Dubai Shopping Festival
The much awaited retail rush of the year is back again bigger and better carrying the burden of being the most important event or retailers.
The much awaited retail rush of the year that is traditionally known to have generated millions of dollars in revenue, attract hundreds of thousands of tourists, and start the craziest shopping sprees with some mega deals, promotions, events, and innovations that gets every retailer’s creative juices flowing is here.
Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) has announced that the 26th edition of Dubai
Shopping Festival will take place from 17 December 2020 to 30 January 2021 and this year’s festival is going to be the “most important” one yet.
Apart from the usual yearly festivities, retail promotions, family entertainment, live concerts, DSF this year is aiming to be the best yet with new attractions and entertainment options to be added to the already packed calendar of events as well as an integrated digital offering for residents and tourists.
“We are delighted to once again welcome back the Dubai Shopping Festival. The 26th showcase of the world’s biggest and longest running retail festival will be the perfect celebration of everything Dubai is famous for – unparalleled family fun, shopping and with a COVID safety approach. As the flagship event of DFRE’s packed Retail Calendar of festivities and activations, DSF has strategically grown over the years to offer incredible customer-centric promotions and activations that drive footfall, boost sales and position the city on the global map as a must-visit retail destination for visitors from around the world. This is our most highly anticipated edition that will bring 2020 to a close and welcome in the start of 2021 in a positive and fun-packed fashion”, said Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO, Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE).
There are a number of things that makes DSF 2020 different from any the country has witnessed in the previous years. Conventionally, DSF has been an ideal proposition for retail tourism - considering it comes at a time when a good chunk of the expatriate resident population travels back home for the festive season - attracting people from the neighbouring GCC countries, the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. This year, given people’s hesitation to travel abroad, DSF is more likely to target residents of Dubai and the other emirates and encourage them to come out of their homes to spend money within the country.
Throughout DSF, and in line with local regulations, participating events, malls and shopping destinations will strictly adhere to the required Covid-19 precautionary measures. As a mark of recognition for industry-wide compliance, Dubai recently rolled out the ‘DUBAI ASSURED’ stamp in collaboration with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Department of Economic Development and Dubai Municipality to certify retail establishments, F&B outlets, hotels and attractions that have implemented the necessary public health protocols in order to maintain the health and safety of residents and visitors.
For retailer’s, DSF is going to be the ultimate opportunity to clear off their 2020 inventory so they can start the new year with a stronger OTB. During the pandemic, especially the lockdown months, retail sales across the board were disrupted that left retailers with a stockpile of the current and previous season’s product ranges that need to be cleared off. Hence, shoppers at DSF this year can expect bundle offers and big basket sales, where there would be more focus on quantity. This is great for shoppers as the deals are going to be very attractive making DSF 2020 an absolute shopper’s market.
Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) outlines the key activities, deals, sales, concerts, events and activations taking place across the city during this year’s DSF: