Dubai's Mall of the World has 'iconic' potential

The new Mall of the World development will pave the way for the next generation of malls in Dubai and could give the city a landmark to rank alongside the likes of London's Oxford Street and Paris’ Champs Elysee.

That’s according to real estate consultancy Cluttons, which was reacting to the announcement by Dubai Holding of the plans for the temperature-controlled, pedestrianised city.

As well as retail offerings, the project is set to feature a theme park, theatre district and 100 hotels and serviced apartment buildings, with a total of 20,000 rooms.

Faisal Durrani, international research and business development manager at Cluttons, explained how, although the last generation of mall in Dubai had already become leisure destinations, this new one would take things to the next level.

“I see this as Dubai's answer to London's Oxford Street and Paris’ Champs Elysee, which are both iconic shopping avenues,” he said.

“The added climate control element will for the first time allow the emergence of what will effectively be Dubai's answer to a high street.

“At the same time, The Mall of the World will pave the way for the next generation of the city's malls, where the shopping element is combined in equal parts with entertainment and leisure facilities, creating destinations in theory own right, while catalysing the development of wider surrounding areas.”

He also set out the importance of the hotel element of the project, putting it in the context of the Dubai government’s plans.

“With authorities working towards an ambitious annual visitor target, the current hotel and serviced apartment portfolio in the emirate of approximately 80,000 keys is going to have to grow significantly,” he added.

“And it's not just a question of swelling the hotel development pipeline, but a complex infrastructure of leisure and entertainment facilities have to be built to help drive Dubai's vision.”