The Ilyas and Mustafa Galadari Group, the company behind the Mall of Arabia development in Dubai, has signed a contract with Azadea Group, a Beirut-based retail group.
The development means that Mall of Arabia, which is due to open in 2009, will contain 37 stores from Azadea’s franchise portfolio, which includes brands such as Zara and the Virgin Megastore. The signing, which took place during the recent Middle East Council of Shopping Centres Annual Convention, is the first tenant announcement for the Mall of Arabia.
“The Mall of Arabia is one of a new breed of shopping malls with a radically different design and a world class entertainment element. We are confident that Azadea Group will play an instrumental part in making it a lead visitor draw in the GCC,” said managing director, Azadea Group, Hassan Daher.
With a GLA of 10 m sq ft, the mall will be the largest in the region and one of the largest in the world.