The group also confirmed the closure of its Ansar Gallery branches in Karama and Deira, with new stores planned in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
For residents commuting daily between Dubai and Sharjah, the blue signage of Ansar Mall, located along Ittihad Road on the edge of the two emirates, had become a familiar landmark. After 23 years, however, the shopping destination is set to close.
Speaking to, Hassan Sha, Marketing Manager at Ansar Mall, confirmed the closure of the Sharjah mall, as well as the Ansar Gallery outlets in Karama and Deira.
“We are strategically relocating our operations to other prime and high-potential locations across the UAE,” Sha said.
No closing date has been announced for the three branches yet. However, notices have been put up at the outlets informing shoppers about the upcoming closures.
“Details of our new branch locations and opening dates will be shared soon,” the notice stated.
The group is planning to relocate its operations to several high-potential locations across the UAE, including Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Barsha, as well as sites in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.
“This shift will allow us to maintain a strong presence in strategically important areas with better accessibility, visibility and business potential,” Sha told.
23 years of memories
Opened in 2003, Sharjah’s Ansar Mall was the group’s first project in the UAE. The business originally began in Qatar before expanding into the UAE. Following the success of its Sharjah outlet, Ansar Gallery opened in Deira’s Muraqqabat area in 2012, followed by a Karama branch in 2013.
The stores became popular for their affordable range of products, from groceries and pharmaceuticals to electronics, clothing, furniture and other lifestyle essentials. For many residents, the outlets also became familiar landmarks in their neighbourhoods.
The group currently operates A&H Home, a furniture store at Sharjah’s City Centre Al Zahia, and plans to relocate the business to Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.
Residents heartbroken over closures
Spread across 320,000 square feet, Sharjah’s Ansar Mall was more than a shopping destination for many residents. For expatriates who built their lives in the emirate during the early 2000s, its food court and play zone became part of cherished childhood memories.
Priya M., an Indian expatriate, told that the mall held a special place in her family’s life.
“When I heard that it was closing, I couldn’t quite believe the news. After Safeer Mall’s closure, which was hard enough, it feels like another gem from the Sharjah skyline is leaving,” she said. “The mall is not just a store of items, it stores our memories.”
She recalled spending her childhood at the mall, shopping with family, eating together and playing in the Fun Zone.
Videos shared on social media also showed crowds flocking to all three outlets for clearance sales. One shopper said they had never seen the locations so busy, describing long checkout queues and a lack of shopping carts and baskets.
A family bonding experience
For residents who later moved to Dubai but began their lives in Sharjah, Ansar Mall remains closely associated with family time.
Abubakr Siddiq, a 26-year-old Indian expatriate working as a luxury property adviser in Dubai, was born in Sharjah after his family moved to the emirate in 1995.
Trips to Ansar Mall became a monthly family routine, whether for grocery shopping, picking up essentials or visiting Al Ansari Exchange on the ground floor.
“We ended up visiting the mall pretty often and it became a familiar part of our everyday life,” Siddiq said. He recalled family and friends visiting the mall from its early days in 2003 and 2004 through to the present.
“Seeing that it will close and relocate to Abu Dhabi made us really sad because of all the memories we have attached to that place,” he added.
Long-time Karama resident Maria F., an Indian expatriate who was born and raised in the area, also remembers Ansar Gallery as her mother’s go-to destination for everyday essentials.
“My mother and aunts were so sad after hearing about the gallery’s closure. They went shopping there the entire day of last week because everything was on sale,” she said.
First carpet showroom in Abu Dhabi
The Ansar Group has confirmed that it will soon open a new carpet showroom in Abu Dhabi’s Al Shamkha area, Ansar Gallery Carpet.
The showroom will offer ready-made and custom-made carpets sourced from countries including Turkey, Italy, Belgium, China, India and Pakistan. It will mark the group’s first dedicated carpet showroom.
Customers will be able to choose from modern, classic, silk, traditional, luxury and handmade carpets, spanning contemporary designs and pieces inspired by traditional craftsmanship.
Established in 1987, the Ansar Group operates retail malls and has a portfolio of residential and commercial real estate developments across Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain and Oman.
