Pics: Baher Amin & Salim Matramkot / The Peninsula
Thousands of visitors yesterday thronged the Doha Festival City (DHFC) - the largest entertainment, retail and hospitality destination in Qatar- as it swung its doors open with much fanfare.
"Doha Festival City has many unique features, one of which is its scale and size. It is by far the largest mall in Qatar and one of the largest in the region with 244,000sqm of leasable area," Kareem Shamma, Chief Executive Officer of DHFC, told the media at yesterday's opening event.
Shamma stressed DHFC is bringing unique experiences and firsts to the Qatari market which sets it apart from other malls.
The QR6.5bn mixed-use development managed and operated by Al-Futtaim, officially opened its doors to the public who flocked to unique brands such as the country’s biggest Marks & Spencer, the market’s first West Elm, the much anticipated Muji and the new flagship stores from H&M and Centerpoint. Over the next few weeks visitors will also be able to enjoy brands including the first VOX Cinemas in Qatar and the world’s largest Monoprix Hypermarket amongst many others.
Trevor Hill General Manager of Doha Festival City Mall said, “We currently have an extensive number of new-concept and first-to-market stores opened and are looking forward to many more over the coming weeks and months including Harvey Nichols, Mama’s & Papa’s, All Saints, Hanna Andersson and four unique theme parks. The first Angry Birds World globally, indoor snow park Snow Dunes, ‘edutainment’ park Juniverse and digital experience Virtuocity, will all be open by the end of the summer. We have also opened our purpose built Outdoor Leisure Trail, a 3km track designed with fun and fitness in mind –with this element free for our customers to enjoy.”
The public is in for more surprises as DHFC grows and develops unveiling its myriad offerings in the future with its hundreds of outlets.
"The mall is developing and growing and we will end up eventually with 540 units. Today is a fantastic milestone with the opening of part of the retail mall. There will be parts of the retail mall coming very soon. We will also be opening a whole host of theme parks in the coming months between now and over the end of the year," said Shamma, adding there will always be something new every week.
Asked on the expected annual footfall, he said,"In the early years we expect 17m to 18m footfalls. We aim to stabilise in 20m footfalls a year."
In order to further enhance its customer’s journey, Doha Festival City has partnered with 12 hotels across Doha to offer its guests complementary trips to and from the Mall – with shuttle services running throughout the day seven days a week.
As a ‘Smart Mall’, Doha Festival City has incorporated a number of innovative concepts that combines with unique technology, enhancing its visitors’ experience at every part of their journey within the destination. From digital wayfinding, smart car parking and free high-speed wifi to its extensive digital media network– every ‘Smart’ aspect has been considered throughout.
“After many months of anticipation, we are tremendously proud to finally welcome the public to our world-class destination and are already enjoying the positive feedback. We invite visitors to come and celebrate with us time and again, as we have a number of surprises in store at Doha Festival City to ensure ongoing one-of-a-kind experiences for all," added Hill.
