YouGov: Dubai Mall and Al Salam Mall lead UAE and Saudi mall rankings.
YouGov's BrandIndex data puts Dubai Mall first in the UAE and Al Salam Mall first in Saudi Arabia for consideration and Buzz, according to Communicate on 5 November. The figures cover 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026.
In the UAE, 34.4% of residents said they would consider Dubai Mall for their next visit, ahead of Mall of the Emirates at 29.8% and Dubai Festival City Mall at 20.2%. Dubai Mall also leads net Buzz at 39.6, then Mall of the Emirates at 34.0 and Dubai Festival City Mall at 22.4. Majid Al Futtaim runs three of the UAE top ten: Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Deira and City Centre Mirdif. Communicate says only 2.5 points separate fourth from tenth place.
Saudi Arabia is far tighter. Al Salam Mall leads consideration at 21.9%, with Red Sea Mall at 21.7% and Mall of Arabia at 21.0%, all in Jeddah and less than a point apart. Al Mamlaka in Riyadh is fourth on consideration at 20.0% but second on net Buzz at 19.5, just behind Al Salam Mall at 19.8. Dubai Mall comes seventh among Saudi respondents at 17.6%.
YouGov defines consideration as the likelihood a resident would consider a mall for their next visit, and net Buzz as the balance of positive and negative things people heard over the previous two weeks. The samples are described as nationally representative, with more than 6,460 respondents in the UAE and 5,560 in Saudi Arabia. Only brands tracked for at least 365 days are included, and YouGov says AI tools helped with the analysis. The charts are images in the article, so we have read the numbers from the text. This is one source, a YouGov release relayed by Communicate.
For retailers and mall marketers, the Saudi spread says no single mall owns the market the way Dubai Mall does in the UAE. Buzz and consideration can diverge, as Al Mamlaka shows, so it is worth tracking both before choosing venues for activations or sponsorships. Dubai Mall's showing with Saudi shoppers is a reminder that a destination mall competes across borders.
Why it matters
Saudi mall leadership is a three-way race in Jeddah while Dubai Mall dominates the UAE, so venue choice for activations should follow the market, not the headline mall.
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