U P D A T E C E N T R E S H O P P I N G
DRAGON MART
- THE ROOTS AND CATALYST OF THE CHINESE COMMUNITY IN THE UAE
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ubai, a crossroads between East and West, has long established a strong relationship with China through the UAE’s trade agreement with the republic. This relationship encompasses a rich exchange of knowledge, as well as fosters mutual interests in several sectors including, trade, innovation, culture, technology, and much more. Today, China remains Dubai’s largest trading partner with a total trade volume exceeding Dh107bn. Furthermore, the UAE is China’s most important trade partner in the Arab world and represents 28% of total non-oil trade between China and the region, a testament to the strong bond between both nations.
to a thriving Chinese community of 500,000, whom have developed deep roots and lifetime bonds with each other. In order to further bring the community together, Nakheel recently launched the Yu Fu Lai Sports Club at Dragon Mart 2 which is solely dedicated to badminton and soon paddle tennis coming to the rooftop. Moreover, Dragon Mart is set to launch a Chinese Entertainment Hub and several social gatherings in celebration of the Chinese culture in Dubai.
To further expand on the UAE’s relationship with China, the Dragon Mart complex was built in 2004 as part of an initiative by both governments. The Chinese mega-mall spans a total leasable area of 3.6 million sq, ft. with over 5,000 retailers, an average of 100,000 visitors per day, with an average spend of AED 1,580. Today, Dragon Mart is the world’s largest trading hub for Chinese products outside Mainland China, mainly due to the ease of doing business in a free zone structure and with visa sponsorship packages. The Chinese mega-mall enables retailers to expand their business across the UAE, GCC, Middle East & Africa and tap into the most competitive markets in the region.
Over the years, Dragon Mart has become a leading wholesale distributor, best known for its contribution to SME’s with its competitive prices, providing customers the ability to conveniently sort and discover products across multiple categories including furniture, building materials, games and toys, electronics, fashion and more. In fact, a 2016 survey suggests that the mall drives a sizeable proportion of its footfall from wholesale resellers (14%), who find Dragon Mart as a viable alternative to purchasing Chinese products in bulk quantities, rather than source from China.
The strategic initiative of structuring the Dragon Mart complex included the construction of International City, a neighbourhood that is home
Since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, Nakheel
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