10 September 2026
Palm Jebel Ali will get its first retail and lifestyle destination in 2027. On Thursday 10 September 2026 Dubai Retail, the group of malls and retail destinations under Dubai Holding Asset Management, announced The Yard: a waterfront centre with about 70,000 square feet of gross leasable area and 26 concepts across retail, dining, wellness and healthcare, expected to serve around 20,000 residents of Palm Jebel Ali and the surrounding communities. Waitrose, American Hospital, Piccoli, Jumeirah International Nursery, Bateel Café and Friends Avenue are the first confirmed brands, McLaren Construction L.L.C. is the main contractor, and the addition expands Dubai Retail’s portfolio to 57 malls and lifestyle destinations across Dubai.
What Dubai Retail announced on 10 September
The announcement came from Dubai Retail and was reported the same day by Gulf News and by What’s On, which attributed the figures to the Dubai Media Office. The confirmed facts fit into one table:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Project | The Yard, the first retail and lifestyle destination on Palm Jebel Ali |
| Operator | Dubai Retail, part of Dubai Holding Asset Management |
| Size | About 70,000 square feet of gross leasable area, roughly 6,500 square metres (our conversion) |
| Concepts | 26, across retail, dining, wellness and healthcare |
| Catchment | Around 20,000 residents of Palm Jebel Ali and surrounding communities |
| First confirmed brands | Waitrose, American Hospital, Piccoli, Jumeirah International Nursery, Bateel Café, Friends Avenue |
| Main contractor | McLaren Construction L.L.C. |
| Opening | 2027, month not announced |
| Dubai Retail portfolio after the addition | 57 malls and lifestyle destinations across Dubai |
Dubai Retail says The Yard will cater to the future needs of Palm Jebel Ali residents and support the community’s everyday needs by bringing essential services, dining, wellness and social experiences together in one location. The company presents the project as part of its expansion into key growth corridors across the emirate.
What will be inside and what is still unknown
Six of the 26 concepts have been named. Waitrose brings a supermarket, American Hospital represents healthcare, Jumeirah International Nursery adds childcare, and Bateel Café, Piccoli and Friends Avenue complete the first list. Gulf News describes the mix as covering everyday needs alongside dining, healthcare, education and social spaces within the community.
The design follows the location. According to the release, The Yard will have open terraces and communal spaces where residents and visitors can gather, dine and spend time by the water, with direct links to a waterfront promenade and nearby open spaces.
Several points were not part of the announcement and should not be assumed:
- the investment value of the project and the value of the construction contract;
- the opening month in 2027 and the exact position of the site on the island;
- the remaining 20 concepts beyond the six named brands;
- rents, unit sizes or a leasing process for other operators.
Palm Jebel Ali in numbers
The Yard is being built for a community that is still taking shape. The current master plan for Palm Jebel Ali was approved by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on 31 May 2023. The Dubai Media Office release published that day set out the main parameters:
- an area of 13.4 square kilometres, twice the size of Palm Jumeirah;
- approximately 110 kilometres of new coastline for Dubai;
- beachside homes for approximately 35,000 families;
- over 80 hotels and resorts, with entertainment and leisure facilities;
- a place in the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan and a new growth corridor in the Jebel Ali area;
- Nakheel as the master developer.
Nakheel was integrated into Dubai Holding in 2024, according to Dubai Holding, so the master developer of the island and the operator of The Yard both sit within the same group. The island already features in top end deals: Bayut’s first half 2026 data, covered in our article on luxury homebuyers moving towards waterfront and ready homes, included a property on Palm Jebel Ali sold for AED 34 million.
Where The Yard fits in the Dubai Retail portfolio
Dubai Retail is a young brand. Dubai Holding Asset Management introduced it on 4 September 2025 as the unified name for more than 40 malls and lifestyle destinations, following the integration of Nakheel and Meydan into Dubai Holding in 2024. Comparing the figures published at the launch with those released for The Yard:
| Measure | 4 September 2025, brand launch | 10 September 2026, The Yard |
|---|---|---|
| Destinations | 10 malls, 15 lifestyle destinations and 18 retail centres, 43 in total (our count) | 57 malls and lifestyle destinations, no breakdown published |
| Retailers | Over 6,500 | No updated figure |
| Gross leasable area | More than 13 million square feet | No updated figure; The Yard adds about 70,000 square feet |
| Growth projects named | Nad Al Sheba Mall launched; Al Khail Avenue in development, adding 1.2 million square feet | The Yard on Palm Jebel Ali, opening in 2027 |
The scale helps to read the news correctly. The 70,000 square feet of The Yard equal about 0.5% of the gross leasable area Dubai Retail reported a year ago and less than 6% of the space planned for Al Khail Avenue (our arithmetic). It is a neighbourhood centre for an island community rather than a regional mall. Dubai Retail has not explained how its count moved from 43 destinations at the launch to 57 with The Yard, so this article does not attribute the difference to specific openings.
