During a visit to Dragon Mart that covered retail outlets and the service centre
Abdulla Bin Damithan: We are keen to listen directly to traders and address their challenges, to provide a flexible and stimulating business environment that sustains the growth of their investments
His Excellency Abdulla Bin Damithan, Chairman of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC), has conducted an extensive tour of Dragon Mart, accompanied by Eng. Abdulla Mohammed Belhoul, CEO of the Department of Planning and Development (Trakhees), and Taleb Mohamed Al Dhanhani, Director of the Licensing and Services Department at Trakhees. During the tour on 16 September, officials reviewed business operations and commercial activity at the market and explored the growth and expansion opportunities available to investors and traders.
Dragon Mart falls within the special development zones regulated by the Department of Planning and Development (Trakhees), PCFC’s regulatory arm. Trakhees’ role there covers commercial licensing, inspection, environment, health and safety, and building permits for the businesses operating at the market.
Dragon Mart holds a prominent position as one of the largest markets specialising in Chinese products in Dubai. Across its two complexes, Dragon Mart 1 and Dragon Mart 2, it houses 3,051 retail outlets covering a wide range of sectors, including furniture and home décor, electrical appliances and electronics, fashion and textiles, and building materials, alongside food courts and service facilities. This makes it a major destination that attracts more than 22 million visitors a year from within Dubai and beyond.
The tour included visits to a number of shops, where His Excellency met the owners and spoke with them directly about current trading conditions, levels of demand and operational challenges, as well as the opportunities and advantages for expansion that Dubai offers to the businesses and companies based in the market. He affirmed that PCFC will provide the support and facilitation needed to make it easier for them to do business.
His Excellency Abdulla Bin Damithan, Chairman of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, said: “Dragon Mart reflects the depth of the trade relations and the distinguished economic partnership between Dubai and China, and is a living example of the vitality of Dubai’s re-export and retail sector. At the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, we are keen to listen directly to traders, understand their requirements and address the challenges they face, in order to provide a flexible and stimulating business environment that sustains the growth of their investments and consolidates Dubai’s position as a global trade and investment hub.”
Bin Damithan praised the quality and variety of the Chinese products on offer at the market, highlighting their importance and their pivotal role in meeting the needs of consumers in the emirate and the wider region. He expressed his pride in the high standard of commercial activity and in the efforts of traders and shop owners, which contribute effectively to strengthening Dubai’s standing as a major global destination for shopping and investment that attracts shoppers from around the world.
His Excellency also visited the Amer Services Centre, which provides services to traders and makes it easier for them to access the services of the Department of Planning and Development (Trakhees). Through the centre, traders can complete the issuance and renewal of trade licences, as well as other government services that facilitate their business and the procedures for starting commercial activities at Dragon Mart.
