A remote-controlled helicopter is the number one toy at Carrefour and The Toy Store in the Mall of the Emirates, as well as at Hamleys in Dubai Mall.
“The MJX remote control helicopter has been on sale for the past month so we have not been able to keep enough on the shop floor,” said a Carrefour salesman.
“It is on offer for Dh125, on December 25, we will be selling it for Dh399. The play kitchen for girls and the toy ovens have also been very popular. Neither is very expensive, both being under Dh100.”
Hamleys cites the Vectron Air Wave and the Air Hogs Zero Gravity among its top Dubai sellers, again, both remote controlled flying machines, and selling for about Dh120.
The Toy Store said robust technology and lighter materials had created a boon for airborne toys.
The Barbie doll, launched in 1959, is still the most popular toy in the store for girls. Also proving that a classic takes some beating, Lego, launched in 1949 and today the world’s most valuable toy company worth US$15 billion, is a hot seller at The Toy Stores for both boys and girls.
“We have about 20 differing versions of Lego,” said a Toy Store representative. “Lego now has Harry Potter and Star Wars characters involved, it has evolved from your own imagination to story telling with characters you know, while challenging you to create.”
The Christmas battle of the gaming consoles between the newly released Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One looks to have been an even contest.
“Both consoles match each other for functionality and features,” said Virgin Megastore. “You can play, pretty much, the same games, online with a Blu-ray experience. Xbox One offers a motion sensor that the PS4 lacks. But from a popularity and sales point of view it is Sony that has been the hotter seller, some of the smaller stores, like Geekay, have sold out but they still have the Xbox.”
The festive retail period caps a year in which consumer credit has ballooned and malls have reported record numbers of visitors.
The Dubai Mall, owned by Emaar Properties, has attracted more than 6 million shoppers a month this year. Visitor numbers to the world’s largest shopping centre by area rose about 24 per cent from last year.
Consumer lending has risen every month since January through September, according to data from the UAE Central Bank.
ascott@thenational.ae
