As was echoed the world over, the malls and retail stores in the UAE fell uncharacteristically silent during the pandemic, with consumers moving online to purchase everything from groceries to fashion. In fact, at the height of the pandemic in 2020, shoppers spent 64% more online on non-essential products than they did before Covid-19. Dire warnings were issued, predicting the slow demise of in-person shopping.
Two years on, this has proven far from true as the UAE has found shoppers are returning and the in-store retail industry is picking up once more, with consumer spending in retail stores rising by 14% in Q1 of 2022 compared with the same period in 2019. But, like almost ever