Used furniture market to open by June

Dubai: Used is new again, thanks to a new municipal market that will start selling second-hand furniture in June.

A senior official at Dubai Municipality told Gulf News that the Used Furniture Market, located at Nad Al Sheba 3 at the end of Manama Street, was built at a cost of Dh76.8 million, and covers a total area of 310,000 square metres.

“The Investment Department carried out surveys over the last few years and found that there was a demand for used furniture and electrical appliances, due to changes in the economic ...[environment] in Dubai. Construction started in February 2014 but after a year-long hiatus, the project is back on track and is expected to open in the next six months,” said Khalifa Hareb, director of the municipality assets management department.

The market is set to feature 120 shops covering 163,498 square metres spread across six blocks, as well as administrative offices, a food court, designated parking spaces, workers’ accommodation and space for future expansion plans.

Up to 90 per cent of the work has been completed so far.

Hareb said that currently, the most popular areas for finding deals on furniture and electrical products are at Naif and Satwa, which may become a challenge for residents as they have to make their way through heavy traffic.

“We designed the market at a prime location that could be easily accessible from all routes, and as it is close to the main roads of Mohammad Bin Zayed and Al Khail, residents will be encouraged to visit it,” he said.

“Our goal is to have one location where shops are all regulated by us to only sell used furniture, electrical appliances or household utensils, instead of having a number of shops spread across the city and making it difficult for individuals and re-exporting companies to find them,” he said.

Hareb added that such a project in the community would support small businesses and create new jobs, which would inject a much-needed boost in local communities.

When searching for second-hand furniture, residents said they preferred to shop online as it not only saved them time in finding the right shop, but also saved the hassle of finding a parking spot in old Dubai. However, the announcement of the new market is set to change people’s perceptions; they will be more willing to drive there rather than take the risk of purchasing goods online.

“I think the new market will be better because then I can see what I am paying for instead of buying something cheap online, finding it ugly, and then going through months of paperwork and phone calls trying to return it,” said Mohan J., a resident.

WHERE TO RECYCLE FURNITURE

When it comes to recycling furniture, as little as five per cent of it is re-used and auctioned off by Dubai Municipality.

“We offer free services to collect bulky waste from people’s homes, such as refrigerators and washing machines, and about 95 per cent of it goes into the landfill because they are not useful anymore,” said Abdul Majeed Abdul Aziz Saifa’ie, director of Dubai Municipality’s Waste Management Department.

In 2013, municipal statistics recorded as much as 2.6 million tonnes of garbage being sent to the landfill, 900,000 tonnes less than the 3.5 million tonnes sent to landfill in Dubai in 2010. According to municipal statistics, Dubai residents contribute almost 2.7kg of waste per day.

“If the furniture can be used, its taken away for auction at our warehouse in Umm Ramool, where it’s sold in bulk,” he said.

Residents can request the Bulky Waste Collection Service, which was launched in February 2014, through calling the municipality’s hotline number 800 900.