The Dubai Mall, the emirate’s latest coup in the mega shopping mall stakes, finally opened last month after developers Emaar had pushed this back twice. Cheryl Mandy caught up with Yousif Al Ali, general manager, The Dubai Mall
What outlets are now ready?
The key opening attractions include the Dubai Aquarium & Discovery Centre, Dubai Ice Rink, the Gold Souk and The Grove. The entertainment precinct – Reel Cinemas, KidZania and SEGA Republic will open in 2009 to coincide with the key retail and tourism periods. Additionally, the entertainment precinct requires a longer fit out period as completing it requires a dust free environment.
All public areas of The Dubai Mall will be accessible on opening across all four levels, but not all retail shops. Eventually there will be more than 1,200 retail stores and over 160 food and beverage outlets.
Which will be your most sought after retail stores?
Galleries Lafayette, Bloomingdale’s and Hamley’s. These will be a first for the stores in the Middle East. Details of other stores will be revealed in due course. However, given the varied mix of retailers at the mall, we expect all stores to have loyal patrons.
What are Dubai Mall’s unique selling points?
The Dubai Mall is a complete leisure and entertainment destination and has many key components to make it unique to the region. There are more than 70 signature fashion stores in the Fashion Avenue precinct.
A centerpiece will be Dubai Aquarium, which will be one of the of the largest tanks in the world and featuring the world’s largest viewing panel. Over time it will have more than 33,000 living animals, representing more than 85 species. [Note: The facility will be featured in the upcoming edition of the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010 for the ‘World’s Largest Acrylic Panel’].
The adjoining Discovery Centre takes an interactive approach to educating children and visitors. The Grove will be the city’s first indoor-outdoor retail streetscape. The Gold Souk will showcase a collection of over 220 of the region’s most trusted gold and jewellery retailers. The Dubai Ice Rink is an Olympic sized multipurpose venue capable of hosting international events.
Who is caring for the Aquarium creatures?
Dubai Aquarium & Discovery Centre is developed by Oceanis Australia Group.It is being developed in line with an accepted code of ethics and animal welfare policy, prescribed by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). WAZA represents over 1,300 reputable zoos and aquariums around the world and has evolved a set of well documented standards and procedures to be followed in their operations.
How many visitors are you expecting in the first year?
We are expecting 30 million visitors in our first year of trade. The Dubai Mall is set to energise the retail sector, not just in the UAE but throughout the GCC. With projected tourism figures of up to 15 million by 2010 by the DTCM, we expect The Dubai Mall to attract visitors from across the globe.
Will all access roads handle the crowds expected?
The Dubai Mall has been working closely with the authorities on the development of the surrounding road infrastructure for opening day. The RTA is currently undergoing a massive redevelopment and expansion of Interchange 1 to manage the expected increase in traffic once The Dubai Mall opens and a dedicated road from Sheikh Zayed Road will lead directly into the mall.