Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 27 March 2026: Al-Futtaim Real Estate saw strong trading momentum across its UAE malls portfolio including Dubai Festival City Mall, Festival Plaza and Arabian Center during the 2026 Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr period, delivering an average 8% year-on-year sales uplift.

The performance reflects a broader shift towards experience-led retail, where dining, entertainment, and community-driven activations are increasingly influencing how customers engage with destinations, while reinforcing the UAE’s position as a stable and trusted retail hub.A central pillar of this success was the strategic elevation of F&B as a core driver of footfall, dwell time, and spend across the portfolio. By focusing on curated dining and experiential concepts, F&B has become a crucial social anchor, solidifying the malls’ positions as go-to destinations for community connection.

Dubai Festival City Mall

During the 2026 Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr period, the portfolio’s flagship destination recorded a 12% year-on-year sales uplift alongside a 5% increase in footfall, reflecting the strength of its local catchment and consistent visitor engagement.

Consumer behaviour showed a shift towards more intentional, experience-led visits, with balanced performance across key categories. Value and mid-market fashion remained resilient, while dining continued to play a central role in driving social engagement.

This performance was supported by strategic partnerships with Dubai Festivals & Retail Establishment, including the 3-Day Super Sale (Ramadan Edition), as well as targeted campaigns such as 5X BLUE Rewards, which incentivised spend across retail, dining, and entertainment.

Ongoing tenant curation also contributed to performance, with new concepts such as SALT and Camper supporting an increase in trading occupancy to 93% and reinforcing the mall’s positioning as a destination offering culturally relevant and experience-driven concepts, including activations such as “Majlis by the Bay.”

Festival Plaza

Festival Plaza cemented its role as a high-frequency, community-driven hub, with approximately 15% growth in essential categories, reinforcing its role as an everyday retail hub. This was complemented by significant growth in services like fitness and beauty, establishing the mall as a key wellness hub. The resilient performance of its dining and home categories, all underpinned by strong engagement from Ramadan workshops and Eid activations, further solidified its community-centric position.

Arabian Center

Arabian Center reinforced its position as a value-driven community destination, achieving approximately 5% growth during Ramadan, with further acceleration during Eid across key categories including fashion, footwear, and perfumes.

F&B remained a key contributor to performance, reflecting continued demand for accessible, social dining experiences.

Community engagement initiatives, including the Ramadan & Eid Souk, which saw a 26% increase in participation, alongside partnerships with organisations such as Emirates Red Crescent and Dubai Charity, further strengthened the mall’s connection to its local audience.

Hayssam Hajjar, Executive Director – Asset Management, Al-Futtaim Real Estate said: “The strong Ramadan and Eid performance across our portfolio reflects the underlying strength and resilience of our malls business, particularly in an environment where customer expectations and market dynamics continue to evolve. Our ability to sustain growth during this period is a direct result of disciplined management, proactive tenant curation, and a continued focus on experience-led offerings.

We remain firmly on track with our leasing strategy, with a strong pipeline of new brands and concepts set to open across our malls – further reinforcing the attractiveness of our assets and the confidence of our retail partners in the long-term performance of our destinations.

Our malls are firmly positioned as integrated lifestyle destinations, driving consistent footfall, engagement and spend, by delivering relevance and value to our customers. This performance reinforces our confidence in the robustness of our portfolio and our ability to navigate changing conditions while continuing to deliver sustainable, long-term growth.

We would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to Dubai Economy & Tourism (DET) and all relevant authorities for their continuous and exceptional support, which remains instrumental in enabling the sector’s stability, growth, and overall success.”

The strong holiday results signal positive momentum and long-term resilience for the retail sector, with a clear strategy focused on stability, customer engagement, and the enduring strength of the malls as a center for community.