It felt like every parent in Dubai descended on Mall of the Emirates at the weekend for the opening of what’s being called the world’s first supermarket designed just for children.
Bright Bites is tucked away at the back of Carrefour and offers a “gamified grocery experience” for kids aged four to 11. There is also an “academy” – a multipurpose community hub that hosts workshops and cooking classes for children, parents, caregivers and teachers.
I was among the families there on Sunday, with my five-year-old and two-year-old in tow. They always make a beeline for the toy supermarkets in soft play centres, so I figured this would be right up their alley.
We aimed for opening time, having heard that it was heaving on Saturday afternoon. When we arrived, it was quiet, so there was plenty of space for the two of them to explore and I could let my toddler loose with a trolley.
The experience invites children to “Pick Your Five” from five stations, each based on a food group. Kids push mini trolleys through the store, collecting a “lunch box” (basically a colourful box – think Happy Meal vibes) and filling it with: fruit and vegetables (Rainbow Fillers), a main (Tummy Fillers), dairy (Dairy Drop – including plant-based options), drinks (Sips & Slurps) and a treat (Mindful Munching). The idea is to teach kids about nutrition and help them make their own healthier choices.
It starts at a weigh-your-own produce station where children find their item on the touchscreen, and then print price stickers to apply by themselves (a big hit). The rest is laid out across shelves and fridges – a mix of standard UAE supermarket brands and Bright Bites-branded goods, from frozen dinners to the perfect lunch box snacks. There is also merchandise and toys that more generous parents than I might want to buy.
We dove straight in, completely missing the floor signage meant to guide us around the five stations. My two zoomed around, grabbing whatever caught their eye. My daughter made friends with another little shopper, who showed us the correct route, and we eventually found the lunch boxes, loaded them up – then gave them back. They were too bulky, so we swapped to bags instead.
While the children were piling up more snacks with their new buddy, I headed to the deli counter for an iced latte and two smoothies. Dh45 for all three – not bad by Dubai standards.
Once the kids were done, we headed to the self checkout, where my daughter enjoyed scanning the items and popping them into our paper bags. We ended up with 18 products, which came up to Dh220. I was pleasantly surprised, as I’d expected it to be pricier.
As we left, my daughter asked: “Are we coming back next week?” Her verdict? “It was brilliant!” she said, beaming.
Are we going back next week? No. It’s not a weekly shop kind of place for me, particularly given the amount of packaging we ended up with. I also think if we went too often, the novelty would wear off. But will we return? Definitely.
