Dubai Festival City Mall continues to grow

The recent growth seen at the Dubai Festival City Mall is indicative of the wider expansion of the emirate's retail sector.Numerous studies have confirmed that Dubai is still one of the leading shopping hotspots on the planet and with new record-breaking malls in the pipeline, this looks certain to be a long-term trend.Dubai Festival City Mall is one of the Middle East's leading retail and lifestyle facilities and it has already opened another eight outlets so far this year.Italian concept store Cioccolatitaliani has moved into the mall and has been joined by a number of clothing retailers, including Rockport, Vince Camuto and Stadium.Plans are also in motion to add even more outlets in the centre over the coming months, with Mothercare, Boots and luxury international designer Elie Tahari all taking up residency in the complex.Viewers of hit British TV show The Apprentice saw just how diverse Dubai's retail offerings are during a special episode last night (May 28th). The 12 remaining contestants were told to buy eight obscure items from merchants in the city and the programme allowed people in the UK to see the stark differences between the emirate's wonderful, rustic souks and the ultra-modern malls.Dubai is renowned for embracing cutting edge technology and this is evident in the city's malls.Earlier this month, reports confirmed that shoppers in the Wafi mall will soon be able to take advantage of a hi-tech loyalty programme, which is designed to allow consumers to obtain points wirelessly.The scheme – which uses near field communication (NFC) and Bluetooth technology – also gives shoppers an opportunity to receive instant notification of special offers and discounts in nearby stores.”We believe the technology delivers a win-win situation for both merchants and consumers,” commented Souffiane Houti, founder and chief executive officer of ViaFone Technologies – the company behind the initiative.With so many exciting developments being unveiled, it is certainly a good time for investors to take advantage of the UAE's thriving retail industry. Taylor Scott International