Sales values in Dubai’s retail real estate market surged 171% year-on-year to AED2.1 billion in Q1 2026, with off-plan transaction values up 225%, says leading real estate advisory group and property consultancy, Cavendish Maxwell. Around 485 retail sales transactions were secured in Q1, up nearly 52% on the same period last year, with investors paying an average AED4.3 million for their property – a price rise of nearly 80% year-on-year. Off-plan retail sales generated AED1.3 billion – over 60% of total sales values – from January to March, as the number of transactions rose 75% to 254, according to Cavendish Maxwell’s latest analysis of Dubai’s retail and warehousing sectors.