Saturday 20 / April / 2024
Muscat: “We are not at all affected by the recent slowdown in the economy,” Oman Avenues Mall general manager has said.
“It hasn’t affected our business a great deal because we are a new Mall and every month the footfall in our mall is getting higher and higher,” Ben Watson told the Times of Oman.
“Even our sales are increasing every month,” he said on the sidelines of the announcement of Oman’s largest indoor park.
According to him, more than a million people are visiting the Oman Avenues Mall every month.
“People are coming to the mall because we are fresh and new, and still we have new brand openings at our mall, which attracts people,” Watson said.
Speaking about the Funtazmo, Oman’s largest indoor family entertainment centre (FEC), which is operated by Abu Taleb Investments LLC, Watson said, “They are one of the best operators in this field.”
Abu Taleb Investments LLC had previously invested in several entertainments centres in Oman and Egypt.
According to him, the Oman Avenues Mall is associating with them because of three reasons.
“They are outstanding in operations, they have a safe operation and a fun operation which the entire family at the Mall can enjoy,” Watson said.
“We are expecting very big things with FEC and we want families in Muscat to visit our Mall not only once, but many times throughout the year,” he added.
As per the announcement, Funtazmo will start its operation from May 5. This space will be home to more than 250 unique ride and games, a 5D cinema and a mega party hall.
Indoor roller-coaster
The Centre will also host the first indoor roller-coaster in Oman, which will be operational by the end of 2016. According to officials, Funtazmo has two parts.
The first is Funtazmo children, which is situated on the first floor and caters especially to children in the age group of up to three.
“It is an ideal place for children to have fun and stay engaged while the parents can relax and shop, staying assured that their children are in a safe environment,” an official said.
The second one is the main Funtazmo, which is located in the second floor.
According to the officials, the complete action can be viewed from two viewing galleries across the centre.
“One gallery is located on the same floor and the other on the third floor, giving the person a bird’s eye view of all the fun happening inside,” he added.
According to a spokesperson at Abu Taleb investments LLC, their investment in the Funtazmo project is about OMR7 to 8 million.
“We are happy to announce the launch of Funtazmo; Oman was missing a family entertainment centre that caters to both the youth and adults, which is why we conceptualised the place keeping the entire family in mind,” Amad Aldin Razzaq Ahmed Talib, chairman of Abu Taleb investments LLC, said.
According to Watson, Oman Avenues Mall will announce its expansion soon. “We do have another expansion planned, which we are going to announce soon,” he asserted.
He also said that the Oman Avenues Mall is offering a lot of gifts to their customers in the month of May. “Anyone who spends OMR15 at the mall is eligible to participate in a lucky draw and win a car,” he said. He also said the customer, who spends OMR15 on a week day will get two chances to win a car through the lucky draw.
“Through this we want the people to come to mall not only on the weekends, but also on the weekdays with their family,” Watson explained.
