Views of the Mall of Qatar during its soft opening yesterday. Pictures by: Salim Matramkot / The Peninsula
Mall of Qatar, brand new shopping concept with 500,000 sq. m of innovative shopping, top-notch recreation and remarkable leisure options, has officially opened its doors to public. Yesterday, Mall of Qatar welcomed a slew of visitors who came to experience its offerings during the soft opening. Media personnel were also welcomed by the Mall management and also held a special breakfast session for them at AlRayyan Hotel, before embarking on a tour at the premises and its anchor tenants including beauty, fashion, department stores, homeware, and restaurants.
Speaking about the first official day at Mall of Qatar, Ahmed Al Mulla, CEO, said: “After working towards a goal for many years, seeing it come to life is one of the most incredible experiences – and I am grateful to the entire team responsible for this momentous occasion. Mall of Qatar marks a new era of shopping in Qatar- merging shopping and entertainment at our regional super mall.” “We are pleased to announce that the Mall is 99% leased- and 92% are currently in the fit-out phase. We are opening over 220 stores on our first day, which is 60% of the gross leasable area,” Al Mulla added.
At Mall of Qatar, MOQ Live, a free entertainment program will take visitors on an incredible adventure on the world’s first 360-degree in mall revolving stage. The stage is located at MOQ`s dazzling Oasis, a 5,000 sq. m lush, green, landscaped entertainment arena featuring dancing interactive fountains and waterfalls and hosting all year long shows. Al Mulla concluded : “Mall culture plays a large role in Middle Eastern, and especially GCC society. We are pushing the boundaries and elevating the Mall experience with our brand new, and innovative offering. Today, we are setting super-regional standards for shopping malls, and bringing the concept of retailtainment to life.”
The media expressed their delight at the Mall offerings during their tour of the retail outlets culminating in a delightful experience at NOVO Cinema, Xtremeland and a lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.
