More than 15 new brands introduced to the market during last year

More than 9 million visitors

The largest home of the most renowned local, regional and global brands

Muscat, 22 March, 2015: Muscat Grand Mall (MGM) - the Sultanate's most dynamic retail and entertainment destination celebrated its third anniversary with its visitors and staff. As the fastest growing lifestyle hub in the downtown Muscat area, MGM has been offering a wealth of choice and convenience for shoppers and residents, as part of a combined leisure experience for three years.

MGM was opened on March 1, 2012, and soon after earned a reputation as one of the most attractive malls in Oman. With 142 outlets for leading local, regional, and global brands and more than 9 million visitor during 2014, MGM aims to be Oman's number one shopping destination.

Commenting on MGM's eventful journey and the path forward, Hassan Jaboub, General Manager of Muscat Grand Mall said, "Since its very first day, Muscat Grand Mall has established a powerful presence in the retail and entertainment market of Oman. Given the range of exciting events and campaigns held throughout the year, we also witnessed a record average footfall of over 25 thousand visitors per day to the mall and hosted 70 events in 2014, organised either by the mall management or in collaboration with other stakeholders."

MGM has succeeded in becoming the leading shopping complex in Muscat, due to its high value, diverse offerings and numbers of visitors. The mall includes leading local, regional and global brands, some of which have established their presence for the first time in Oman at Muscat Grand Mall. The mall also witnessed a 30% increase in the number of visitors during 2014. This reflects the excellent performance by the mall aligned with the achievements made by its staff.

CSR & Awards

In recognition of its contribution to the community through its ongoing corporate social responsibility initiatives, Muscat Grand Mall received the prestigious Silver award in the 'Cause Related Marketing' category for their 'Close to you' campaign at the 2014 RECon MENA - one of the region's most anticipated retail industry events. Over the course of the event, MGM also received an honorable mention from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) for their entries into the category.

As a part of its core vision of joining hands with the local community, MGM has focused on spreading awareness on environmental sustainability in addition to consistently supporting local authorities and non-profit organisations for the betterment of society. The mall has also provided pro-bono space worth OMR 100,000 to a large number of charitable activities organised by either reputable non-profit organisations or by the mall itself. The recognition from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) is testament to MGM's relentless efforts towards giving back to the local community.

SME Support

Hassan Jaboub commented, "Shopping centres play a prominent role in providing job opportunities for the youth because of their significant human resource requirement to manage their business. As an example, MGM has offered around 1,000 direct and indirect job opportunities, which is quite a large number when compared to the investment volume of the project. As is well known, tourism sector around the world are considered the largest recruitment generators, offering one out of every 11 new job opportunities."

He adds, "On the other hand, MGM and Tilal development both played a pivotal role in terms of providing an appropriate environment for SMEs to work in, with 25% of all outlets and commercial space rented out to SMEs."

Following the official launch of Muscat Grand Mall in 2013, developer Tilal Development Company announced an expansion of the popular retail destination. The second phase for the Tilal Complex, which includes the Mall, is expected to see MGM retail capacity double in size, with additional parking space and entertainment options. With 100 new retail outlets being added to the mall, the total number of stores will reach 250, and will raise the profile of the mall as well as create a world-class shopping and entertainment destination for the people of Oman and visitors to the country.

Integrated tourism and service complex

Tilal Complex is the first mixed-use development in the Sultanate of Oman and currently features over 142 retail outlets, 300,000 square meters of commercial offices and a residential community comprising 250 freehold apartments and 115 four-star hotel apartments. The expansion is in order to accommodate the boost in tourism and development, expected by the Government.

The number of tourists is expected to increase significantly once the new Muscat International Airport terminal is completed and projects such as the five-star Shaza Hotel Muscat along with the new expansion to MGM, which will add more than 100 new outlet and 1500 new parking spaces, will offer a premier lifestyle destination for both the new influx of tourists as well as local residents.

Mr. Hassan Jaboub commented, "MGM has performed exceptionally over the past three years, and with the upcoming expansions we are expecting even more visitors and newer more exciting shopping experiences. The new expansions will provide more space and newer opportunities for global brands to start their business in the Omani market. MGM management is also planning to expand the outlet choices to meet the varying tastes of visitors."

In fact, the number of visitors is expected to increase to 40,000 a day, which reconfirms the MGM's position as leading shopping destination for Omanis, residents and tourists. By providing the adequate space and facilities to meet their needs, MGM is providing greater incentives for new brands to open their retail branches in Muscat.

MGM is no doubt Oman's most dynamic shopping destination. It is the fastest growing lifestyle hub in the Sultanate, offering choice and convenience for shoppers and residents, as part of a combined leisure experience. Boasting more than 142 stores, a three-screen cinema, high-end residences and office space, in addition to hosting the largest food court in Oman, Muscat Grand Mall is also home to leading global brands such as Carrefour, Happy Land, City Cinema, Sharaf DG, R&B, HomesRUs, PAUL and Chili's, US Polo, Garage and Patchi among others.

Enjoy the ultimate shopping experience at Muscat Grand Mall along with variety of dining, amusement and fun activities take place. Learn more about MGM through the official Facebook page @muscatgrandmallofficial or on Twitter @muscatgrandmall and Instagram @muscatgrandmall.

© Press Release 2015