A majority of the licences were issued in the commercial sector followed by the professional sector
Dubai: The Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED) issued 3,224 licences for several types of businesses in the first quarter of 2011, a 6 per cent increase over the last quarter of 2010.
A majority of the licences were issued in the commercial sector followed by the professional sector.
The growth in the number of licences issued highlights the robust performance of the economy and reflects investor confidence, and drives inward investments.
"General trade" led the list of the top 10 licensed activities in the commercial category with 431 issued, followed by 'ready-made garments' with 264, 'dyes and paints' with 251, 'watches and accessories' with 248, and 'carpeting and flooring' with 235.
'Residences and building cleaning services' led the list of the top 10 licensed activities in the professional category with 153 issued in the first quarter, followed by 'restaurants' with 90, 'female beauty and personal care' with 59, and 'female hairdressing' with 55.
In industrial activities, 'blacksmiths and welding workshops' led the list of the top 10 licensed activities with four followed by 'metal work industry for construction' with three, and 'packaging of grain', 'salt', 'sugar', and 'bread' with two each.
The total number of transactions during the first quarter of 2011 reached 117,533 compared to 103,067 in the last quarter in 2010, a 14 per cent increase.
The number of amended licences was 12,362, and the total number of renewed licences reached 21,667.
Commercial permits
The total number of commercial permits reached 14,503, a 33 per cent increase over the last quarter of last year, while the total number of 'trade name reservation' transactions reached 12,211 names.
The Intlaq scheme, an initiative by the Department of Economic Development to encourage more UAE nationals to set up businesses from home, recorded strong performance with 53 licences issued in the first quarter of the year, a 51 per cent increase over the fourth quarter of last year.
The largest growth was recorded in the trade category with 34 licences followed by the professional category with 19.
The total number of field inspection visits by DED's Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection Division reached 11,391 in the first quarter of 2011.
© Gulf News 2011
