Fans flock to Yas Mall as UAE's first Disney Store opens in Abu Dhabi


Evelyn Lau
  • English
  • Arabic

Disney fans of all ages headed to Yas Mall on Wednesday night as the UAE’s first standalone Disney Store opened in Abu Dhabi.

Shoppers at the opening took photos with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, while an orchestra played Disney classics for those waiting in line.

The store is stocked full of toys, mugs, collectibles and other Disney products depicting Marvel superheroes and characters from films such as Toy Story, Lilo & Stitch and Frozen. For children who like dressing up as their favourite characters, there are princess dresses and superhero outfits on sale.

The store has “story arc” corners with interactive displays linked to Disney productions, such as a dressing room featuring Cinderella and a front porch featuring Donald Duck and his family. There are also spots to take photos with murals and 3D sculptures of characters including Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh.

The UAE’s second Disney Store will open at Dubai Mall on Friday, next to the Dubai Aquarium. The region’s first Disney Store opened in Kuwait in November 2022.

In July 2021, the Alshaya Group introduced the region’s first Disney Store shop-in-shops, within British department store Debenhams and children's retailer Mothercare. The world's first Disney Store opened in March 1987 in Glendale, California, and the first branch outside the US opened in November 1990 in London, England.

“We are very proud to be bringing the first standalone Disney Stores to the UAE, with both Abu Dhabi and the flagship store in Dubai opening just before Eid Al Fitr,” said Alshaya Group chief executive John Hadden. “We are sure that Disney fans from across the Emirates – and visitors too – are excited to experience everything Disney has to offer, and stay tuned for some exclusive opening events during March and April.”

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THE LOWDOWN

Photograph

Rating: 4/5

Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies

Director: Ritesh Batra

Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz

The story in numbers

18

This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens

450,000

More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps

1.5 million

There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m

73

The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association

18,000

The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme

77,400

The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study

4,926

This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee

THE SPECS

Engine: 3.6-litre V6

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 285bhp

Torque: 353Nm

Price: TBA

On sale: Q2, 2020

Match info

Deccan Gladiators 87-8

Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16

Maratha Arabians 89-2

Chadwick Walton 51 not out

Arabians won the final by eight wickets

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

Challenge Cup result:

1. UAE 3 faults
2. Ireland 9 faults
3. Brazil 11 faults
4. Spain 15 faults
5. Great Britain 17 faults
6. New Zealand 20 faults
7. Italy 26 faults

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Jetour T1 specs

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Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

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Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Intercontinental Cup

Namibia v UAE Saturday Sep 16-Tuesday Sep 19

Table 1 Ireland, 89 points; 2 Afghanistan, 81; 3 Netherlands, 52; 4 Papua New Guinea, 40; 5 Hong Kong, 39; 6 Scotland, 37; 7 UAE, 27; 8 Namibia, 27

The%20specs
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World Test Championship table

1 India 71 per cent

2 New Zealand 70 per cent

3 Australia 69.2 per cent

4 England 64.1 per cent

5 Pakistan 43.3 per cent

6 West Indies 33.3 per cent

7 South Africa 30 per cent

8 Sri Lanka 16.7 per cent

9 Bangladesh 0

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto

Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus

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Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos

Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe

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Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match

Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last

Walls

Louis Tomlinson

3 out of 5 stars

(Syco Music/Arista Records)

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Updated: March 27, 2025, 12:06 PM`