UAE-based multi-billion conglomerate Majid Al Futtaim has stated that the construction work on the Mall of Oman – the group’s 5th and largest lifestyle e project-is making progress and on the right track. The development has hit two major milestones with the completion and delivery of goods and flyovers connecting the mall to Muscat Expressway’s Interchange No. 6 and Muscat Electricity Distribution Company’s primary substation.
It will be one of the biggest retail projects in the Sultanate and will have 145,000 sqm of retail space with 350 outlets, Oman’s largest Vox Cinemas, a Magic Planet family entertainment centre, a 12200 sqm Carrefour hypermarket and the largest indoor snow park in the country.
The plans of the mall’s construction were unveiled in 2013 as an OMR180 million project. It was initially announced that the mall would be completed in the fourth quarter of 2017, but the plan got pushed back to 2020. Earlier this year, Majid Al Futtaim announced that the mall was not set to complete in March 2021.
Alain Bejjani, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Holding, stated that the mall is 50 percent complete. He also said that the roads, along with four new bridges and an underpass would provide easy access to the mall. The new access will also directly lead to 5200 parking bays for the customers.
More than a kilometre of the 12-metre-high walls are now in place, as well as the new road signage for Mall of Oman.
Ghaith Shocair, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Shopping Malls, said, “By developing Mall of Oman, we continue to contribute to the growth of the local tourism industry and enable job creation for residents both during and post-construction.”
He also stated, “The tourism and retail sectors are integral to Oman’s economy and are poised to drive economic growth and contribute to diversification in the country. A development project of this size and scope is beneficial to Oman’s citizens and residents and will positively contribute to economic and social development in the Sultanate.”
The new mall is part of Majid Al Futtaim’s strategy to increase its total investment in Oman to OMR705 million by 2020. This investment includes the City Centre in Sohar, which cost OMR 45 million and was opened earlier this year.
The development of Mall of Oman is expected to contribute greatly to the nation’s Vision 2040 on economic diversification by creating meaningful job opportunities and increasing the living standards of its citizens.
Majid Al Futtaim owns and operates 25 shopping malls, 13 hotels, and four mixed-use communities, with more projects underway in the region.
Construction of Mall of Oman is done with the collaboration of Sarooj Construction. Simon Karam of Sarooj Construction said, “Sarooj Construction values integrity, quality, health and safety environment, and human development, and through our projects, we demonstrate how we care for our clients’ vision as well as for the stakeholders and communities they serve.”
