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In early 2024, Virtua opened its first office in Dubai, recognising this shift. We’re not alone. Leading labels from Gymshark to Alo Yoga, JD Sports to Frasers Group are investing heavily in regional presence. But what’s driving this wave? And how are these brands tailoring their plays to win hearts and wallets?
Let’s explore who’s making the move, and why.
Gymshark’s journey from a UK pop-up to full flagship status tells you everything about the region’s potential. In January 2025, the brand inaugurated its first permanent store, 4,300 sq ft on Dubai Mall’s ground floor, with a launch buzz fit for a global debut. Hundreds queued to see mannequins model real community members; retail rooms doubled as personal shopping suites and content studios. Growth is global, but execution is local, with Arabic e-commerce, exclusive drops for GCC athletes, and cultural connectivity all baked in at launch.
This isn’t a retail experiment. It’s infrastructure investment.
Dubai-based Apparel Group has aggressively doubled down on scale. In 2024 alone, it opened over 100 new stores, including Asics, Skechers, and Birkenstock, across the Middle East. With 2,300 stores across 85 brands and 14 countries, it has local insight and consumer trust on its side, a potent mix. The group is a case study in localisation, staffed with expertise attuned to GCC taste and transaction behaviour. Strategy over bravado.
In November 2024, JD Sports opened a 5,478 sq ft flagship in Dubai Mall, bringing Nike, Adidas, Puma, and New Balance under one high-footfall roof. It wasn’t just about square footage. Exclusive services like pre-launch rights to the Aruku sneaker and in-store customisation emphasise connection over transaction. With 50 planned MENA openings over five years via partnership with GMG, JD is treating the region like its next home base.
Alo Yoga has built its brand on celebrity endorsement and purpose. Its Dubai Mall sanctuary, opened in February 2024, comes with a rooftop yoga terrace, wellness café, and regional event series. Expansion is underway, with Abu Dhabi’s Galleria Al Maryah (Nov 2024), plus GCC and global stores on the horizon. This is experiential retail tuned to territory, with athleisure as local lifestyle, designed for seamless transitions home, flight, or studio.
The UK’s Frasers Group, known for Sports Direct, is expanding via a 10-year deal with retailer GMG. The plan includes the first five stores in year one, scaling to 50 in five years. This is physical distribution as strategy, less a fashion moment, more a market infrastructure play, positioning Sports Direct to reach fitness-first consumers in UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Egypt, and beyond.
The promise isn’t just new sales, it’s relevance in a reinventing marketplace.
Dubai is not a pop-up. It is a foundation for future growth. And expansion isn’t just about geography, it’s a test of leadership. Leaders who can thread cultural nuance into product, marketing, experience, and talent strategies will own the narrative.
The Virtua Dubai office, opened in 2024, is our answer to this shift. We help brands hire the leadership needed to thrive here, from retail expansion directors and regional commercial leads to localisation experts who speak both Arabic and global brand. Dubai isn’t just an address, it’s a briefing ground for the next generation of global brand leaders.
Ready to build your brand’s Dubai story? Let’s design the team that takes you there.
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