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Frequently Asked Questions
What does men's underwear trading cover?
It covers the retail sale of men's intimate wear, including briefs, boxers, trunks, undershirts, vests, and base-layer underwear.
Does this include sleepwear and pyjamas?
Sleepwear is typically a separate retail category. This activity focuses specifically on men's underwear, intimate wear, and base layers.
Can I sell women's underwear alongside men's?
No. Women's underwear has its own activity (4771.93). A business selling both would need both activity licenses.
Does this activity work for online-only stores?
Yes. Men's underwear is heavily purchased online and the activity can be operated through an online store, physical retail, or both.
Can I sell broader menswear under this license?
No. Broader menswear including suits, casualwear, and traditional dress falls under men's garment trading (4771.82), a separate activity.
How to Start a Men's Underwear Trading Business with Meydan Free Zone
Men's underwear isn't a category retailers brag about, but it works in a way most fashion categories don't. The customer comes back two or three times a year, often online, often without thinking about it. He doesn't compare prices the way he would for a coat.
He sticks with what fits. For a UAE business, that pattern translates into steady, predictable revenue and a customer base willing to buy from a screen.
Men's underwear is a category built on digital channels and repeat purchase. The UAE is one of the most connected countries in the world, with internet access reaching around 99 percent of the population and over 11 million active social media users, according to DataReportal².
UAE retail overall is forecast to reach around USD 139 billion by 2028, supported by ongoing growth in digital-first shopping, according to Khaleej Times¹.
Men's underwear sits in the quieter part of fashion retail: low-drama, high-repeat, and increasingly conducted online in a market with near-universal internet access.
Sources: Khaleej Times (2025); DataReportal (2025).
A men's underwear retail business sells a single, well-defined category to a clearly identified customer. It is a focused retail business: men's intimate wear, stocked and presented for the male shopper, with the fit and product range a general store cannot offer.
Brand-loyal returning shoppers, gift-buyers, and online customers buying in bulk all rely on dedicated stores to find sizing, comfort, and brand consistency.
What's striking about men's underwear in the UAE is how quietly it works. The customer doesn't make a song and dance about the purchase. He doesn't spend a Saturday browsing five stores. He finds a brand that fits, sticks with it, and rebuys two or three times a year, often online, often during a routine wardrobe top-up. With nearly every adult in the country online and an enormous active social media base, the path from advert to purchase can be shorter than in most categories.
The mall-based shopper still matters too, especially for gifting and bulk buys, but the digital opportunity is what makes this an underrated business in a connected market like the UAE.
Quietly steady, repeat-purchased, and increasingly online, men's underwear is a category that doesn't need hype to grow.
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Who is this for?
- Men's underwear retailers: Owners of stores selling men's intimate wear, both physical and online.
- Branded innerwear operators: Operators of single-brand men's underwear and intimate apparel stores.
- Online-first underwear businesses: E-commerce operators selling men's underwear through digital channels.
Meydan Free Zone offers 100% foreign ownership, zero percent corporate tax on qualifying income, full profit repatriation, and a fully digital licensing process, providing a regulated and cost-efficient base from which to operate a men's underwear retail business in a market built on digital access and repeat-purchase behaviour.
4771.85 - Men Underwears Trading
Under this activity, your business is licensed to sell men's underwear at retail.
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The activity is specifically for men's underwear at retail. Selling women's underwear, broader menswear such as suits or casualwear, men's sleepwear, or operating as a wholesaler rather than a retailer all fall under different activities.
The line is precise. If your business sells men's underwear at retail, you are in. If you sell women's underwear, broader menswear, or operate as a wholesaler, a different activity applies.
Third-Party Approval: No third-party approval is required for this business activity.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance: This business activity is exempt from AML compliance requirements.
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Citations
¹ Khaleej Times. Technology Shifting Consumer Choices Shaping UAE Retail Sector. Khaleej Times, 2025.
² DataReportal. Digital 2025: United Arab Emirates. DataReportal, 2025.
