ABU DHABI // Removals companies have had a bumper few months as hundreds make the move from Dubai to the capital.
The Box in Dubai has had its busiest month on record.
"We had an increase in the second quarter of the year in moves from Dubai to Abu Dhabi of around 20 per cent," said Lisa Jackson, sales and operations manager for the company.
"Usually for us things quiet down and are pretty slow during Ramadan, but this year it was actually the busiest month we've had."
Staff worked day and evening shifts to keep up with demand. The company had a year-on-year increase of 25 per cent in July and August, and an increase in their storage usage by 50 per cent.
"What that shows is that more people are on the move, generally. Whether that be Dubai to Abu Dhabi, or just moving within the city they are in," Ms Jackson said.
Another Dubai company, Easytruck, had marked increases as well. "We are up substantially over last year, but it is a mixture of factors for us because we've scaled up our business substantially," said Chris Humphrey, co-founder of the company.
"We have seen around a 25 per cent increase in moves from May, compared with the same time last year" said Mahreen Khan, sales manager for Easytruck.
"I would say around 60 per cent of our Dubai clients have been moving to Reem Island."
Ms Khan said the majority of people moving from Dubai to Abu Dhabi are families. Although the company could not say if the housing decree was linked to the increased number of moves, staff said the main reason for relocation was job circumstances.
