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Shoppers living in the Southern Manama area will be afforded more convenience, quicker errand runs and family fun when a new mall opens its doors in Mahooz.
Al Hayat Shopping Centre, designed by renowned architect Yousif Daoud Al Sayegh, covers an area of 8,000sq/m with leading upmarket British retailer Waitrose, Pirate Land soft play and game centre and Nasser Pharmacy as the anchor tenants.
The development, which will feature mainly food and beverage outlets, a grocery chain and children’s play area, is owned and managed by Etihad Al Khaleej Real Estate Company (EAK). EAK was established by the multi-trading business group Remza Investment Company to build the complex.
Dr Fadhel Al Arrayed, Remza Investment Company’s chief operating officer, said: “Remza is the leading partner in this project and we are in the mall building business.
“In Qatar, we partnered with the Al-Rabban and Nasser Al-Thani families which own the two largest and most successful shopping centres, The Villaggio and Landmark Malls.
“We understand the market because we are tenants as well as retailers of pharmaceuticals and fashion with brands including Nasser Pharmacy, Karen Millen, BCBG, Cavalli and Versace across the Gulf.”
Dr Al Arrayed added: “This is our first mall in the kingdom and we have others in the pipeline.”
The benefits of constructing the Al Hayat project in Southern Manama ring close to home for Dr Al Arrayed, who lives in Mahooz with his wife Maisoon and his seven-year-old twins Zaid and Dana.
He said: “People want a place close to home to do their shopping especially for their groceries. So we decided to create something as a focal point for the community here.
“I try to spend as much time with my family as possible. Having this mall nearby will be great for us especially as it focuses on families.
“I can take my twins to our pirate themed play area – Pirate Land. It’s big enough to be compared with the one at Seef Mall.
“It has a large, soft play area, games, a Captain Hook ride and a big carousel with sea creatures.”
The mall is currently 70 per cent leased with shops including Chico, Monsoon, Costa Coffee, Yum Yum Tree, Dairy Queen, Papa John’s, Max and Sufana.
The company is also in discussions with telecom company Batelco, a large electronics chain and a money exchange outlet to set up shop at the new location.
The mall will not stock high fashion items as its purpose is to serve the daily needs of the community. However, the second phase of the project could see the addition of cinemas in the near future.
The decisions behind the scale and location of the project were strategic.
“In the past, we had plans for a mall the same size as Seef Mall but put them on hold as Bahrain City Centre had just come about,” said Dr Al Arrayed.
“All the malls are clustered in one location anyway which is not ideal. Other locations in Bahrain require a mall if not of that size then perhaps a smaller one.
“There are a lot of locations in Isa Town, Riffa and Saar that would benefit from a mall. It’s easier for visitors from Saudi if there is a mall there. If you get a mall that has central access to Saudi I think it would work, but not right now.”
Al Hayat Shopping Centre is set to open by early 2013.
