The Nielsen Global Luxury Brands Survey, released at the Leaders of Luxury Summit on Tuesday, also identified a gap in the market where UAE consumers wanted fashion branded mobiles, laptops and MP3 players.

UAE also topped global rankings in believing that designer brands are of significantly higher quality than standard products (43 per cent). Three in five (59 per cent) of UAE consumers said they wear designer brands to project social status.

“The rapid economic growth and new wealth of this country is best demonstrated by consumers’ insatiable appetite for luxury designer brands,” said Piyush Mathur, regional managing director of the UAE, North Africa and Pakistan for the Nielsen Company.

“Our national obsession with luxury brands has propelled Dubai into a leading international shopping and luxury tourism destination.” UAE shoppers ranked second globally as the biggest fans and purchasers of Gucci (31 per cent) and Chanel (21 per cent), and third for Giorgio Armani (19 per cent).

“Unlike most countries, where people chose two or three luxury brands as their clear favourites, UAE consumers stood out for their purchasing habits of several high-end fashion brands,” noted Mathur.

In the survey, 57 per cent of UAE consumers said they would buy luxury branded mobile phones (compared to a global average of 34 per cent) and 46 per cent would buy fashion-branded laptops (global average of 29 per cent).

zoe@khaleejtimes.com