Carrefour Hypermarket, SAKS 5th Avenue, H&M, Aizone, Debenhams, Centre Point, Home Centre, Paris Gallery, Zara, Mango, Massimo Dutti and other leading fashion brands to open at the centre
Manama, Bahrain, November 23rd, 2006: MAF Shopping Malls announces that 82 per cent of the 150,000 square meter Bahrain City Centre is now leased. With some of the world's most renowned brands and biggest entertainment and leisure offer in the country signed up, this firmly establishes the mall as the Kingdom's premier shopping destination.
Bahrain City Centre will be home to many international and exclusive brands such as SAKS 5th Avenue, H&M, Aizone, Debenhams, Centre Point, Home Centre, Paris Gallery, Zara, Mango, Massimo Dutti, and other leading fashion brands. The three-level shopping and leisure centre, which plans to open in the second quarter of 2008, will have over 350 stores in total, offering the best in fashion and entertainment choices including a 16,600 square meter Carrefour hypermarket - the first in Bahrain
"Bahrain City Centre is destined to do for the Kingdom what developments such as Deira City Centre and the Mall of the Emirates have done for Dubai, in establishing the country as a retail destination with appeal across the region and beyond" commented Francois de Montaudouin, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Group.
"By securing these top brand names, Bahrain City Centre will be the country's leading shopping centre in terms of size, variety of offerings and the strength of the brands it houses," added MAF Shopping Malls CEO Graham Dreverman.
"Bahrain City Centres' success is assured as it will cater not only to local demands, but also to those of visitors from other GCC countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. Bahrain's strategic location at the centre of the Gulf makes it an ideal place for such a major shopping and leisure destination" he continued.
The shopping centre will also house 54 F&B units extending over 9,700 square metres, the largest in the Kingdom under one roof. These include 11 coffee shops, 13 restaurants, 21 food court units and 9 smaller outlets serving juice, ice cream and other snacks.
Bahrain City Centre will devote almost 25,000 square metres to entertainment and leisure facilities, including a giant indoor/outdoor water park, a bowling centre, a Magic Planet family entertainment centre and Cineco Cinema, the largest cineplex in the region with 20-screens. The facility will also include two hotels, one four-star and the other five-star, with 550 rooms in total. The car park will have the capacity for 5,500 vehicles.
"Shoppers in Bahrain are looking for a 'one-stop-shopping and leisure experience with international brands to meet the needs of everyone in the family," said Bahrain City Centre General Manager Maher Al Shaer.
"This will strengthen Bahrain's position as a regional shopping destination. The entertainment facilities will also give families an exciting leisure and entertainment offer unparalleled in the country. Bahrain City Centre is aiming to attract over 15 million shoppers and visitors a year and is sure to put Bahrain on the map as a major shopping, leisure and entertainment destination for the region,"added Al Shaer.
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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 second 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 and outdoor water park, the second largest cinema complex, 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 meters of GLA - 4 centres in UAE; 2 in Egypt and 1 in Oman. MAF Shopping Malls deals with over a 1,000 retailers across the globe and its centres draw a combined foot traffic of 85 million shoppers annually.
MAF Shopping Malls world-class shopping centres have revolutionised the retail industry in the past 10 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 additional information of the Majid Al Futtaim Group kindly visit www.majidalfuttaim.com
For more information, please contact
Hussain Rasool,
Promoseven Weber Shandwick,
Tel: +973 17225148;
Fax: +973 17229661;
email: hussain.rasool@promoseven.com
© Press Release 2006
