13 brands that are not in Dubai yet, but should be

Dubai has some incredible brands in various places in the emirate, whether it’s home grown or global brands, with new ones being added every month. Recently some iconic London brands such as Swingers, Sexy Fish and Duck & Waffle arrived to the emirate and at What’s On, we’ve compiled a list of brands we’d like to see here in Dubai too.

Grand Prix

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is one of the most popular races on the calendar. It may just be a two-hour drive away from Dubai, but someone in the FIA needs to make Dubai Grand Prix a thing. The Dubai Autodrome was originally where the Formula 1 races were meant to take place, but a sharp U-turn brought those plans to a screeching halt. The opportunity was then instead seized by Abu Dhabi where its first Grand Prix was held in 2019. In 2025, it will mark its 17th GP, and we couldn’t be any more proud of Dubai’s sister. But… will we ever see a Formula 1 race in Dubai? Italy is home to two races on the F1 calendar; why not the UAE? We all know it would just be spectacular. C’mon FIA. It’s time to have (another) chat, please?

Aldi

That Aldi middle aisle is calling us, and we want to answer. Aldi has great pricing for food although if you go in looking for salt, no doubt you’ll come out with an electric drill, taco seasoning and some questionable dupes… and no salt.

@aldiuk

B&M

B&M is like a treasure chest. You can get nearly any item you could ever want, but it’s especially good for snack hunting, cleaning products and random home decor pieces.

@bm_stores

Disneyland

In the UAE, in particular Abu Dhabi, we’ve got some amazing theme parks such as Warner Bros World, Ferrari World, Sea World and so much more. The thing that we have decided we need in this realm is a Disneyland (or Disney World). We want to go on the cute “It’s a Small World” boat ride ASAP.

@disneyland

Greggs

Their rolls, need I say more? Greggs is a staple in the British diet and with the amount of expats in Dubai we think it should absolutely come to the emirate. There are over 2,000 of them in the UK so we’re just hoping one comes here soon…

@greggs_official

Home Bargains

Bargains for your home, it’s in the name. You can actually find some hidden gems in this store for your home, but they also randomly sell food, and clothes. Just one of stores that you can find pretty much anything, even art supplies.

@homebargains

Karachi Bakery

Karachi is a massive chain of bakeries and confectionaries in Hyderabad. It’s been running since 1953, some of their products are available in supermarkets here but their full range is huge and delicious and we want to try it.

@karachibakery

Primark

Apparently it’s already coming to the UAE but we’re (I’m) waiting patiently to be able to walk into the shop for socks and come out with 3 large bags and a significantly smaller bank account.

@primark

Superdrug

The hub of beauty is all over the UK and we’re waiting for it to arrive to Dubai. It’s a really affordable place to stock up on all things makeup, beauty and hair and it’s impossible to walk in without picking up something. They stock Elf, Revolution They also have some really affordable own-brand medicines too. Need.

@superdrug

Tesco

Specifically the famous Meal Deal. We just want to walk in every morning and grab Salt and Vinegar Snackajacks, a prawn mayo sandwich, Innocent Smoothies and pay a small amount of money for it.

@tescofood

TK Maxx

We dream of browsing through the aisles for hours, never finding the same thing twice and then impulsively adding random snacks of dried fruit or strange crisps to our as we stand in the queue. The home section is iconic too and you can pick up some incredible designers for decent prices.

@tkmaxxuk

VegNonVeg 

A sneaker and street style (but mostly sneaker) retailer stocking all the coolest new kicks, they also even have their own collection as well, but they’ve become the recent go-to for all sneaker needs.

@vegnonveg

Wetherspoon

Possibly a controversial one but the Brits love Wetherspoon and those on the What’s On team want it to come here. It’s a pub, but they also serve food too and they’re in the majority of UK airports.  Think a big greasy breakfast for 5 pounds, a sticky carpet, a huge jug of a fruity cocktail and the best fun you’ll ever have.