The same two brands in another new community
The tenant mix repeats a pattern seen in Dubai a few weeks earlier. In August we covered The Grand in Nad Al Sheba Gardens, a community centre by Shamal Holding that opened its first phase on 19 August 2026 with a Waitrose supermarket, scheduled an American Hospital clinic for early 2027 and was fully leased before its doors opened. The Yard comes from a different owner, yet it names the same two brands among its first confirmed tenants.
Large mall landlords are reporting firm demand for space as well. Majid Al Futtaim’s first half 2026 results showed shopping mall revenue up 12% on strong leasing and tenant performance, and the group reported mall occupancy above 98% at the end of 2025. Those figures belong to a different group and a larger mall format, and they say nothing about leasing at The Yard itself.
What this means for companies in Dubai
The practical reading is narrow. The Yard is a construction project with an opening in 2027. It does not change a licence, a visa rule, a fee or a tax position, and Dubai Retail has not opened a leasing process, published rents or named the other 20 concepts.
For businesses that serve residents directly, such as cafés, clinics, nurseries, fitness studios and household services, the announcement shows where new community retail space is being built. Trading from a unit in a Dubai community centre generally requires a mainland company licensed by the Department of Economy and Tourism, plus additional approvals where the activity is regulated, for example food, healthcare or childcare. At The Grand every unit was contracted before opening, so in that project the leasing window was the construction period; whether The Yard follows the same path has not been disclosed.
For founders and employees relocating with families, the announcement adds a date to the amenities picture on Palm Jebel Ali: a supermarket, a healthcare provider and a nursery are among the first confirmed names, with the opening planned for 2027.
How Atlant Capital can help
We work with the parts of a UAE entry that are actionable today. That means company registration on the mainland and in the free zones, including choosing the licence and jurisdiction that match how the business will actually trade, corporate and personal bank account opening with a properly assembled KYC and source of funds package, and residency and work visas for founders, families and staff. Accounting, audit, VAT and corporate tax filing are handled by licensed accounting firms from our partner network rather than in house. We do not promise approvals, rates or timelines that a regulator or a bank has not given in writing.
FAQ
What is The Yard on Palm Jebel Ali and when will it open?
The Yard is the first retail and lifestyle destination on Palm Jebel Ali in Dubai, announced by Dubai Retail on 10 September 2026. It will have about 70,000 square feet of gross leasable area with 26 concepts across retail, dining, wellness and healthcare, and is expected to serve around 20,000 residents. The opening is scheduled for 2027; the month has not been announced.
Which brands are confirmed at The Yard?
The first confirmed brands are Waitrose, American Hospital, Piccoli, Jumeirah International Nursery, Bateel Café and Friends Avenue, six of the 26 planned concepts. Dubai Retail says the destination will bring essential services, dining, wellness and social experiences together in one location for the everyday needs of the community.
Who is developing and building The Yard?
The Yard is a Dubai Retail project. Dubai Retail is the group of malls and retail destinations under Dubai Holding Asset Management, and with The Yard its portfolio reaches 57 malls and lifestyle destinations across Dubai. McLaren Construction L.L.C. is the main contractor. The investment value has not been disclosed.
How big is Palm Jebel Ali?
Under the master plan approved on 31 May 2023, Palm Jebel Ali covers 13.4 square kilometres, twice the size of Palm Jumeirah, adds approximately 110 kilometres of coastline to Dubai and is planned for approximately 35,000 families and over 80 hotels and resorts. The master developer is Nakheel, which was integrated into Dubai Holding in 2024.
Does The Yard change anything for businesses in Dubai?
Not directly. The announcement does not change licensing, visa, fee or tax rules, and no leasing process or rents have been published. The concrete information is the opening year 2027, about 70,000 square feet of gross leasable area, 26 planned concepts and six named brands. A business that wants to trade from a community retail unit in Dubai generally needs a mainland licence from the Department of Economy and Tourism.
