Mushrif Mall aims to make a splash

Abu Dhabi residents may have been waiting for months for Mushrif Mall to open, but when it does they will get the chance to enjoy the UAE's first indoor water park.

Having delayed the shopping centre's launch a number of times, its developer says the mall is expected to open its doors within the next two months.

Line Investments & Property said construction had finished, stores were being fitted out and the building was awaiting power connection.

Saleem VI, the general manager of the Emke Group, Line Investments's parent company, said the mall's opening had been delayed by "several factors" including a postponed start date for construction and local roadworks.

"We have completed construction, we are putting the final touches on the mall and will be ready to open very soon, hopefully by the end of May," Mr Saleem said.

The 56,000 square metre mall will have a small indoor water park called Oceanic, and Abu Dhabi's largest food court with 20 food outlets and nine specialist restaurants, including a fresh fish market eatery.

The shopping mall is due to open with more than 200 stores and at 90 per cent occupancy, according to Wajeb Khoury, the leasing manager for Emke Group.

To date, 65 per cent of shops have been fitted out and are ready to open their doors.

Sharaf DG electronics, a large retailer in Dubai with 17 stores, will open its first shop in Abu Dhabi at Mushrif Mall, and Max, a fashion subsidiary of Landmark Group, will also open a store as part of its expansion plans for this year.

The mall will include a number of luxury brands, as well as clothing, sports and electronics retailers.

One of its anchor stores is set to be a 13,935 sq metre Lulu hypermarket and the Indoor Market, which will be the largest indoor fresh produce market in Abu Dhabi.

The shopping centre will cater to residents in the Mushrif area of Abu Dhabi near Muroor Road and 25th Street.

"I think that by the end of this week we will have a firm date on the opening, which will be at the end of May or early June," Mr Khoury said.

Emke Group, which is targeting the mid-range to premium-shopper segment, aims to have 10 million visitors at the mall in the first year.

The shopping centre, which is being built at a cost of at least Dh1.2 billion (US$326.7 million), was originally expected to open last April but encountered major construction delays.

After then aiming to open by the fourth quarter of last year, the project was further delayed by roadworks in the surrounding area.

Retail space in Abu Dhabi is expected to increase dramatically as new residential areas spring up. The property broker Cushman & Wakefield estimates the amount of retail space in the capital to double to 1.8 million sq metres by 2015.

rjones@thenational.ae