Saturday 19 / October / 2024
Muscat: Oman’s newest mall, and one of its largest, is all set to open at 11 am today. The Mall of Oman, located in Bausher, will be open to visitors who can enjoy an amazing experience and check out some of the world’s best brands under one roof.
Built on more than 150,000 sqm of land, although there are only a limited number of stores open to the public right now, when the mall reaches full capacity, it will feature over 350 stores, as well as a plethora of amazing entertainment options.
Visitors who wish to do their daily shopping at the mall will find all and more than they need at the vast Carrefour hypermarket within, which spans over 12,000 square metres.
A number of other well-known brands will open their stores to customers, including Aldo, Charles and Keith, Dune London, La Vie en Rose, Birkenstock, Skechers, Dollar Plus, Inglot, and R&B.
Plans are also underway for other brands such as Adidas, Crocs, Rituals, New Yorker, The Children’s Place, Tim Hortons, LC Waikiki, Rituals, Levis’ and R&B Kids to soon set up operations in the mall.
On at the mall is a dinosaur show running until October 30. Featuring a rideable T-Rex, a digging expedition, and a wonderful augmented reality experience, Dino World will take visitors 190 million years into the past.
“The tourism and retail sectors are integral to Oman’s economy and are poised to drive economic growth and contribute to diversification in the country,” said Ghaith Shocair, CEO at Majid Al Futtaim Shopping Malls. “These objectives are aligned with Vision 2040 and we are privileged to be able to contribute to this vision as long-term partners and investors.”
“By developing Mall of Oman, we continue to contribute to the growth of the local tourism industry and enable job creation for residents both during and post construction,” he added. “A development project of this size and scope is beneficial to Oman’s citizens and residents and will positively contribute to economic and social development in the Sultanate.”
Once developments at the mall pick up speed, Moviegoers can book tickets for any one of the 14 and above multi-screen theatres, or can head over to the 14,000 square metre indoor snow park, which will deliver visitors to an icy Omani port town, complete with a shipwreck and a frozen lighthouse.
The snow park also has an ice skating trail, a mesmerising snow village, and a warm and welcoming snow café, filled with delicious treats for the family to enjoy, once they have taken a few photos with the park’s resident penguins. This aside, there is an addition 3,600 sqm of space for other entertainment and leisure activities
To ease access to the mall, extensive road upgrades to interchange number 6 on the Muscat Expressway have been completed, along with four new bridges and an underpass serving the mall. Extensive retaining walls and utility divisions have also been completed to facilitate the works. The new access will add to the convenience of visiting the mall as it will directly lead to the 5,200 dedicated parking bays. More than a kilometre of the 12-metre-high retaining walls are now in place, as well as the initial road directional signage for Mall of Oman.
Mall of Oman is part of Majid Al Futtaim’s strategy to increase its total investment in Oman to OMR 705mn by 2020. The company’s investment in the country’s retail and entertainment infrastructure includes City Centre Suhar which opened its doors in January, as well as other properties including the recently upgraded City Centre Qurum and City Centre Muscat, which also underwent an OMR27mn expansion.
The agreement to develop Mall of Oman, featuring an investment of OMR288 million, a retail potential of OMR 1.8bn, and a trade area population of 1.5mn people, was signed by Majid Al Futtaim Properties and Muscat Municipality in December 2013. It is expected to generate 3,500 jobs once opened, in addition to the 1,500 created during its construction.
