The French retailing giant, Géant Hypermarket, is now the first retailer to have moved into Gardens Shopping Mall, part of the Nakheel group of projects, due to open February 26th, 2005. Géant management and IT team have been given the keys to their offices with the intention of getting a head start on the process of setting up.
Dubai is on course to possibly becoming the most visited city on the planet according to latest figures just released by Retail International, the specialist London based Middle East shopping centre consultancy. The study reveals that some 3.55 million sq. metres of space have been completed in shopping malls across the six GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar).
With the trend continuing in an upward direction, consumers can expect to see many shopping malls opening across the Emirates. In order to stand out from the rest, Gardens Shopping Mall has joined hands with Géant, one of the world’s leading hypermarket brands based in France. Together, consumers will be offered the best choice by creating a ‘one stop shopping destination’.
Chairman of Nakheel, Mr. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, believes that “Gardens Shopping Mall is a completely unique concept that will change the way Shopping Malls are viewed in the region. Having Géant on board is very exciting as it will add to Gardens’ capabilities of being the place where people can find anything and everything they need.”
In 2000, a partnership was forged between Retail Arabia, a member of the BMA group- one of the Gulf’s largest and oldest retailing groups, and Groupe Casino, one of France’s best-known and largest retailers. Together, these two companies will bring Géant to Dubai.
Commenting on the partnership, Robert Pinault, Director of Groupe Casino said, “The reason we were interested in opening a location in Dubai was because of the potential we saw in the city’s market. It is no secret that Dubai is expanding at an exponential rate, as well as being an increasingly sought after tourist destination. Thus, it only made sense to look at the market as a possible choice to develop our next hypermarket.”
Gardens Shopping Mall, a single level 150,000 sq. metre shopping centre will be anchored by the 18,000 sq. metre hypermarket, Géant. This addition to Sheikh Zayed Road will create a retail location that can ease the tension created by trying to enter the city. As well, it will also offer consumers a convenient and affordable shopping experience. Our goal at Gardens Shopping Mall is to present people with the best choice possible, but at a cost-effective price. (menareport.com)
© 2004 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
