Dubai developer Emaar’s property sales surge as market recovers

Emaar Properties said sales surged to a record in the second quarter, helped by a recovery in Dubai’s real estate market and strength in its malls and hospitality businesses.

Property sales surged to Dhs9.73bn ($2.65bn) in the quarter, growing seven times over the year-ago period, the developer said.

Revenue rose to Dhs6.51bn from Dhs2.89bn, while profit fell 17 per cent to Dhs903m as a one-off gain wasn’t repeated.

“There is a broader recovery that’s taking place and we see improvement across the board,” said Yawar Saeed, an analyst at International Securities. However, he cautioned the rising cost of construction “could eat into some of the margins.”

Housing is riding an extended boom in markets around the world, with valuations soaring at the fastest pace since 2006, according to Knight Frank, and annual price increases in double digits. Earlier this year, HSBC Holdings said a growing demand for larger homes during the pandemic would further boost Dubai’s property market, echoing analysts at Morgan Stanley who expect the rally to last for “several years.”

Emaar was also helped by strong growth at its malls business, where revenue surged 74 per cent. Emaar Malls said it had continued to see a steady recovery from the impact of pandemic and that retail sales for tenants had “significantly” recovered in the second quarter.

Factors including the return of tourists, the ongoing vaccination roll-out, the forthcoming Expo 2020 event will help drive further recovery, CI Capital analysts Sara Boutros and Marlene Milad said.

Read: Dubai’s Emaar Malls reports profits of Dhs622m in H1 2021, up 80%