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Monday, November 9 - 2009

The Dubai Mall marks retail history with opening of a near 600 stores

  • United Arab Emirates: Wednesday, November 05 - 2008 at 11:08
  • PRESS RELEASE

Thousands of visitors thronged The Dubai Mall on its opening day, setting a new benchmark in retail history with close to 600 retail outlets opening doors on a single day in a shopping mall.

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  • The Dubai Mall ice rink.
    The Dubai Mall ice rink.
The Dubai Mall, the flagship development by Emaar Malls Group, also publicly unveiled the Dubai Aquarium & Discovery Centre, a spectacular showcase of marine life diversity, to mall visitors, who were also treated to a live shark feeding demonstration.

A sprawling Arabesque Gold Souk, a glitzy Fashion Catwalk atrium, and the Olympic-sized Dubai Ice Rink were also opening day attractions that appealed to the wide cross-section of visitors who were treated to mall-wide festivities that included fashion shows, exhibits and performers.

Mr Jim Badour, CEO, Emaar Malls Group, said:
"The enthusiastic visitor turn-out to The Dubai Mall on its opening day is a reiteration of the customer confidence and the strength of Dubai's retail sector. This is a once-in-a-lifetime mall development that further establishes Dubai's credentials as a thriving regional hub."


He added: "Dubai's economy is shaped by the forces of strong domestic demand and economies of scale, twin propelling forces that have helped create The Dubai Mall. The sustained inflow of tourists and the diversified growth strategies outlined in the Dubai Strategic Plan will continue to energise the economy, and The Dubai Mall will play a key role in driving forward the retail sector."

Several global retailers are making their Middle East debut and/opening regional flagship stores at The Dubai Mall. High-profile brands such as Waitrose and Hamleys are now open, with Galeries Lafayette and Bloomingdale's - the anchor department stores in the mall - to open in due course. In total, The Dubai Mall will house over 1,200 stores including 160 food & beverage outlets.

Unveiling the Dubai Aquarium & Discovery Centre, Mr Yousif Al Ali, General Manager, The Dubai Mall, said:
"This is our gift to the people of Dubai. The Dubai Mall is bringing in a truly qualitative difference to shopping by offering a total lifestyle experience. The aquarium with its spectacular display of aquatic animals will appeal to children and adults from all over the world."


Other attractions include Fashion Avenue, a dedicated haute couture precinct with 70 signature stores; The Grove an indoor-outdoor streetscape with a fully retractable roof; KidZania, an 80,000 sq ft innovative children's 'edu-tainment' concept; SEGA Republic, a 76,000 sq ft high adrenaline indoor theme park; and a 22-screen cineplex, the largest in Dubai.

Located in Downtown Burj Dubai, the mall can be accessed from Sheikh Zayed Road, Financial Centre Road (previously called Doha Road), Emaar Boulevard, Downtown Burj Dubai, the newly opened bridge off Interchange One and a direct access road near Emaar Square off Sheikh Zayed Road. The mall has a total of over 14,000 spaces for parking across three car parks, with valet services and a car locator ticketing system.
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Notes and media contacts

About Emaar Malls Group LLC:
Emaar Malls Group LLC, is the retail and shopping mall subsidiary of Emaar Properties PJSC, a leading property developer based in Dubai, and drives its diversification into shopping malls. This is in line with Emaar's Vision 2010 to become one of the most valuable companies in the world. Emaar has announced investments in shopping malls of over $4bn (Dhs15bn) with 10 million sq ft of retail property in operation or under development in the emerging markets of the Middle East, North Africa, the Indian Subcontinent and South Asia and is on target to become one of the largest developers of shopping malls in the world.

At the forefront of these developments is the flagship The Dubai Mall, one of the world's largest malls in the heart of the Downtown Burj Dubai. Opening on November 4, 2008, The Dubai Mall will be a premier lifestyle and entertainment destination. Emaar Malls Group is also developing two other malls in Dubai; Souk Al Bahar, an Arabesque shopping and entertainment development on The Old Town Island which is now open, and the Dubai Marina Mall, a lifestyle shopping mall for residents of the Dubai Marina community opening in late 2008. Recently, Emaar Malls Group unveiled Cairo Gate, Egypt's largest shopping mall and leisure destination at the Cairo-Alexandria Project site, a mixed-use development spread over 160 acres.

About Emaar Retail:
Emaar Retail is a wholly owned subsidiary of Emaar Malls Group LLC and is the vehicle for all retail operations. Emaar Retail is developing a portfolio of brands in key growth markets and is strategically building new alliances, joint ventures, franchises and licenses for all mall developments under the Emaar Malls Group umbrella.

Emaar Retail also manages the business operations for The Dubai mall's leisure and entertainment brands including KidZania®, SEGA Republic®, the Olympic-sized 'Dubai Ice Rink' and Dubai Aquarium & Discovery Centre. Emaar Retail has also entered into a joint-venture with Cathay Organisation in Singapore, to form Reel Entertainment to develop cinemas across the region including the flagship 22-screen Cineplex at The Dubai Mall.
Emaar Retail was established to drive Emaar Malls Group's developments in key emerging markets across the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian Sub-Continent through creating the right retail mix for the various markets.

About Emaar Properties PJSC:
Emaar Properties PJSC is one of the world's largest property development companies and is rapidly evolving to become a global provider of premier lifestyles. Emaar Properties, which has a strong presence in 36 global markets, has expanded into shopping malls in line with its Vision 2010 to become one of the most valuable companies in the world through a two-pronged approach of geographic expansion and business segmentation.

For further information, please contact:
Kelly Home / Roisin Lillis
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller
Tel: (+971 4) 334 4550

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