Omani developer plans Westfield-inspired mall near Muscat

Oman is set to get its own version of London’s Shepherd’s Bush.

An Omani development company is planning to build a mall on the outskirts of Muscat inspired by the Westfield London shopping centre and its surrounding area.

The £127 million (Dh579.4m) Al Araimi Boulevard is being built in Al Khoud, near Muscat, by Al Raid Group.

Chief executive Sheikh Fahad Abdullah Al Araimi and his family are regular visitors to London and often travel from their Knightsbridge residence to shop in the West London district.

He is planning to replicate many of the features of one of London’s most famous malls, introducing English-style roads, landscaping and water features.

The mall will have a built-up area of 147,200 square metres, spread over two floors including a 10,000-sq-metre hypermarket, a permanent food market selling local produce, the biggest food court in the sultanate, and a 6,000-sq-metre entertainment centre with a 10-screen cinema and a performance space.

Work began on the centre last year and is due for completion in September next year. It has been designed by architects and engineers Arab Engineering Bureau and is being built by Unique Contracting Company. Design International has been appointed as leasing agent.

It will have a 50ft-high, canopied glass entrance and a 5,160-sq-metre atrium. The mall’s 210 retail units will be arranged around glass-fronted boulevards on both levels.

“We strongly believe that spending quality time with family and friends is one of life’s great pleasures, and with this philosophy in mind we have created Al Araimi Boulevard as an exceptional lifestyle destination created to bring people together,” said Sheikh Fahad.

Oman-based U Capital last month issued an upbeat report on the sultanate’s economic prospects, despite being hurt by falling hydrocarbon revenues, leading to cuts in government spending.

However, a study by BMI Research has argued that Oman’s economy will struggle to return to the growth levels it experienced prior to the decline in oil prices in 2015, and that spending this year is likely to remain muted as a result of slowing confidence.

“Growth in real household spending has slowed steadily,” the report said. “In 2015, household spending growth slowed to an estimated 4 per cent from 5.3 per cent in 2014. Over 2017 we forecast a growth rate of 3.1 per cent, with growth forecast to remain subdued at a 3.1 per cent annual average beyond 2017 through to 2021 far below the 6.4 per cent average between 2010 and 2014.”

It also said that government austerity measures meant that employment growth would slow, and that private sector investment is likely to weaken.

mfahy@thenational.ae

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