Dubai-based developer Nakheel has inked a deal with retail giant Al Tayer Group feature more top brands at the new Al Khail Avenue mall at Jumeirah Village in the Emirate.

Under the agreement, some of Al Tayer Group’s lifestyle and hospitality brands – including Gap, Mamas & Papas, Armani Exchange, Banana Republic, Areej, Caffe Nero, and Ocean Basket – join Al Khail Avenue’s growing list of shops, cafes and restaurants.

Al Tayer Group stores will occupy more than 54,000 sq ft at the new mall.

Al Khail Avenue, to be constructed alongside Dubai’s Al Khail Road on the eastern edge of Nakheel’s Jumeirah Village Triangle community, will have 1.2 million sq ft of retail space accommodating 350 shops, a multi-screen cinema and a diverse range of cafes – some with outdoor dining areas. There will also be a multi-storey car park with 4,400 spaces.  The mall is due to open in 2018.

Almost 60 per cent of Al Khail Avenue has been booked, with more deals currently being finalised.  Confirmed tenants in addition to Al Tayer Group brands include a 14-screen movie complex from Reel Cinemas, Waitrose, Home Centre, Emax, Centrepoint, Sports One and many more.

Omar Khoory, director of Nakheel Retail, said: “Al Khail Avenue continues to draw some of biggest names in shopping, dining and entertainment.  Our partnership with Al Tayer Group highlights the growing appetite – from both the retail industry and consumers – for retail space in popular, fast-growing area of Dubai.”

“Al Khail Avenue will provide convenient, on-the-doorstep shopping and entertainment for people in Jumeirah Village, Jumeirah Park and other nearby communities, and a new destination for the residents and tourists across Dubai and the other emirates,” he added.

Khalid Al Tayer, CEO, Al Tayer Group – Retail, said: “Our lifestyle and hospitality partner brands are primed for expansion into community retail outlets that allow for proximity to the customer and create convenient access to some of their favourite brands. Al Khail Avenue caters to a large community at Jumeirah Village, and we are pleased to bring some of our partner brands to this new development.”

Nakheel’s retail project portfolio is set to become the biggest in the UAE, with 10 new large-scale developments and a growing collection of smaller-scale community retail centres on the way. The company has more than 11 million sq ft of leasable retail space in the pipeline, adding to the 2.5 million already in operation at its Dragon Mart and Ibn Battuta Mall developments. – TradeArabia News Service