Baniyas Investment and Development Company (BID), the investment arm of Bani Yas Sports Club, has signed up leading French chain Carrefour as the anchor hypermarket for its destination mall at Bawabat Al Sharq in Bani Yas, Abu Dhabi.

Carrefour, one of the leading hypermarket operators in the region, will spread across 8,800 sq m (approximately 12 per cent of the mall’s gross leasable area) the biggest shopping centre of its kind in Abu Dhabi.

The Bawabat Al Sharq mall, covering nearly 70,000 sq m, will feature 339 high profile retail outlets of fashion wear, electronics, neighborhood services, accessory outlets, jewelers besides the Carrefour hypermarket.

The mall will spread across two floors and will include 2,245 parking spaces as well as 22 food outlets inclusive of restaurants and cafes.

Construction of the hypermarket has already commenced, and it is expected to be officially inaugurated with the mall in December 2010. Carrefour at Bawabat Al Sharq will be the first international hypermarket chain to cater to the population living outside the main island of Abu Dhabi, said a top official.

Commenting on the agreement, BID chief executive officer Wael Tawil said: "Our destination Mall at Bawabat Al Sharq will be at the heart of excellence, characterizing a leisure destination in Bani Yas and catering to the many growing needs of the resident-population in the city."

"We are happy to sign up Carrefour as our anchor hypermarket in the mall, which will offer the best of retail options for our discerning customers. We have been very selective in awarding contracts and Carrefour perfectly fit our requirements given their capabilities to serve our target customer profile – primarily UAE nationals and expatriates.”

"Carrefour will showcase one of the largest formats in its range of hypermarkets and encompass a vast array of retail-household goods and services," he noted.

A high ranked MAF Hypermarkets official said: “We are delighted to announce that Carrefour will be established as the anchor hypermarket in Bawabat Al Sharq, offering the best of retail to residents of Baniy Yas City. Our mandate is to bring together the world’s leading brands at the destination mall, adding significantly in convenience to a large cross-section of the residents living in and around the community.”

BID had also announced partnerships with Wanasa Family Entertainment Center and Grand Cinemas within the mall. In addition, the company has signed up renowned Australian design firm, Saunders Global, for the mall’s interior design.-TradeArabia News Service