DOHA: Panasonic will soon move to a new mixed-use tower in Musheireb complete with a bigger showroom, apartment buildings, gymnasium, a spa, and a bigger parking space.
Located near the Jaidah Flyover and opposite Home Centre, construction on the QR215m project is underway and will be handed over to the Nasir Bin Abdullah and Sons Group (NAS), distributor of Panasonic and JVC in Qatar, in July. The building will be given its finishing touches and will be inaugurated in Septebmer.
"We decided on this project as the current location will be demolished as part of urban regeneration of the Musheireb area... Our new building will be a state-of-the-art development located on prime real estate," said NAS board chairman Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasir Al Thani at a press conference, which was also attended by Sheikh Ali bin Nasir bin Abdullah Al Thani, board member; as well as the engineering consultants and developers of the new building.
The 12-storey building, which includes two-level basement parking, will cover around 46,000sqm. The Panasonic showroom will be at the ground floor level with 3,000sqm of retail space.
The new building, located only one kilometre away from the current Panasonic showroom, will also include 231 apartments, which will range in size from 90sqm to 200sqm and will be built with spacious contours. The apartments will include 40 one-bedroom flats, 40 three-bedroom flats and 151 two-bedroom units. The name of the building still has yet to be decided.
Al Thani said the building's additional facilities include a gymnasium, spa, Jacuzzi, swimming pool, open roof decks, and a multi-purpose party hall for residents.
"Rental fees of the apartments will be subject to market trend, but all of them will have quality finishing and they will be fully-furnished," said Al Thani. The building will be using more marble and glass as aluminum will consume more heat.
The two basement-level parking spaces can accommodate up to 235 vehicles while an additional space of 60 will be reserved for Panasonic customers.
Panasonic includes brands JVC, Avon, Pyrex, Brother, Vestfront, Vulcan, among others. The new location will serve as the main branch of Panasonic in Qatar. The company currently has six branches across the country.
Al Thani said shifting to the new building will allow the company to provide high standard services required by its customers and at suitable prices. "There will be many surprises in store for our customers."
Speaking about future expansion, Al Thani said they intend to expand by putting up new branches in other cities in the country.
By Joyce C Abaño
© The Peninsula 2010
