Kingdom's biggest mall to offer a choice of 47 popular food and beverage outlets to visitors

Manama, August 03, 2008: Bahrain City Centre (BCC), the region's latest shopping destination due to open in September 2008, is set to be a food-lover's paradise.

By adding great food ranges into its world-class shopping experience, BCC promises to have something that appeals to every type of visitor - from the shopaholic to those looking for the finest dining experience. With a total of 47 food and beverages outlets serving tastes and flavours from the world, the mall will satisfy the most discerning diner.

According to Shahram Shamsaee, Senior Vice-President of Asset Management at MAF Shopping Malls, Bahrain City Centre will be the ultimate shopping, leisure and dining destination for residents as well as visitors. "Much like the stores in Bahrain, City Centre aims to be a meeting point for the latest trends and tastes in fashion and style, its food and beverage outlets will offer the most popular as well as exotic gastronomic choices from all over the world in one place," he said. 

Almost 8,700 square metres of the mall's gross leasable area (GLA) has been dedicated to provide numerous food and beverage options, including coffee shops, restaurants, juice bars and creameries, and a 20-outlet food court.

Home to a number of exclusive fashion stores and designer labels, Bahrain City Centre will also bring nearly 18 regional and international food and beverage brands to Bahrain for the first time.

Fata Fat, Olga's Grill, Shamiana, Steak Express, Sugoi, and Wetzel's Pretzels are some of the sought after outlets making their debut in the 1,105 square metre Food Court at the Centre. Coffee lovers will also be spoilt for choice with 11 cafes brewing the rich flavours from Coffee Republic, Gloria Jeans, Caribou Coffee, Al Bindaira and The Coffee Bean. Bahrain's own Shawarma Express, Al Abraj, Jasmis and Maya La Chocolaterie will enrich this culinary choice with local specialties.

Fine-dining at Bahrain City Centre will be refreshingly new with an array of restaurants, including Asha's, Thai Chi, TGI Friday's, The Butchers Shop and Grill, Totally Fish and Le Pain Quotidien to go for. An alfresco experience is also on offer with Wafi Gourmet providing an outside veranda overlooking Manama's landmark Pearl Roundabout and the Pearl Towers.

Currently undergoing its finishing touches in the heart of Manama, on Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman highway, Bahrain City Centre will stretch over three levels with a gross built-up area of almost half a million square metres and 350 retail outlets carrying over 200 top brands. The mall is expected to be a premier destination in the region, with a large number of visitors anticipated from neighbouring Saudi Arabia and other states over the connecting causeway.

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About Bahrain City Centre:
Bahrain City Centre is one of Majid Al Futtaim Group's forthcoming landmark projects in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of 2008, the centre will become the first integrated entertainment, shopping and leisure resort in the Kingdom and one of the largest in the GCC. The centre will feature the region's largest indoor / outdoor water park, the largest cinema complex (note: this is in terms of # screens), Magic Planet, over 50 F&B outlets and two international 4 and 5-star hotels offering a total of 550 rooms.

About MAF Shopping Malls:
MAF Shopping Malls is the leading manager and developer of shopping centres in the Middle East and North Africa. The company is part of the MAF Properties one of the major operating subsidiaries of the Majid Al Futtaim Group and already has seven operating centres totaling over 500,000 square metres of GLA - 4 centres in UAE; 2 in Egypt and 1 in Oman. MAF Shopping Malls deals with over a 1200 retailers across the globe and its centres draw combined foot traffic of over 90 million shoppers annually.

MAF Shopping Malls world-class shopping centres have revolutionised the retail industry in the past 13 years with breakthrough developments like Ski Dubai, the first indoor Ski Resort, Mall of the Emirates - the first shopping resort in the Middle East and the popular City Centre franchise that has been exported across the region to Egypt and Muscat.

For more information, please contact:
Nadera Abuali/Ala'a Al Shaikh
Asda'a Public Relations
Manama, UAE
Tel: +973 17213133 
Fax: +973 17213134
Email: A.Alshaikh@asdaa.com/N.Abuali@asdaa.com

© Press Release 2008