The opening of The Dubai Mall in Downtown Burj Dubai has been delayed by two months in order to build better access to the mall, its general manager told Emirates Business yesterday.
Yousif Al Ali, General Manager, The Dubai Mall, said: "The Dubai Mall's opening has been rescheduled to October for greater ease of access, as there will be a direct access road from Sheikh Zayed Road. The added time will enable us to build infrastructure such as roads, car parking and entry and exit to the mall."
The new opening date for the mall is October 30.
"The Dubai Mall has been working closely with the RTA to develop the surrounding road infrastructure. There will be direct road access from Sheikh Zayed Road, allowing for a dedicated entry and exit into the mall," he said.
The car parks at The Dubai Mall will be operational on the opening day. The mall has three covered car parks that can accommodate more than 14,000 cars. Two car parks are located at each end of the mall, with the third located on Doha Street.
According to Ali, developing a landmark project such as The Dubai Mall is a very complex process. "It involves co-ordination with several project managers, government authorities and retail tenants. We have, therefore, revised the opening date to offer customers more retail and leisure options from day one," he said.
The revised opening coincides with a period of key retail activity in the region – including UAE National Day, Eid Al Adha, the New Year and Dubai Shopping Festival.
"The opening on October 30 will be the largest retail event in the region. All common areas of the mall will open simultaneously, giving visitors the opportunity to appreciate the full array of retail and leisure attractions," said Ali. "Retailers also benefit as the additional time allows for a more thorough fit-out of their stores, and gives more time for merchandising, training and other key operational aspects to be finalised."
Construction is in the final stages, with public areas of the mall to be accessible by October 30, on all four levels.
With several residential and hospitality projects in Downtown Burj Dubai already operational, access to The Dubai Mall does not pose much of a problem even now, said Ali. But the shift in date will ensure even easier access to the development.
Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties, said: "On October 30, all public areas of the mall will be open to customers, creating a retail event unlike anything seen in the region. The Dubai Aquarium and Discovery Centre, the Olympic-sized Dubai Ice Rink, the world's largest indoor gold souk and hundreds of retailers will open shop."
Alabbar said infrastructure support is vital for maximising customer inflow. "The Dubai Mall is expecting some 30 million customers in the very first year of trade, and to support this, it is important to have a smooth traffic and public service infrastructure. The Dubai Mall will have a dedicated bridge from Sheikh Zayed Road for direct access to the mall. The Dubai Metro is also progressing fast and will soon add to the ease of access to the mall, while other access roads are being readied to accommodate the record numbers expected."
The Dubai Mall is a 12 million sqft project and is an integral part of the Downtown Burj Dubai development. With a total internal floor area of 5.9 million sqft, the mall will have 3.77 million sqft of gross leasable space, with more than 1,200 retail outlets, two anchor department stores and more than 120 food and beverage outlets.