Coronavirus: Majid Al Futtaim pushes back opening date of City Centre Al Zahia to March 2021
Decision to delay opening of Sharjah’s largest shopping mall to next year is due to the global disruption caused to the retail sector by COVID-19 pandemic
Majid Al Futtaim, the UAE-based shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure developer with projects across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, has announced that March 2021 will see the launch of its new mall in Sharjah – City Centre Al Zahia.
The decision comes in the light of the global disruption caused to the retail sector by the COVID-19 pandemic, the developer said. It added that the additional months would allow all of City Centre Al Zahia’s talent partners increased time to stabilise and prepare their new stores effectively, so as to meet the standards required and to launch at a time that is more conducive for trading.
“From the day we open the doors of City Centre Al Zahia, our ambition is to offer a compelling retail and entertainment experience to the Northern Emirates community,” said Shireen El Khatib, CEO for Shopping Malls Business Unit.
“This ambition is shared by all of our tenants, and as an industry leader, we feel it is our responsibility to support them in any way we can towards achieving this shared goal,” she stated.
El Khatib pointed out that the construction of the mall has run to schedule since the ground-breaking ceremony, in line with its delivery commitments.
“However, in light of the global changes that have impacted the retail industry, we have taken the prudent decision to revise the opening date of City Centre Al Zahia in the best interest of our customers and tenants,” she stated.
“We remain confident that City Centre Al Zahia will become a landmark destination in the Northern Emirates and a signature addition to the Majid Al Futtaim family,” she added.
Once open, City Centre Al Zahia will stretch across an area of 136,200sqm of gross leasable space and will be the largest mall in the northern emirates and the centrepiece of Majid Al Futtaim’s developments in Sharjah.
The upcoming mall will provide a mix of more than 360 new and established brands, the developer added.
City Centre Al Zahia’s primary trade area will include most zones of Sharjah, alongside the emirates of Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah, said the Emirati mall developer. The mall will also connect to Majid Al Futtaim’s one-million-square-metre residential community, Al Zahia, creating a premium shopping, dining, and entertainment destination on the doorstep of many residents in Sharjah’s emerging urban centre.
In line with Majid Al Futtaim’s omnichannel strategy, the developer has also launched two new online shopping platforms for the UAE to enable tenants to reach customers and continue trading.
This includes the ‘Trends at Your Doorstep’ initiative that was recently launched by Mall of The Emirates, and ‘Marketplace’ for other Majid Al Futtaim malls.
