Collection Launch, Dubai Fitness Challenge, Diwali in Dubai, and Gifting Weekend.