Majid Al Futtaim’s Evolution From Mall Operator to Lifestyle Retail

Over the course of three a long time, Majid Al Futtaim has welcomed 600 million guests yearly throughout 29 buying locations, making them the preeminent mall operator within the Middle East.

All that foot visitors gave the corporate one thing equally as worthwhile because the lease checks — unparalleled perception into shopper conduct, buying patterns, and rising developments within the area. A decade in the past, the corporate made a pivot. Rather than merely offering area for worldwide retailers, Majid Al Futtaim positioned itself as the popular associate for worldwide manufacturers searching for Middle Eastern entry.

The end result? The firm’s way of life division has advanced right into a powerhouse with 26 % income progress in 2024, and digital gross sales surging 31 %, a testomony to an omnichannel technique born from watching how prospects really store.

Majid Al Futtaim’s way of life division’s enterprise reads like a rigorously curated reply to the query, “What do Middle Eastern consumers truly want?” The group began by tapping into the wellness-fashion motion, bringing Lululemon to the Middle East in 2015 with the primary retailer opening in Mall of the Emirates. Ten years later, they function over 20 Lululemon shops, with some Dubai places rating among the many model’s prime world performers.

The portfolio strategically expanded into residence furnishings with Crate & Barrel and CB2, magnificence with Shiseido’s solely stand-alone retailer exterior of Asia, and specialty retail with Lego Certified Stores.

The firm’s most up-to-date luxurious growth, the debut of Italian manufacturers Eleventy and Corneliani this yr, alerts their ambitions past athleisure and mass premium.

Another straw in Majid Al Futtaim’s hat is THAT Concept Store, launched at Mall of the Emirates in 2021. The homegrown multibrand vacation spot not solely provides the mall an providing completely different from the franchise fashions, however it capabilities as a retail laboratory, testing new manufacturers in a shop-in-shop format earlier than scaling them to stand-alone places. Eleventy’s journey — from THAT to pop-up to 5 stand-alone shops — exemplifies this test-and-scale methodology.

“In a region where customers have an abundance of choice, our ambition is to curate a portfolio of luxury brands that offer something truly distinctive,” stated Fahed Ghanim, chief government officer of Majid Al Futtaim’s Lifestyle division. “By introducing brands like Eleventy, Corneliani, and Poltrona Frau, we are bringing new dimensions to the luxury market — combining timeless craftsmanship with modern sensibilities that resonate with the refined tastes of our customers.”

Majid Al Futtaim opened 26 shops within the first quarter of this yr, pushing their whole retailer depend properly over 100. These contains flagship places for Lululemon, Psycho Bunny, Shiseido, Poltrona Frau, Crate & Barrel, and THAT. The model’s are supported by 35 e-commerce platforms that replicate Majid Al Futtaim’s perception in an omnichannel strategy.

Looking forward, 2026 is positioned as one other milestone yr, with plans to open greater than 25 shops throughout the area. Twelve of these will launch in Saudi Arabia, underscoring the Kingdom’s standing as a precedence marketplace for the group’s growth technique.

From understanding foot visitors patterns to curating world manufacturers, Majid Al Futtaim’s journey from landlord to retail operator demonstrates how operational experience in a single area fuels transformation into one other.