First Avenue, a new shopping mall and hotel project being developed by Saudi Arabia’s Al Tawfeeq for Development and Investment (ATDI), at Motor City in Dubai, UAE, is nearing completion.

The Dh500-million ($136 million) mall is expected to open in May, along with the adjoining hotel.

The project’s backers say construction work for the mall is on track for completion by the end of this month, with fit-out for the retail units set to take another four months.

With the building work almost finished at First Avenue, its anchor tenants are in place, taking up 40 per cent of the mall’s leasable area, said a statement from ATDI.

A Carrefour supermarket outlet will take up 11 per cent of the leasable area, it stated.

Prime Medical Centre, a leading provider of clinical, diagnostic and medical tourism services, will absorb nine per cent of the leasable area. Fun Block, part of Fun City by Landmark Group, will introduce a new generation of children’s entertainment space, occupying nine per cent of the leasable area, said the statement from the Saudi group.

Reem Al Bawadi, a famous Arabic food and beverage chain, will take up six per cent of the leasable space, while Ace Hardware, the world’s largest hardware retail cooperative selling products to fix homes and businesses, will have five per cent of the leasable area.

First Avenue will meet rapidly scaling consumer and business demand in Motor City as Dubai’s tourism sector and the local population grow, said a top official.

“We are delighted that First Avenue mall is on schedule for a ‘soft opening’ in May,” said Dr Ramy Moussly, ATDI general manager.

“The project will be a landmark development in Motor City, strategically located to serve local demand in a growing catchment area with a young demographic, and positioned to help meet rising business and leisure tourism numbers in Dubai," he added.

First Avenue is part of Dubai’s newest suburban quarter. Among the signs that the area is popular is the planned move by media group MBC of a major part of its production to Dubai Studio City which is less than 1 km from the mall and hotel.

"As Dubai’s development moves southwards, we are well sited to serve a growing and discerning market," remarked Moussly.  

First Avenue, based at the edge of the Dubai Autodrome, will have 70 high-street retailers and 15 casual dining restaurants.

The adjoining four-star 150-room hotel, which can be accessed directly from the mall, will be operated by Park Inn by Radisson, with an all-day restaurant, lobby, meetings and events spaces, gym, spa and swimming pool, said the Saudi developer.

The hotel overlooks the race track at Dubai Autodrome, it stated.

First Avenue’s backers want the mall to be an all-week-round social and retail hub in the Union Properties-developed Motor City, with a distinct automotive and lifestyle theme.

The two-storey development stretches across 500,000 sq ft, with a 1-km-long roadway linking each and an underground car park with 400 spaces, said the statement from ATDI.

Motor City is a rapidly growing area in Dubai, close to Studio City, Sports City and Arabian Ranches, and a short drive from Maktoum International Airport and the Expo 2020 site, it added.-TradeArabia News Service