Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
From its humble beginnings in 2008 to its grand stature in 2018, City Centre Bahrain has flourished into the largest shopping, leisure and entertainment destination in the kingdom and will continue to delight and excite shoppers for the years to come.
The popular mall, which is part of the Majid Al Futtaim’s retail empire, ended the year on a high note as it celebrated its 10 year anniversary with a series of fun-filled family activities and rewards to mark its memorable milestone.
Duaij Al Rumaihi, senior mall manager at City Centre Bahrain, said: “Over the past decade, we have hosted many great moments that have contributed towards the mall’s position in the kingdom and there’s more to come. We’re always looking to improve the customer experience.
“In 10 years, nothing has been built that is bigger or better.”
Over the years, the retail and entertainment giant has attracted droves of local and expatriate shoppers to its doors to snap up the latest trends in clothing and accessories, catch a movie, enjoy the children’s amusement park arena, swim in the indoor waterpark or stay at its two five star hotels, The Westin City Centre Bahrain and Le Meridien City Centre Bahrain.
And the shopping destination owes its success to the feedback of its customers as well as staying up-to-date with consumer demands and global trends. The centre is changing a considerable amount of its stores for various reasons, some of which are economical and some of the other concepts are outdated and need to be replaced with new ones. The mall is also refurbishing the car parks and giving parallel parking to SUV vehicles. It has also provided its customers with electric vehicle parking. The Basement and Level One parking have been completed and management will start work on the Level Two parking in the New Year. The centre also added an overflow prayer area for Friday prayers to prevent worshippers from spilling out on to the walkways and has refurbished and upgraded the baby changing rooms. The mall’s WiFi has also been improved to ‘double the speed’.
“We will continue to do our best to serve our customers and everyone who walks in through the doors, added Duaij. “Our message to our visitors is clear, please keep coming and we promise great moments for everyone, every day.”
A look at some of City Centre Bahrain’s memorable moments:
l In 2008 – The mall opened its 158,000sqm space in Manama. The ribbon-cutting was presided over by HRH Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, Shaikh Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, followed by a public grand opening extravaganza. On behalf of His Majesty King Hamad, the VIP celebration was also attended by government dignitaries, key contractors and suppliers, retailers and members of the media. Celebrations for the public included three daily, 30-minute entertainment performances- one for children and two for family audiences, an array of entertainment that incorporated a mix of water, aerial, dance and light effects in the Central Galleria, various interactive promotions for children and families including face painting and a variety of decorating workshops and outside. With the opening of City Centre Bahrain were several major attractions and shops including Magic Planet, Saks 5th Avenue, The Toy Store, Sun & Sand Sports, Sharaf DG, Wafi Gourmet, Marina Exotic Furniture, The Home Centre, and Bobbi Brown. In addition, the mall boasted eight cafes, 20 food court units, 10 restaurants and four specialty food shops.
In 2009 – ICSC Gold Award and the opening of Wahoo! Waterpark, the Middle East’s first indoor/outdoor high rise, high thrill waterpark opened to the public in Bahrain.
In 2010 – The launch of City Walkers Fitness Programme with more than 50 residents taking part. It was organised by City Centre Bahrain in association with the Capital Governorate, Ministry of Health and Fitness First. The programme is offered every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday and covers a two kilometre walk inside the mall.
The mall also launched its 21-seater shuttle bus service, which runs on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday starting at 9am and returning at 9pm. The shopping destination also staged An Apple a Day campaign ‘shop and win’ promotion. A six metre high mannequin was created with thousands of apples attached to its dress. Customers had the chance to win one of 27 iPads and a grand prize of a package of Apple products. The campaign promised to donate 1,500 apple computers to an orphanage. The impact of the campaign lived on through fashion students that recycled the mannequins dress into designs that were showcased at the mall. Each graduate recycled the satin and tulle fabric from the original dress in a very artistic and tasteful manner.
In 2011 – Two adjoining luxury hotels opened up. First it was the Kempinski Grand and Kempinski Ixir Tower and now it is The Westin City Centre Bahrain and Le Meridien City Centre Bahrain.
The mall also hosted a Ben 10 Stage Show & Workshop on the first day of Eid Al Fitr and it ran for five days. This was the year the mall also staged its first Winter Wonderland Campaign featuring igloos, snowmen, polar bears and penguins. Shoppers spending BD20 were also placed in a draw where prizes included a three-night ski trip for four to Faraya in Lebanon and a royal suite VIP package for two at the Kempinski Grand & Ixir Hotel in Bahrain.
In 2012 – The Fall for Fashion campaign featured ‘The Most Creative Shoe Box’ gallery by pupils of Bahrain Bayan School showing off their artistic talents. Social media fans also had the opportunity to celebrate in the spirit of its ‘Fall for Fashion’ month with a special campaign called ‘Do You Love Your Shoes/Bag?’ Fans were invited to upload a photo of themselves wearing their most fashionable pair of shoes while shopping at the mall and share why they love their shoe or bag. Each week, the most stylish fan was rewarded with a BD50 Gift Card to spend at the mall.
Also in 2012, there was a Roaming Circus Parade during Eid Al Adha in which the mall brought down a vibrant circus act from Europe. The centre also staged its first Summer Camp for kids and the activities included a visit to Wahooo! Waterpark, cookie decorating and baking lessons, as well as a trip to the mall’s indoor entertainment venues including Magic Planet and Cineco (now VOX | Cinceo Cinema). Each camp was run for five days.
