Source: www.khaleejtimes.com
DUBAI — The trend for neighbourhood shopping malls will gain pace in Dubai as new residential areas and communities continue to develop, a senior mall manager said on Thursday.
Tim Jones chief operating officer, Property Development and Leasing, at the Arabian Centre, told Khaleej Times in an interview that the popularity of neighbourhood malls will grow out of convenience as all communities need a nearby centre to provide them services and goods.
“The neighbourhood mall needs to have the right mix of services and shops and keep a right balance between them. As new communities emerge, they need a supermarket and 10 to 20 shops. Small malls can meet that requirement,” Jones said. He said that although Arabian Centre is considered a neighbourhood mall, it is much larger with 180 shops and an area of 800,000 sq. feet.
It houses the first nursery school in mall with some 220 children of mixed nationalities, a gym with 2,000 members and most of them Emiratis, a health centre, eight screen cinema, and LuLu Hypermarket. It also has a post office and an naturalisation and residency department office.
“So, we have a variety of services to offer to our neighbourhood communities. This is a high spending neighbourhood and we enjoy a loyal following. People come to the mall for one reason or the other. We are now looking at a broader neighbourhood to serve a larger community,” Jones said.
He said that the Lal’s Group, the parent company of Arabian Centre which also runs the Lamcy Plaza and Sharjah Shopping Centre, has been approached to manage other malls.
“We have not decided on that, but we know there are lots of opportunities in Abu Dhabi and in Doha, Qatar,” Jones said.
Arabian Centre celebrates third anniversary
Arabian Centre, the city’s neighbourhood shopping mall opposite Mushrif Park on Al Khawaneej Road, began celebrating its third anniversary on Thursday with 17 days of instant wins and excitement.
A huge anniversary party was held at the mall with a giant cake-cutting ceremony attended by mall management and more than 250 students from neighbouring schools. As a special gesture, Fun City at Arabian Centre offered free rides all day to all Arabian Centre kids. A simple purchase of the Fun City PowerCard is required to avail the free rides. From March 1 to 17, shoppers who spend Dh200 or more will receive an instant gift.
“We really wanted everyone who walks into the mall during this period to be part of the celebration, so what better way to do this and say thank you to our shoppers than with a gift.” said Tim Jones, COO, Arabian Centre. “We want residents of the UAE from all over to come join us as we celebrate three years of retail success and promise a memorable shopping experience.”
The weekend entertainment line-up during this anniversary celebration is also not-to-be-missed. From 5 pm to 8.30 pm through the weekends (Thursday to Saturday), shoppers can enjoy the TRON show and the NEON show as well as other exciting entertainment acts. The TRON show is a riveting performance by dancers showcasing their moves with LED lights, while the NEON show showcases a talented dance duo who perform in the dark with alluring neon colours guaranteed to astound audiences. More info
