The Galleria Al Maryah Island, continuing its reign as Abu Dhabi’s leading lifestyle and retail destination, proudly announces a substantial 27% surge in sales along with double-digit growth in footfall for its 2023 end of year results. Celebrating ‘A Decade of Luxury’ in 2023 and as a testament to its growing prominence, a host of fashion and dining brands eagerly found their home at the destination in the past year, with 80 new concepts covering 15,167 square metres (163,256 square feet) launching across retail, dining and entertainment categories.
The introduction of the new brands contributed significantly to The Galleria’s remarkable double-digit growth in footfall and sales compared to 2022. The thriving lifestyle destination, with over 95% of leasable area currently leased, introduced innovative concepts, inviting guests to explore novel experiences and enticing offerings.
Commenting on the year’s success, David Robinson, Chief Executive Officer, Al Maryah Retail Company said: “At The Galleria Al Maryah Island, our commitment lies in crafting an unparalleled retail and leisure experience for our guests by continually introducing vibrant brands to Abu Dhabi. Within The Galleria, we’ve fostered a thriving community, and we’re committed to nurturing and evolving this community through our upcoming campaigns and initiatives in 2024. Additionally, guests can anticipate an ever-growing selection of global, regional and exclusive-to-Abu Dhabi brands in the coming year.”
In 2023, the lifestyle destination welcomed a range of prominent names like Hermès, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons and Zadig & Voltaire. Luxury fashion and jewellery experienced a significant surge in sales in 2023, attributed to the influx of shoppers specifically seeking these prestigious brands at The Galleria. This continues the destination’s established trend of positive growth over the past 10 years. The Galleria is home to the most comprehensive selection of local, regional and international luxury brands, with many exclusive concepts. Known as the luxury destination of choice in Abu Dhabi, it attracts residents from across the UAE and tourists visiting the emirate. Additionally, brands such as LC, Pandora, Footlocker and Chateau D’Ax amongst others joined the retail portfolio at The Galleria in 2023, reflecting the destination’s goals of catering to diverse audiences.
The experiential nature of the destination has also evolved, with the Galleria further establishing itself as a focal point for Abu Dhabi’s pioneering entertainment facilities. Catering to both younger and older demographics, the lifestyle destination boasts a diverse array of entertainment options. Notably, it hosts various firsts in the region, such as the National Geographic Ultimate Explorer—a family-oriented play attraction, the UAE’s inaugural Zero Latency, an immersive free-roam virtual reality experience, Caboodle’s learn and play spaces, and the emirate’s largest theatre, a 21 screen VOX Cinemas featuring the emirate’s only IMAX theatre. One of its recent additions in 2023 was Game Over Escape Rooms. Spanning 631 square metres, guests can enjoy an entirely new and immersive experience. This year, an impressive 7,655 square metres of entertainment will be added including the much-anticipated Mission: Play! by Mattel.
Boasting a diverse array of distinctive dining options also plays a strategic role for destinations to carve out a unique identity, elevating them to lifestyle destinations with entertainment and dining options in addition to retail stores. The Galleria, home to over 100 restaurants and cafés, encompasses both fine dining and casual options, and underwent a significant transformation in 2023 with the introduction of pioneering concepts like Flamingo Room by tashas, Entrecôte Café de Paris and Craft by Side Hustle, as well as healthy and niche concepts like Poke & Co., Origin 33 and Tiger Sugar. 2024 will also see an increase in the options available for guests with brands like Vietnamese concept Pho Mo and Japanese venue Umami amongst many others.
By continually listening to the needs of guests and following market trends; The Galleria has successfully elevated the retail landscape in Abu Dhabi, offering the best shopping, entertainment and dining experiences in the region. With an offering that encompasses over 80 brands exclusive to the destination in Abu Dhabi, and many regional-first concepts, this creates an attractive offering for guests, while providing strong visitation and sales opportunities for retailers.
As 2024 begins, The Galleria remains dedicated to enriching its offerings to meet the evolving needs and preferences of its guests, while simultaneously advancing the leisure and entertainment landscape in Abu Dhabi. Guests can anticipate the arrival of a range of new retail and dining concepts and distinctive activations that will undoubtedly continue to uphold the Galleria’s position as the emirate’s premier lifestyle destination.
