DUBAI —Majid Al Futtaim has unveiled an formidable $1.36 billion metamorphosis of the Mall of the Emirates, the unique temple of luxurious procuring that modified the Center East’s retail scene twenty years in the past.
The transformation will elevate what’s already a luxurious powerhouse into what executives describe as a “mall of latest prospects.” The sweeping imaginative and prescient, introduced as the long-lasting vacation spot celebrates its twentieth anniversary, will increase the mall’s footprint and widen the posh expertise with wellness, tradition, and entertainment-focused life-style ideas.
“We’re letting go of the atypical and constructing the extraordinary to remain related for the shoppers of right this moment and, most significantly, entice the shoppers of tomorrow,” Khalifa bin Braik, chief government officer of Majid Al Futtaim Asset Administration, stated in an unique interview with WWD. “What we now have confirmed is that the mall is not only a spot to buy or transact. It’s an ecosystem that provides guests a large number of experiences round luxurious procuring. We repeatedly take a look at exceeding expectations, given the ever-changing client traits and habits.”
As a part of Majid Al Futtaim’s portfolio of 29 procuring malls throughout the Center East and Africa, Mall of the Emirates stands as a flagship property spanning over 2.4 million sq. toes with 630 shops and 100 F&B retailers. The enlargement comes at a pivotal second for Mall of the Emirates, which welcomed greater than 40 million guests and generated $3.4 billion in gross sales in 2024.
Vacationer contributions have grown to 25-26 p.c because the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating the vacation spot’s increasing world enchantment.
The enlargement with enhance the mall’s luxurious footprint, addressing longstanding requests from main world manufacturers. In the previous few years, the mall had already elevated its luxurious gross leasable space by 20 p.c. The enlargement will permit 100 new shops, elevated VIC (essential consumer) companies, plus extra buyer engagement alternatives through pop-up areas and unique occasions.
Implementation of the transformation will probably be staged, with $300 million already allotted to key enhancements at the moment underway. Preliminary tasks are scheduled for completion this 12 months, with the total imaginative and prescient set to be realized by 2030.
“Wellness has change into a giant pattern,” bin Braik noticed. “We’re taking a look at including, for the primary time, a luxurious wellness proposition centered on longevity, vitamin, health.” This imaginative and prescient will materialize as SEVEN Wellness Membership, a first-of-its-kind 25,000-square-foot wellness middle inside the Kempinski Mall of the Emirates providing premium health, spa, and restoration experiences.
The mall’s cultural dimension will probably be enhanced with the introduction of the “New Covent Backyard” cultural hub, developed in partnership with Dubai Performing Arts Academy and London’s Pineapple Studios. Set to open later this 12 months, it would function a 600-seat theater and rehearsal areas, establishing the mall as a vacation spot for arts and efficiency.
A brand new indoor-outdoor precinct will carry a dynamic mixture of fast-casual eating and interactive leisure. At its coronary heart would be the mall’s first-ever outside F&B courtyard, slated to debut in early 2027, remodeling right into a lush inexperienced oasis throughout cooler months.
Mall of the Emirates has persistently elevated its luxurious proposition, introducing the Vogue Dome in 2010 and increasing the posh precinct in 2015.
“The transformation reinforces Majid Al Futtaim’s place as a pioneer within the area’s retail and leisure panorama,” stated bin Braik. For luxurious manufacturers with a presence within the mall—already one of many world’s highest-performing retail locations—the enlargement guarantees extra alternatives to attach with an prosperous and locations a big vote of confidence in the way forward for bodily retail.
