DP
World unveiled plans for Bharat Mart, a Dubai marketplace set to open in 2026
that will offer a world-class trading platform for Indian manufacturers and
exporters to access global markets.
DP World chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed bin
Sulayem said, “By laying the foundations
for Bharat Mart, we are paving the way for stronger trade ties between the UAE
and India. Our nations have set themselves the target of reaching $100
billion in non-oil bilateral trade by 2030, and Bharat Mart will support this
goal, creating more opportunities for Indian manufacturers and contributing to
government initiatives like Make in India and D33. With our world-class
infrastructure, logistics capabilities and business-friendly ecosystem in
Jafza, Bharat Mart will be the ideal gateway for Indian goods to efficiently
reach the UAE and other high-growth markets in the Middle East, Europe and
Africa.”
Abdulla Bin Damithan, CEO and managing director,
DP World GCC, said: “India is among the
UAE’s top five trade partners, a relationship that has been significantly
accelerated by a post-pandemic economic surge. This has created a dynamic
trade landscape, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to fostering
continued growth. Bharat Mart is designed to complement Jafza’s existing
offerings, providing Indian SMEs with a seamless platform to export their cargo
to new markets and strengthening our position as a key trade gate-way between
the two nations.”
Spanning an area of 2.7 million square feet,
with the first phase encompassing 1.3 million square feet, Bharat Mart is
poised to become a mega distribution hub for Indian businesses to trade
domestically in the UAE and re-export to regional and global markets. The
market will be situated in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) and will be part of
a wider ecosystem of trade that DP World is developing through the Dubai
Traders Market, a hybrid retail and wholesale marketplace that will host
traders from around the world.
Bharat
Mart is planned to house 1,500 showrooms catering to retail and wholesale customers, and over 700,000 square
feet of Grade A warehousing space, providing tenants with combined free zone
and onshore benefits. The facility will also offer light industrial units,
office spaces and meeting facilities.
Bharat
Mart will be conveniently located 11km from Jebel Ali Port, the largest seaport in the Middle East, and
15km from Al Maktoum International Airport, providing seamless multi-modal
logistics solutions for Indian exporters. Though the Jebel Ali ecosystem,
traders will
have direct connectivity to more than 150 maritime destinations and air links
to over 300 cities.
Dubai plays a
significant role in the trade relationship between the UAE and India, with 87% or $44.9 billion of the total non-oil trade value of $51.4
billion flowing through the Emirate in 2022. Close to 1,500 Indian businesses
have made Jafza their home in the UAE, trading more than five million metric
tonnes of cargo valued at $8.6 billion.