The Dubai Mall is opening today (November 4) with nearly 600 retailers, marking the world’s largest-ever single-day mall opening in retail history.

The opening will see the public unveiling of the highly anticipated Dubai Aquarium & Discovery Centre.

Throughout the mall, there will be fashion shows taking place in the Fashion Catwalk, public skating at Dubai Ice Rink and high profile exhibits, galleries and performers providing entertainment for the entire family.

Besides high-profile brands such as Waitrose and Hamleys, the Mall has a sprawling Gold Souk, the Olympic-sized Dubai Ice Rink and the multimedia-rich Fashion Catwalk atrium.

The Dubai Aquarium & Discovery Centre is already in the global spotlight having clinched the Guinness World Record for the ‘World’s Largest Acrylic Panel.’

The Dubai Mall will have a total of over 14,000 spaces for parking across three car parks, with valet services and a car locator ticketing system.

Sprawling over 12 million sq ft - equivalent in size to more than 50 soccer pitches, the mall will have over 1,200 stores when fully operational. It will feature 220 gold & jewellery outlets, 160 food & beverage outlets including Dubai’s largest food court with 40 outlets, a supermarket and an organic food mart.

“The Dubai Mall is Dubai’s tribute to the world of retail and leisure. With the mall, we have set a strong platform for growth for the retail sector, one that reflects Dubai’s forward-looking model of creating robust business opportunities for enterprises from around the world,' stated Mohamed Ali Alabbar, chairman, Emaar Properties.

'The Dubai Mall is positioned as the premier lifestyle destination that revolutionises shopping experiences globally,' said Jim Badour, CEO Emaar Malls Group.

Emaar’s expansion into shopping malls is in line with its Vision 2010 to become one of the most valuable companies in the world. It 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.-TradeArabia News Service