Dubai Outlet Mall expansion plan 'still on track'

Dubai Outlet Mall’s expansion plans, which were delayed due to the downturn, are currently at the design stage and are due to move forward in the next quarter, Arabian Business has been told.

The expansion was first announced in April 2009 but were put on hold amid the impact of the global slowdown on Dubai's retail industry.

“The expansion plans are very much there but we are going with the market and it will take some time and we are following them up. We are utilising this time to modify our plans and improve them… as now we have the luxury of time with us,” said Vishal Mahajan, director of Dubai Outlet Mall.

“[The expansion] is not on hold and we are improvising on drawings and working on the best possible layouts. It is on the drawing board and hopefully in the next quarter or so it should be finalised and it should go into the next stage,” he added.

In April 2009, the plans were announced and Mahajan said that the mall planned to “add a significant amount of space, at least equal to the existing phase.”

“The plans haven’t changed it is due to the economic slowdown we are taking our time and taking each step with care,” he told Arabian Business.

Mahajan said the expansion is likely to take two to three years to complete and the construction work will be carried out by the in-house construction division of Al Ahli Holding Group, the mall’s owners and operators.

Located at Dubailand on the Dubai to Al Ain Road, the Dubai Outlet Mall opened in August 2007 and the ten million square foot complex has 240 stores and offers discounts of between 30 to 90 percent on over 800 brands including Gucci, Valentino, Mark Jacobs, Christian Dior, Stella McCartney, Prada, Missoni, Boutique 1, DKNY, Mango, Massimo Dutti, Rodeo Drive, Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, Adidas, Puma and Nike.