What to expect from the first Abu Dhabi Shopping Season

Abu Dhabi Shopping Season kicks off today, with eight weeks of sales and promotions in the UAE capital.

The promotion has been announced by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, and is set to run until Sunday, February 14. This year marks the first Abu Dhabi Shopping Season.

As part of the campaign, there will be reductions of up to 80 per cent in malls across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra.

DCT has confirmed that more than 3,500 retailers will be taking part in the season, with more than 20 malls offering promotions.

What to expect from ADSS: prizes, deals and rewards

Shoppers will find a hi-tech festive Wishing Tree at Yas Mall until Thursday, December 31, offering a range of prizes to be won every day. It will also display the wishes of shoppers on its LED screen displays.

There is also to be a Shop & Win promotion with Visa, with cardholders that spend Dh200 or more in participating outlets automatically entered into a draw for a chance to win a Mercedes-Benz GLC200 Premium.

ADSS will also feature the launch of Retail Abu Dhabi One, a membership and rewards programme.

The Abu Dhabi Shopping Season was first announced on Monday, November 30.

“Arriving on the back of a summer retail campaign that leveraged successful public-private partnerships to generate record sales and growth of 31 per cent versus last year, our brand new Abu Dhabi Shopping Season is poised to further boost the emirate’s diverse retail sector as we ready to re-welcome visitors from our largest international source markets this winter,” said Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, executive director of DCT Abu Dhabi.

The dates of the Abu Dhabi Shopping Season cross over with Dubai Shopping Festival, which runs from Thursday, December 17, until Saturday, January 30. It is now in its 26th year.