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Dubai is set to open the Middle East’s first mega marketplace in a free zone that will cater to the retail and wholesale industries.
Spanning 200,000 square metres in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafaz), Yiwu Market will feature hundreds of warehouses and showrooms, providing businesses the opportunity to access goods at “wholesale discounts” with lower supply chain costs.
The AED600 million ($163.34 million) investment is part of the Dubai Traders Market (DTM) project of DP World and China Commodity City. DTM is a retail and wholesale marketplace that will house 20,000 traders and tenants within Jafza.
The Yiwu Market will provide businesses access to two purpose-built sections. The first section will have 1,600 showrooms that will serve as a trading area or shopping mall.
The second section will feature 324 bonded warehouses, each will be equipped with a loading dock to facilitate movement of goods.
According to, Ahmad Al Haddad, Chief Operating Officer, Parks and Zones at DP World, the opening of the Yiwu Market is expected to “catalyse trade” and facilitate the seamless movement of goods and cut supply chain costs for businesses.
He noted that Jafza has already helped traders maximise opportunities by giving them access to 60 percent of the world’s GDP through air, sea and road transport.
“It has also enabled efficiency in terms of procurement, fulfilment and final sale. With DTM’s Yiwu Market, we hope to build on these strengths.”
The showrooms and warehouses in the new marketplace will be an “ideal solution for all trading needs”, according to Qiuming Zhang, General Manager, Yiwu Market, adding that companies can now benefit from storage and logistics facilities, as well as “enhanced reach to their buying audience”.
(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Daniel Luiz)
