Why Resort Retail Is Booming In The UAE And Redefining Luxury Shopping

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

I'm at my happiest on the beach. The sun is shining, the mundanity of the everyday forgotten. I am primed to pose, preen, post, and, increasingly, purchase. It's this mindset that fashion brands are capitalising on by expanding their retail flipflop-print to resort destinations. Once the preserve of cheap souvenirs, beach balls and glittery pool slides, now hotels are serving shopping experiences to outdo even the glitziest malls.

“Guests are relaxed, time-rich, and emotionally open to discovery; a powerful moment for retail,” says Roxana Meshginnafas, managing partner of FIG Retail in the UAE, which operates 18 stores, of which five are beachwear locations, including Fedeli at Four Seasons Jumeirah, Melissa Odabash and Camilla at The Palm Beach, Atlantis, and two multi-brand concept stores: NUR at Mina Al Salam hotel and His and Hers at Atlantis, The Palm.“Today's resort customers are looking for contextual retail-boutiques that feel relevant to where they are, how they feel, and the lifestyle they are temporarily inhabiting,” she adds.

Recommended For You This Week in Golf: Rory returns, the stars align and the 'Classic' takes centre stage

Flooded with natural light, accessed directly from the sand, Meshginnafas's chocolate-box stores at Atlantis, The Palm feel more Mustique than mega mall. And that's the point of resort retail, says Zayan Ghandour, founder and director of concept retailer Sauce, which has stores in the Four Seasons at Jumeirah Beach, One & Only Royal Mirage, Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Bab Al Shams, Nammos, Jumeirah Saadiyat Island and two in Ras Al Khaimah's Anantara Mina Al Arab.“People don't feel like they are actually shopping. They feel like it's part of the experience, it's another touchpoint in the hotel and this adds to the excitement of buying something from high end resort luxury stores,” Ghandour says.

Established in 2004, Sauce ventured into retail resort in 2018, opening in Four Seasons Jumeirah. Almost immediately the retailer's“tiny space” was outperforming its larger store in the Dubai Mall.“It was the right footfall with the spending power, plus the hunger for anything that is new,” Ghandour says.

Customers might wander into a hotel boutique to pick up something they've forgotten to pack, but would leave with an unplanned indulgence.“We had the wife of a basketball celebrity come in to buy flipflops she needed for beach,” Ghandour recalls,“She ended up also buying a fine jewellery necklace and ring.”

And it's not just tourists causing cash registers to ring for resort retailers. Lucy Gibson, founder of Sand Dollar Dubai, which was established 16 years ago, says,“In Dubai, residents' lifestyles revolve around beach clubs, pool days, being outside in the garden; we choose resortwear for our everyday lives.” Sand Dollar caters to both markets with four stores in five-star hotels-Jumeirah's Al Nassem, Mina Al Salam, and Saadiyat Island properties, and Fairmont The Palm-and one standalone boutique geared towards residents who are, she says,“not working with a holiday budget they are only going to wear once or twice. Here, they have got more disposable income and are looking for a lifetime piece.”

The UAE had the world's largest inflow of high net-worth individuals, estimated at 9,800 in 2025, with a combined wealth of $63 billion (Dh231bn), according to Henley & Partners, and while there is no doubt that the UAE's mall landscape is a huge beneficiary of this increased spending power, the smaller, more curated moments that resort retail offers can out-power their peers in emotional connectivity.

Thea Rowe, associate director of Savills' retail agency in the Middle East, says,“Historically the luxury brands focused on the big shopping centres in Dubai to engage with their customer; we're seeing this evolve with a growing interest in resort areas for an additional store or brand experience that further drives that connection with their customers.”

Sure, you can visit Louis Vuitton at the Dubai Mall, but a purchase personalised with an Atlantis The Royal architectural hot stamp from the maison's resort store is a forever souvenir. Rowe cites The Wynn resort in Ras Al Khaimah as the next exciting opportunity for brands in the UAE.

Beyond sales, the content opportunities posed by beautifully integrated resort stores and brand experiences are endless.“Guests are documenting their holidays, and you become part of their story,” says Ghandour. Meshginnafas agrees, saying,“Holidays are no longer just lived; they are curated, documented, and shared. Fashion becomes part of the storytelling, and guests are seeking pieces that photograph well, feel special, and even reflect the destination.”

Residents who wouldn't dream of whipping out their phone inside a mall store, are far more likely to post content from a hotel setting. Rowe says that when customers encounter beautifully executed resort retail,“they don't just shop-they broadcast the experience to their networks. This organic content gives luxury houses a level of visibility and engagement that goes far beyond a traditional store visit.”

As for me, when shopping, sunbathing and sea swims collide, consider me sold. I'll probably post about it too.

MENAFN21012026000049011007ID1110633907