Global consultancy Turner & Townsend has been appointed to project and cost manage the multi-million pound internal fit out of Qatar’s first department store by the popular French retailer Galeries Lafayette.

The three-level, 14,000 sq m space is franchised by the Ali Bin Ali Group (ABA Group), a private family company which is considered as one of the major conglomerates in Qatar.

The interior of Les Galeries Lafayette, which will include 400 luxury brands in clothing, accessories and homeware, will be designed by Paris-based architect Bruno Moinard of 4BI & Associates.

The luxury department store, expected to be completed before the end of 2017, will form part of the prestigious Katara Cultural Village and Katara Retail Plaza shopping mall in the capital Doha.

The plaza will also include a unique mall for children, a branded spa, shops, cafes, restaurants, offices, luxury boutique hotel and landscaped park areas - all built over two storeys of basement parking.

Ground cooling technology will be used to help control the centre’s climate and enhance the shopping experience, making it one of the world’s first outdoor, air-conditioned commercial plazas, said a top official.

Turner & Townsend has proven experience working successfully with high-profile brands such as Tiffany & Co's emerging markets in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, remarked Stephen McCartney, Qatar country manager for Turner & Townsend.

"We are immensely proud to have been selected to provide project and cost management services for such an internationally-renowned retail brand," he stated.

"We fully understand the importance of successfully delivering the project on time and budget, and of meeting the sheer quality of design, which will combine classical Roman architecture with traditional Arabic building styles. To be working with international designer Bruno Moinard is a privilege," he added.

David Miller, the general manager for Galeries Lafayette, Doha, said: "We are confident Turner & Townsend’s experience and deep knowledge of the market in the Middle East will ensure the department store becomes a focal point for all visitors to the Katara Plaza."

"Les Galeries Lafayette is a world-class retailer and we’re delighted to have secured the franchise which will concentrate on exclusive brands rather than chain retailers," stated Miller.

"The new cultural village is part of establishing Doha as an international centre of retail, arts and culture," he added.-TradeArabia News Service