Retail

Following a more challenging 2026, the UAE retail market enters 2027 with greater focus on selective growth. Regional conflict and disruption to tourism created periods of uncertainty last year but the UAE remains a critical hub for international brands looking to manage and grow their Middle East businesses.

The divide between categories is becoming clearer. Luxury fashion remains under pressure while beauty and experience led concepts continue to show greater resilience. Beauty remains the standout with sustained global M&A activity across niche and independent brands demonstrating continued investor appetite. As newly acquired and emerging brands look towards the Middle East for growth, we expect this to translate into increased demand across commercial, marketing, digital and category leadership.

The bigger shift will be how international brands structure the region. UAE will remain an important base for regional leadership and talent but businesses are increasingly having to treat individual GCC markets differently rather than operating a single regional playbook. 

We also expect brands to become more selective about where they invest. Expansion for the sake of footprint is giving way to greater scrutiny around store productivity, channel mix and profitability, placing more value on talent that can directly influence commercial performance.

For franchise groups, scale alone will no longer be enough. International brands will increasingly favour partners that can demonstrate strong brand management, sophisticated digital capabilities and the leadership infrastructure required to build brands rather than simply operate stores.