Premier lifestyle retail company Azadea Group has joined hands with Majid Al Futtaim, a leading developer and operator of shopping malls in the region, to open 12 new stores at its Mall of Egypt in Cairo.

The Mall of Egypt – owned and managed by Majid Al Futtaim – is the first shopping destination of its kind in Egypt, offering a shopping experience that is transforming the country’s retail landscape, said the company in a statement.

The mall, which officially opened in March this year, spans a retail space of 165,000 sq m and includes internationally-recognised brands from the Azadea Group, including Zara, Zara Home, Virgin Megastores, Stradivarius, Paul, Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Pull and Bear, Sunglass Hut, I AM and Punt Roma, it added.

With this new launch, Azadea continues to affirm its position as a master franchisee across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), with the latest opening of 12 outlets in Cairo’s Mall of Egypt. This takes the group's total number of stores in Egypt to 63.

With a track record spanning well over a decade in Egypt, Azadea Group has operated its portfolio of stores in all major retail malls across Cairo and Alexandria, including City Stars Mall, City Centre Alexandria, Cairo Festival City Mall and City Centre Maadi, among many others.

With its latest presence in the Mall of Egypt, the group expands its retail network across the Mena region to over 650 stores.

Marwan Moukarzel, the deputy chief executive at Azadea Group, said: "Egypt is an important market in the Middle East, and we are proud to be expanding our footprint in the country through the Mall of Egypt."

"With a firm commitment to contribute to the country’s retail evolution, our presence in the Mall of Egypt is an opportunity for us to further extend our promise to provide our people with differentiated lifestyle experiences," he added.

The Azadea Group has been operating across the Mena region for 40 years, and currently represents over 50 well-known, contemporary lifestyle brands in 13 markets.-TradeArabia News Service