UAE Homegrown Brands Take Centre Stage
Majid Al Futtaim is opening up its retail and entertainment spaces to a new group of UAE-based small businesses through Ma’an by Majid Al Futtaim, a platform created to help creative SMEs get direct access to customers, visibility, and commercial opportunities.
Launched in partnership with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Dubai SME), part of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), the initiative is focused on helping local brands move beyond online sales and small-scale exposure by placing them inside some of the region’s most visited retail and leisure destinations.
The first cohort includes 27 UAE-based creative businesses that will now showcase their products and concepts across Majid Al Futtaim’s ecosystem. Participating brands will appear in spaces linked to THAT Concept Store, Crate & Barrel, VOX Cinemas, Activate, and iFly at City Centre Mirdif.
For many SMEs, one of the biggest challenges is not product development but visibility. Retail space in premium locations often comes with high costs, making it difficult for smaller brands to reach larger audiences. Ma’an is designed to address that gap by offering selected businesses complimentary access to retail environments along with media and influencer support.
The initiative also aligns with Dubai Culture and Arts Authority’s Creative Sector Resilience Portfolio, which focuses on supporting entrepreneurs, creatives, and cultural businesses across the emirate.
Khalifa Bin Braik, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Asset Management, said the programme is intended to create more opportunities for local entrepreneurs while integrating homegrown brands into everyday customer experiences across the group’s destinations.
Dubai Culture’s CEO of the Arts, Design and Literature Sector, Shaima Rashed Al Suwaidi, described the initiative as part of a broader effort to help creative businesses turn ideas into sustainable commercial ventures by giving them access to markets, audiences, and operational support.
Rather than being positioned as a short-term campaign, Ma’an is being developed as a long-term platform that will continue to expand across Majid Al Futtaim’s malls, retail spaces, and entertainment destinations in phases. More businesses are expected to join future cohorts.
The first group of participating SMEs includes businesses across food, wellness, design, coffee, art, and lifestyle sectors. Some of the selected brands include Beit Walif, Bliss Flowers, BON PROTEIN BAR, Cookie Barn, Drypt Coffee, Matcha Theory, Nomads Roastery, Oomi Coffee, Proyo, Risen Café & Artisanal Bakery, Silsal, Studio Chloro, Wellness Works UAE, Zaid Farouki, and 530 Carats.
The rollout reflects a growing push across the UAE to create stronger links between private sector platforms and local entrepreneurs, especially in creative industries where market access can often be limited despite consumer demand.
