Mall of Oman set to create 5,000 jobs
Muscat: Around 5,000 job opportunities will be created once the "Mall of Oman" is complete, said a top official of Majid Al Futtaim Properties. The Sultanate's largest and most comprehensive shopping destination is right now at the design stage. Speaking to the Times of Oman, Husam Al Mandhari, senior mall manager for the City Centre Muscat said Mall of Oman would be the Sultanate's largest shopping mall and it will be bigger than any other mall. "Right now 1,700 people are working at the City Centre Muscat , so we can easily say that Mall of Oman will generate three times the employment than the City Centre Muscat ," he said. The project will be built on 157,000 square metres of land and will have more than 350 stores at Bausher. Around OMR180 million is being invested to build the Mall of Oman by Majid Al Futtaim Properties, one of the leading developers, owners and operators of malls in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Anchor tenants at the Mall of Oman will include Carrefour, VOX Cinemas and Magic Planet. Regarding the City Centre Muscat , he said that the expansion and refurbishment work are on track and expected to be completed by November 2015. "There are plans to build a new flyover at Seeb to facilitate access to the mall," he said. In the second phase of its 10,000-square metre retail expansion, the mall will be welcoming 60 additional new shopping outlets, including 12 new high profile international retailers making their debut in the Omani market. "A large number of brands will be coming for the first time," he said. Top-end stores The mall, which is home to more than 160 international lifestyle brands, will also welcome Virgin Megastore, Bershka, American Eagle, and Koton, in addition to fashion accessories F&F, New Look, Guess Accessories, and Lovisa. Handmade cosmetics Lush will also be entering Oman for the first time. There will also be a new dining zone with five new casual-dining restaurants offering a variety of international cuisines, including the Turkish Kosibasi restaurant. "We are also introducing larger, well-appointed prayer rooms, increasing toilet provisions, a mother's room and refurbishing existing toilets," officials said. He also said that Majid Al Futtaim's redevelopment plans are in line with the growing demand and changing needs of customers. "Besides that, we now have parking space for more than 2,400 cars," he said. The mall recorded a significant increase in footfalls and sales in 2014. More than 10 million shoppers visited the mall, representing a 7 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
