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Seef Mall is to undergo a multi-million dinar transformation in a bid to woo shoppers as the battle of the malls in Bahrain intensifies.
Families will be the focus of attention as Seef Properties fights back following the emergence of the rival Bahrain City Centre complex.
The BD2.5 million refurbishment will start immediately, be carried out over 10 stages and completed by early December.
Shaikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, chairman of Seef Properties said: "This is the first of a number of ambitious initiatives aimed at securing the long-term future of Seef Mall."
The refurbishment plan was revealed by Robert Addison, general manager of Seef Properties. He said: "As Bahrain's original mall, Seef Mall boasts a legacy that is truly unsurpassed in Bahrain and beyond.
"This project used that foundation as a springboard to strengthen the mall's competitive standing."
The scope of the refurbishment works includes a drastic overhaul of the mall's atriums, corridors, cafŽ area and food courts.
The new designs incorporate sleek modern dŽcor, sophisticated illumination technology, expanded seating capacity with ultra-chic furnishings, Wi-Fi hot spots, and numerous other upgrades.
Mr Addison stressed that the staggered refurbishment works have been planned meticulously to ensure that any disturbances to both shoppers and outlets are minimal.
All renovations will be done at night during off-hours, and non-obstructive hoarding will allow shoppers easy access to all stores, which will continue operations as normal (the only exception being the food court outlets, which will be cordoned off completely for a brief period of time due to the nature of the renovations).
In a bid to tackle the problem of workers in the busy banking area taking up car parking spaces from customers, a parking tariff will be introduced.
Shoppers will be able to park for free for up to three hours and those extending the time limit will have to pay a nominal fee.
He also added that the mall's entertainment zone, Magic Planet, will undergo a facelift. The mall will also welcome international family entertainment centre, KidZania.
Mr Addison added: "We hope to provide parents the chance to make use of more free time and shop while their children are kept busy."
