DUBAI: Nakheel has awarded the contract for the Dh6.1 billion Deira Mall at its Deira Islands development. United Engineering Construction has picked the Dh4.2 billion contract, which will see the build out of what is to be Dubai’s “biggest shopping, dining and entertainment destination in terms of retail space”, according to the developer.
Delivery is scheduled for 2020, with construction to start in the third quarter of this year, Nakheel said in a statement on Wednesday.
The mall will create 4 million square feet of leasable area. It will be located on a 4 million square feet site, where vibro-compaction work is under way, at the heart of Deira Islands, a 15.3 square kilometre waterfront city.
The four-island development will eventually be home to more than 250,000 people.
Deira Mall will be the centrepiece of Deira Boulevard, a Dh5 billion cluster with 16 residential towers with nearly 3,000 apartments and with its own retail elements. Together, Deira Mall and the Boulevard will have 4.5 million square feet of shop space. A construction tender for Deira Boulevard was released in January.
Deira Mall is one of two large-scale retail projects by Nakheel Malls at Deira Islands. The Deira Islands Night Souk is to be the world’s largest night market, with 5,300 shops and almost 100 quayside cafés and restaurants. The project due for completion in 2018. All units are fully leased.
With a total built-up area of 10.3 million square feet, including a 3.8 million square feet car park with 8,400 spaces, Deira Mall will feature over 1,000 shops, cafés, restaurants and entertainment outlets across three floors. The development will be topped with a retractable roof and allowing open-air shopping in cooler months.
Deira Islands will add 40 kilometres, including 21 kilometres of beachfront.
