New Dubai Malls Opening in 2026: From a community mall already open in Nad Al Sheba to five more confirmed for the rest of the year — everything verified and in one place.
2026 is shaping up to be one of the busiest years for new retail openings in Dubai in recent memory. Not because of one mega-mall, but because a cluster of community-focused developments that have been under construction for years are finally ready to open. These aren’t the next Dubai Mall or Mall of the Emirates — they’re neighbourhood destinations built around the residential communities that have grown up around them, with a different feel from the traditional anchor-store-and-food-court formula
Six new retail destinations are scheduled to open before the end of 2026, with the first already welcoming visitors in August. Below is everything confirmed so far: locations, confirmed tenants, opening timelines and what makes each one worth paying attention to. Projects announced for 2027 and beyond are listed separately at the end.
At a glance: New Dubai Malls Opening in 2026
Dubai’s retail scene is expanding fast, with several new malls and community shopping destinations scheduled to open across the city in 2026.
- The Grand, Nad Al Sheba — OPEN from August 19, 2026
- First Avenue Mall, Jumeirah — September 2026 (tentative)
- Le Meryeme Mall – The Villa, Wadi Al Safa 5 — Q3 2026
- Le Meryeme Mall – Liwan, Wadi Al Safa 2 — Second half 2026
- Sobha Mall, Sobha Hartland — Second half 2026
- South Bay Mall, Dubai South — Date TBC, expected 2026
Open Now
The Grand — Nad Al Sheba
Nad Al Sheba Gardens · OPEN — August 19, 2026 · Two storeys, community mall
The Grand is the first new mall to open in Dubai in 2026, and it’s worth knowing about if you live anywhere between Meydan and Nad Al Sheba — an area that has seen significant residential growth over the past four years without a proper retail anchor to match.
The mall opened in phases starting August 19, with the first Waitrose & Partners in the neighbourhood as its grocery anchor alongside MMI (wines and spirits), Heart Cottage Lane, Maple Bear Nursery, Al Jaber Optical and Fixperts. From September, a second wave of tenants joined: Tashas, Somewhere Home Bakery, Kokoro, Blu Pizzeria, Bake My Day, Daima, Staywell Pharmacy and Tips and Toes. Fitcode and an American Hospital clinic are confirmed for early 2027.
The selection reads like a careful study of what this specific neighbourhood actually wants — cult café chains, a serious pharmacy, a bakery with a following, and a clinic. Whether the full lease-up turns The Grand into a destination beyond the surrounding residential community remains to be seen, but the initial line-up is strong for a two-storey community mall.
Location: Nad Al Sheba Gardens, between Al Ain Road and Meydan. Access from the D69 (Meydan Road).
Related : Off-Plan vs Ready Property in Dubai: Which Is Better?
Opening Later in 2026
First Avenue Mall — Jumeirah
Jumeirah Road, near Jumeirah Fishing Harbour and Mercato Beach · September 2026 (tentative)
Don’t confuse this with First Avenue Mall in Motor City, which has been open for years. This is a separate project on Jumeirah Road, near the Jumeirah Fishing Harbour and walking distance from Mercato Beach, and it’s primarily a food and lifestyle destination rather than a traditional retail mall.
The confirmed tenant list reads like a best-of from Dubai’s recent F&B openings: Jon & Vinny’s (the Los Angeles Italian that has become one of Dubai’s hardest reservations), Watch House (the British specialty coffee chain that made its UAE debut here), Go Greek, Soraya, Jona’s Burger, Nala, Rosti, Backyard, Tora Tora and Mareel. The permanent home for Lost in Tokyo — until now a popular pop-up at Marsa Boulevard — is also confirmed.
The Jumeirah Road location puts it in a neighbourhood where the dining scene has been relatively thin compared to its residential density. If the opening happens close to the September window, it will arrive just as the outdoor season picks up — a good window for a restaurant-heavy destination.
Le Meryeme Mall — The Villa
Wadi Al Safa 5, near The Villa community · Q3 2026 · 124,000 sq ft
Le Meryeme Mall at The Villa has been under construction for over a year and is scheduled to open in Q3 2026 — meaning it should arrive in the next few weeks from the time of writing. The 124,000-square-foot development from KeyMavens Group is designed specifically around the established residential community of The Villa and the broader Wadi Al Safa cluster.
The architecture takes a Spanish-inspired approach — natural light, open indoor-outdoor flow, landscaped zones — which is a departure from the sealed, uniform interiors of most Dubai malls. The tenant mix covers premium and casual retail, dining, a state-of-the-art gym and a rooftop pool. The rooftop pool in particular gives it more of a resort-leisure feel than a shopping centre, which is clearly the positioning KeyMavens is going for.
For residents of The Villa community who’ve been driving to Cityland or Arabian Ranches for anything beyond basics, this fills a long-standing gap. Whether it draws visitors from further afield will depend on the final dining line-up, which has not yet been confirmed in full.
Le Meryeme Mall — Liwan
Wadi Al Safa 2, Liwan residential area · Second half 2026 · 113,674 sq ft
The sister project to The Villa mall, also by KeyMavens Group and sharing the same Spanish-inspired design language, this development sits in Wadi Al Safa 2 — the Liwan area east of the city that has been building out steadily over the past five years. At around 113,674 square feet, it’s slightly smaller than The Villa version.
