Thirty eight openings at Ibn Battuta Mall. I like a mall that gives people a new reason to visit!

The tenant list is the easy part though. Keeping those stores trading is harder.

Dubai Retail says 21 businesses are already open and 17 more are due by the end of 2027. It is an ambitious number. I also know from running a 14,500 sqm store that traffic is one of the least useful words in a conversation until you get specific. Which door did they use? Where did they stop? Did they even reach the department? Did they buy anything? We would count visits one way, but the shop floor knew if people were finding us.

Mall traffic is good, obviously. Nobody is turning it away. But it can be a vanity number if it is not followed by conversion and sales. You can have a full mall and quiet stores. You can have a great opening weekend and a slow Wednesday. These things can all be true at once.

The question I would ask before taking a unit is not just "how many people pass through?" It is who visits, when they come, what they are looking for, and how easy it is to find your shop from the entrance. I would also want to see what has changed in the new offer for repeat customers. If the mix is better, show me the demand. If your retail partner cannot give you that, how are you supposed to plan stock and labour?

I hope the Ibn Battuta expansion works. More choices for shoppers is good. But "38 new openings" is still the announcement. Show us where those shops are trading six months from now.

What do you ask a landlord when you are considering a new location: footfall, tenant sales, or rent?

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