In 2013 – The Winter Wonderland returned with a giant igloo, hanging snowflakes and larger than life winter characters at a snow-capped winter village. Children felt snow melt in their hands while winter roaming penguin, polar bear and snowman mascots interacted with visitors and posed for memorable photo opportunities. Some exciting new elements were also unveiled including miniature moving trains and a spectacular light show every night in ‘Symphony of Lights’ choreographed to music.
Shoppers also stood the chance to win the grand prize – a BD15,000 fashion wardrobe!
Then there was the Art of C inspirational community-driven event themed around ‘A tribute to the Kingdom’ in the lead up to the 43rd National Bahrain Day celebrations. Artists came together to transform 10 C-shaped canvases into celebrated pieces of art. City Centre Bahrain united with famed artist Abbas Al Mosawi and the Bahrain Arts Society for the Art of C as well as with school students, members of the women’s associations, art galleries and local businesses. The Art of C initiative won an ICSC Silver Award in 2015.
In 2014 – City Centre Bahrain rolled out the red carpet as it launched a glamourous three-day Fashion Weekend with no less than 13 catwalk shows featuring the hottest international and regional brands. Kick starting the festivities in grand style, was rising star and Emirati singer Balqees Ahmed Fathi who made an exclusive appearance setting the stage for an electrifying, fashion-infused weekend. Also in 2014 was the mall’s Winter Wonderland The Nutcracker display. City Centre Bahrain’s Winter Tales campaign celebrated the story of a little girl named Clara who creates a friendship with a toy doll that magically turns into a young boy after a duel with a mouse king.
Guests were enchanted by a string of near-daily performances including The Little Ballerinas featuring local arts and dance schools performing their own versions of The Nutcracker; The Snowflake Dance and the Singing Soldier. The mall also hosted free ‘Gymnastics for Beginners’ as well as The Nutcracker-themed arts and crafts.
Shoppers whose festive purchases exceed BD40 entered a draw to win a magical shopping experience worth BD20,000.
In 2015 – The mall conducted a Park Right awareness initiative. The campaign raised awareness on the importance of parking in the right spaces and in the right way. Another highlight was the LEGO City campaign – a family entertainment-packed summer programme of interactive amusements featuring a fantastic LEGO City Building Event.
The mall also celebrated ‘City Centre’ brand’s 20th anniversary with fun activities to keep residents and tourists entertained throughout the summer holidays. The Central Galleria transformed to offer a larger than life LEGO City experience, including a building activity area to encourage kids to unleash their creativity, along with engaging activities at the LEGO City fire station, police station, park, and the charity station.
Kids also had the opportunity to enter the ‘Unbox their imagination’ competition by constructing an inventive LEGO model for submission to win prizes and the models were also displayed in the gallery within the LEGO City Event for all to see and admire. There were other LEGO related activities as well.
In 2016 – Shoppers had the chance to win tickets to the Angry Birds movie premier and play on a life-size Angry Birds game to win an array of exciting themed prizes. Visitors had a chance to win tickets to the movie premiere screening by simply spending BD40 or more at the mall. Winners of the premiere tickets enjoyed a special evening walking to a decorated cinema featuring the Angry Birds mascots.
The mall carried on its interactive life-size gaming with Bahrain’s largest Snakes and Ladders. Players had fun navigating on an edutainment journey and by rolling the dice and hoping to land on a ladder which would offer a short-cut closer to the finish line. Players who reached the end were rewarded with an exciting prize, while all players had a chance to win surprises along the way. One of the game board’s blocks was allocated for charity donations and every time a player ‘fell’ on the allocated space, BD 1 was donated to the Bahrain Down Syndrome Society – a charity organisation that provides support to health, psychology, education and social services to individuals with Down syndrome in Bahrain. The total donations from the game provided essential school supplies to children that have been diagnosed with Down syndrome.
In 2017 – VOX Cinemas joined Cineco at City Centre Bahrain and there was the Emoji Drop game in the Central Galleria. City Centre Bahrain hosted children from the Bahrain Cancer Society to enjoy ‘great moments’ with its ‘Emoji Drop’ summer campaign. The game offered participants a chance to win instant prizes including mall gift cards, movie tickets, retailers’ vouchers and emoji giveaways. The children also spent the afternoon at the Kids Happy emoji Workshop, creating emoji masks with colours and crafts, to take home. Later on they enjoyed more fun at the mall’s popular kids’ venue, Magic Planet. City Centre Bahrain pledged BD2,000 to the Bahrain Cancer Society, which was contributed by the mall through customers playing the ‘emoji Drop’ game. Each time a customer’s disc fell on the designated charity slot, City Centre Bahrain contributed BD1 to the cause on the customer’s behalf.
In 2018 – The PAW Patrol performed for the first time in Bahrain. Children were invited to enter the PAW Patrol Adventure Bay and face a sequence of challenges, with the mission to collect as many pup badges as possible.
And of course, in 2018, City Centre Bahrain also turned 10. To celebrate the joyous occasion, shoppers were invited to join in on a whole host of celebratory activities which started last year in December and is spilling over into this month.
Throughout the two-month long celebrations, City Centre Bahrain offered shoppers the chance to win other prizes. Visitors who redeem shopping receipts for BD30 have the chance to enter a draw and win a luxurious Lexus LX570s – Sports Line 2019 model whilst shoppers redeeming receipts for BD50 will receive a Golden Ticket which entitles them to an instant collectible gift. It also grants them access to the mall’s multiple train stations where customers can view the latest in winter trends, be transported on a 4D Journey to the North Pole and collect instant prizes.
Visitors are also invited to tap along with the ‘Glitz & Glam’ dance troupe, performing for the first time in Bahrain from January 10 – 12, with their classical top hats and tails.
For more information visit www.facebook.com/citycentrebahrain or www.citycentrebahrain.com