Planned features include luxury retail, restaurants, cafés, landscaped outdoor areas and a swimming pool. The design emphasis on greenery and open space is notable given the industrial and residential density of the surrounding area. Liwan has lacked a genuine retail destination of this quality for years — the closest options have been the older community strips in Al Warqa or a drive to Dragon Mart.
No specific tenant names have been confirmed publicly for this location. If the design quality and management match what KeyMavens has described for The Villa project, it has the potential to become the best-equipped retail and leisure option on that stretch of the city.
Sobha Mall — Sobha Hartland
Sobha Hartland, Mohammed Bin Rashid City · Second half 2026 · AED 210 million, 339,000 sq ft
Sobha Realty is not historically a retail developer — its portfolio is almost entirely luxury residential. Sobha Mall, a AED 210 million project at Sobha Hartland, is the developer’s first step into the retail sector, and the scale of the investment suggests this is a genuine long-term commitment rather than a convenience amenity for existing residents.
The 339,000-square-foot footprint is the largest of the 2026 community mall openings by a significant margin. Plans include more than 35 retail and F&B outlets, over 10 sit-down dining options, a full supermarket, gym, indoor play courts and a family entertainment zone. The positioning is similar to The Grand — a community anchor rather than a regional destination — but at considerably larger scale, serving not just Sobha Hartland but the broader Ras Al Khor and Mohammed Bin Rashid City catchment.
Specific tenant names have not yet been announced, though the developer has signalled a focus on curated food and beverage over mass-market retail. Worth watching as the opening date approaches.
South Bay Mall — Dubai South
Dubai South Residential District, near Al Maktoum Airport · Date TBC — expected 2026 · 200,000 sq ft, three levels
South Bay Mall is the most ambitious of the 2026 community openings in terms of ambition per square foot. The 200,000-square-foot development spans three levels with panoramic lagoon views and open-air walkways on its upper levels — a physical layout that’s designed to feel more like a Mediterranean marina than a standard mall.
The announced programme includes 60 retail units, two major anchor stores, a premium food hall, outdoor leisure areas, a clubhouse, gym, spa and a medical clinic. The lagoon-facing terraces and rooftop-level walkways are the distinctive design move — if executed as rendered, it would be one of the most atmospheric retail environments in the emirate.
The location in Dubai South serves a growing residential district that is still some distance from central Dubai in practical terms. The area’s pull is improving as Expo City Dubai matures and Al Maktoum International Airport’s expansion continues, but at launch, South Bay Mall will primarily serve Dubai South residents rather than drawing visitors from elsewhere in the city.
Major Expansions Underway at Existing Malls
Dubai Mall
The world’s most visited mall is getting bigger. A AED 1.5 billion expansion is adding 240 new luxury retail and dining outlets across a new zone. The District has recently opened as the first part of the expansion. The full scope of new tenants is being revealed in phases — 35 confirmed additions across shops, restaurants and upgrades have been announced so far. The expansion is being delivered over multiple phases with no single announced completion date.
Mall of the Emirates
A AED 5 billion makeover is the most significant renovation of an existing Dubai mall in years. The plans include 100 new stores and, most notably, the mall’s first outdoor food and drinks courtyard — a covered, greenery-lined garden space designed to open in the cooler months from early 2027. For a mall famous for Ski Dubai and enclosed luxury retail, adding a genuine outdoor element is a meaningful shift in positioning. The renovation is ongoing through 2026 and into 2027.
On the Radar: Projects Opening After 2026
| Project | Location | Scale | Expected opening |
| Dubai Square | Dubai Creek Harbour | 2.6 million sq m — three times the size of Downtown Dubai; electric cars drive through it | 2028 |
| Ghaf Woods Mall | Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road area | Forest-integrated retail within a AED 15.4 billion residential development with 35,000 trees | No confirmed date |
| HAYAT Community Mall | Near Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai South | Part of a AED 2 billion wellness-focused residential community with lagoons and 2,500 units | 2028 (construction begins Q2 2026) |
| MAF Mall near DWC | Dubai South, Al Maktoum Airport area | Anchor retail for a new AED 62 billion mixed-use community by Majid Al Futtaim | No confirmed date |
Dubai Square deserves a note of its own. Originally announced in 2018, revised in 2024 and now confirmed for 2028, it will be an indoor city in the literal sense — large enough for electric vehicles to navigate internally, connected to the Dubai Creek Tower, and covering 2.6 million square metres.
For context, that’s three times the built footprint of Downtown Dubai. Whether it becomes one of the genuine wonders of retail architecture or another ambitious project that lands with less impact than its renders suggest depends entirely on execution. But the scale alone puts it in a category of its own.
What This Year’s Openings Tell You
The pattern across 2026’s new malls is consistent: smaller-scale, community-led, designed around residential catchments rather than tourist draw, and leaning into lifestyle and F&B over fashion retail. Every project in the pipeline is positioned as a neighbourhood hub with a rooftop pool or lagoon views or outdoor garden dining, not a cathedral of luxury retail.
That shift reflects two things happening simultaneously in Dubai. First, the residential expansion into areas that were construction sites five years ago has produced a population that needs local retail infrastructure.
Second, the post-pandemic evolution of mall culture globally — where people want an experience rather than just a transaction — has reached Dubai’s new developments even before they open. The Grand’s mix of Tashas and Blu Pizzeria, First Avenue’s Jon & Vinny’s and Watch House, South Bay’s lagoon terraces — these are designed for the resident who wants somewhere to spend a weekend morning, not just somewhere to buy things.
