Dubai Mall Opens Today

Emaar Properties PJSC (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) is opening what it calls “the world’s largest-ever mall opening in retail history.” The Dubai Mall already has close to 600 retailers.

When fully operational, the mall – the flagship development of Emaar Malls Group – will have over 1200 stores, including two anchor department stores, Galeries Lafayette and Bloomingdale’s, 220 gold and jewelry outlets, 160 food and beverage outlets, a supermarket and an organic food mart. The mall will also offer a gold souk, Olympic-sized ice rink and the Fashion Catwalk atrium. And the Dubai Aquarium & Discovery Centre has been recognized for having the world’s largest acrylic panel.

“With the opening of The Dubai Mall, we have the largest ever number of retailers together for the first time in a mall opening,” said Jim Badour, ceo of Emaar Malls Group, the shopping malls subsidiary of global property developer Emaar Properties.

“The Dubai Mall will address the world-class shopping needs of a population of over 2 billion people in the catchment markets of the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe,” Emaar Properties chairman Mohamed Ali Alabbar.

Emaar Malls Group has already opened Souk Al Bahar, a modern mall with Arabesque architectural features in downtown Burj Dubai, and will open the Dubai Marina Mall in late 2008.

Emaar Properties, one of the world's largest real estate companies, is building the yet-incomplete Burj Dubai tower, already the tallest man-made structure ever built. Construction of the tower is expected to be finished in late 2009.