For the past two decades, Dubai has been branded as a playground for the wealthy. But today it is something more powerful: a launchpad for global ambition. Nowhere is that more visible than in the food and beverage sector, where the city has become the ultimate stress-test for brands seeking credibility on the world stage.
Bulldozer Group’s story is proof. What began as a hospitality venture in Dubai has grown into a multimillion-euro enterprise with concepts stretching from Paris to Marbella, and London with more to come. The lesson is clear: if you can win over Dubai’s clientele, cosmopolitan, exacting, and increasingly global, you can win anywhere.
A magnet for global wealth
The timing could not be more fortuitous. Global wealth migration is hitting record highs, with 165,000 millionaires expected to relocate this year alone. Latest figures show that the UK is projected to lose 16,500 high-net-worth individuals, while the UAE will gain nearly 10,000 – a sharp rise from just 6,700 last year. Dubai and Abu Dhabi have become the twin engines of this inflow, drawing entrepreneurs, investors, and families from London, Mumbai, Moscow, and Beijing.
The infrastructure to capture that wealth is already in place. The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) now hosts 120 family offices managing $1.2 trillion in assets. In just one year, the number of family offices in DIFC rose by 33 per cent, hedge funds by 50 per cent, and foundations by more than 50 per cent. Abu Dhabi Global Market offers another magnet: English common law protections and deep capital pools that appeal to global investors seeking stability in a volatile world.
For businesses like mine, this environment is supportive and highly catalytic. High net-worth individuals arrive with international standards and expectations, and meeting them builds a reputation that extends well beyond the Gulf.
Why Dubai amplifies success
From the outset, Dubai forced Bulldozer Group to compete at the highest level. The city’s residents and visitors are people who shuttle between London, Hong Kong, New York, and Paris. They are accustomed to the very best. Creating venues that appeal to them meant building a product that was instantly exportable.
That is why when we opened La Baia and Uni in Paris, they did not enter the market cold. Guests who had dined with us in Dubai became our ambassadors abroad. The same pattern followed in Marbella, with Frou Frou and Eva Estepona, destinations
frequented by our Dubai clientele during the summer months. London, where we are preparing our next launch of SACRA, already knows the Bulldozer name because our reputation has travelled with our guests.
This dynamic is uniquely Dubai’s. Success here does not stay contained, it reverberates across the cities to which its residents and visitors return. For a brand with global aspirations, there is no stronger amplifier.
Lifestyle and wellness as the next frontier
The F&B industry itself is shifting. Guests are no longer content with a memorable meal alone. Instead, they want immersive, holistic experiences. Bulldozer Group is expanding accordingly. With SACRA, our new spa and wellness concept, we are once again using Dubai as the proving ground. Combining luxury design, advanced therapies, and wellness cuisine, SACRA is designed as a flagship blueprint for international rollout.
This is not a departure from our philosophy but its evolution. Whether through cuisine, ambiance, or wellness, the goal has always been to create spaces where people feel transformed. Luxury today is about integration, hospitality and wellness together.
Dubai’s edge
Other cities offer capital, others offer diversity, and others offer opportunity. Dubai offers all three, and it does so with an energy that accelerates business. Tax advantages, long-term residency visas, progressive reforms, and world-class infrastructure have turned the city into the world’s number one wealth magnet.
For Bulldozer, Dubai was never just a home market. It was the crucible where we forged our identity, the testing ground that proved our resilience, and the amplifier that carried our name across continents. As we expand further into Europe and beyond, the trajectory remains clear: the path still runs through Dubai.
Hospitality brands can start anywhere, but to scale everywhere, they need Dubai.
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