We’re lucky to be surrounded by world-class shopping centres in the UAE, but hey, you can never have too much of a good thing, right?
That’s why we’re excited about Reem Mall, a new development planned for Abu Dhabi that looks set to soar straight into the country’s must-shop destinations.
The US$1 billion (Dhs3.67bn) destination has just moved one step closer to completion after naming Al Futtaim Carillion as the preferred tenderer for construction, and final approval for the project to go ahead was granted last month.
The sprawling shopping hub will be set over 2.8 million square feet on the south side of the capital’s Reem Island, according to plans.
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The mall is touted to open in 2018, and will be made up of around 450 stores, including 85 food and beverage outlets.
The retail, leisure and entertainment centre is also set to house a range of family-friendly activities, including the world’s largest indoor snow-play park.
The ski centre will cover 11,600sqm and include sledging, luge runs and zorbing (running around or rolling down slopes in giant plastic balls).
Reem Mall will now enter into detailed negotiations with Al Futtaim Carillion (the guys behind the Dubai Mall and Deira City Centre) to hopefully finalise an agreement to finish the mall’s construction.
However, Reem isn’t the only new shopping destination lined up for the capital – the 2.3-million-square-foot Al Maryah Central mall is also slated to open in 2018, and will be found just a stone’s throw away on Al Maryah Island.
“We believe that the retail market in Abu Dhabi is big enough to accommodate two new major retail projects,” Shane Eldstrom, Chief Operating Officer for Reem Mall, told The National earlier this year. “We are very much a family offering, while we believe Al Maryah Central, which is anchored by Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s, is more of an upper end offering.”
The US$1bn Al Maryah mall is expected to open in March 2018 and will contain 400 shops, including the first Macy’s store outside the US and the capital’s first Bloomingdale’s.
It will also feature three rooftop parks, a hotel and apartment, a health club, library, and 20-screen cinema. There’s also plenty for the foodies, who can choose from 145 restaurants and cafes on site.
Images: Supplied
