Dubai: New Year bonanza came early for thousands of shoppers taking advantage of a 12-hour super sale at several malls in Dubai on Tuesday.
Coinciding with the start of Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), malls managed by Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) in Dubai offered crazy deals with discounts from 25 per cent to 90 per cent.
Coming just a day after Christmas, malls wore a festive look as thousands of residents and visitors thronged Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Deira, City Centre Mirdif and other MAF-operated malls.
The sale kicked off at 12 noon across 3,000 retail outlets and within an hour, the malls were packed, with all parking spaces taken up, leading to long tailbacks and traffic jams outside the malls.
Many smart consumers took the metro to the Mall of the Emirates and City Centre Deira with a plan to camp in the malls for the whole day.
With schools closed for winter, families could be seen taking a midweek break with their children, enjoying both shopping and leisure.
Some shoppers even went to the length of taking a half-day off from work to take advantage of the discounts.
“I love shopping and I didn’t want to let this opportunity pass, so I took a half-day off from work and hopped on a train. I think there are some awesome deals and I am going to empty my wallet today. Since this is a holiday season, this is a good opportunity to buy gifts at discounted prices for friends and family ahead of the New Year,” said Mevlet Arsalan, a Turkish expat.
For many it was an ideal occasion to shop ahead of their New Year holidays.
“I am going on a vacation with family ahead of the New Year, so I did some winter shopping as we are heading to Europe. I was waiting for DSF to start, but this came as bigger surprise,” said Hessa, an Emirati housewife, who was clutching several shopping bags.
The sale covers a wide range of products ranging from electronics and accessories to fashion, apparels and cosmetics.
“I am really enjoying it here, deals are amazing. I am going back home next week and this is a good opportunity for me to save some money as I indulge in holiday shopping,” said Mary Azarro, a Filipina expat who is set for her annual vacation next week.
At least 70 brands took part in the super sale, including Columbia, Nike, It’s Spring, Naturaliser, Bossini, Lipsy, Splash, Aldo, Juicy Couture, New Look, Forever21, Home Centre and Giordano, among others.
“I am making most of the sale here. Really enjoying the time and experience. I got everything at half price. This is awesome,” said Hitashi Jain, an Indian expat.
The DSF curtain-raiser sale was probably the last opportunity for budget-conscious consumers to save some extra bucks before the value-added tax (VAT) takes effect from January 1.
VAT will be applicable on clothing, shoes, bags, homeware and electronic goods as well as utilities and accessories.
The 12-hour sale would end at 12 midnight with a bumper draw of Dh50,000 in cash prize. Shoppers with every purchase of Dh200 at the MAF malls were eligible for entry in the draw.
