Revealed: Most popular areas for new businesses in Dubai in February

Dubai - Bur Dubai area topped the list of new licenses issued with 78.

The Department of Economic Development (DED) issued 1,646 new business licences in February 2018 with Bur Dubai topping the list for new licences.
According to the Department of Economic Development (DED) statement issued on Wednesday, Bur Dubai area topped the list of new licenses issued with 785, followed by Deira (714), New Dubai (193) and Hatta (7).
The share of the top ten sub-regions, that constituted 51.7 per cent of the total transactions, is as follows: Burj Khalifa 13.8 per cent, New Dubai 8.4 per cent, Al Marar 6.3 per cent, Naif (4.3 per cent), Port Saeed 4.2 per cent, Hor Al Anz and Dubai World Trade C entre 1 (3.1 per cent each), Al Garhoud (2.4 per cent), Al Karama (2.3 per cent) and Al Khabaisi (1.9 per cent).
In February, 23,407 transactions were completed for business registration and licensing, DED said.
Of the total, 11,300 transactions were related to renewals while 2,060 Initial Approvals were given and 3,029 trade names reserved during the same period.
February 2018 also saw 1,646 transactions relating to commercial permits, 1,644 Auto Renewals, 11 Instant Licences and 67 e-Trader licences.
Majority of the transactions were related to Commercial licenses (62.3 per cent) while the Professional (36.6 per cent), Industrial (0.9 per cent) and Tourism (0.6 per cent) categories of licenses followed in that order.
The Outsourced Service Centres witnessed hectic activity, accounting for 18,977 transactions, or 79 per cent of the total, during the month.
The Business Registration and Licensing (BRL) activity in February 2018 covered all major sectors and services reflecting the overall optimism prevailing over the emirate's business competitiveness and sustainability potential.
Real estate leasing & services accounted for 26.9 per cent of the transactions, followed by Community & personal services (12.4 per cent), Construction & building (14.4 per cent), Hotels (8.1 per cent), Transport, storage & communications as well as Manufacturing (2.3 per cent each), Financial brokerage (2.5 per cent), Procurement (0.8 per cent), Agriculture (0.4 per cent), Occupational health (0.7 per cent) and Education (0.6 per cent).
Meanwhile, top nationalities that sought BRL services in February 2018 included Indians, Pakistanis, Egyptians, British, Saudis, Chinese, Jordanians, Syrians and Americans in that order.
waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com