UAE | General
Shops at Dubai mall surprised by closing hours
Shops and food outlets located inside the Al Musalla Towers shopping mall in Bur Dubai have been taken by surprise by a management decision to close the mall at 10pm.
- By Sunita Menon, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:01 August 14, 2008
- Shops inside Mussalla Tower and Mall. Shop owners say they have not been given change of timing notices.
- Image Credit: hadrian Hernandez/Gulf News
Dubai: Shops and food outlets located inside the Al Musalla Towers shopping mall in Bur Dubai have been taken by surprise by a management decision to close the mall at 10pm.
Owners of shops and food outlets say they were not given any prior notice about the revised closure of operating hours.
According to the revised timings, the shops will remain open from 10am to 10pm, Saturday to Thursday and 2pm to 10pm on Fridays. Similarly, restaurants in the mall will remain open from 9am to 11pm from Saturday to Thursday and 1pm to 11pm on Fridays.
Gulf News learnt that the ownership of Al Musalla Towers has changed hands. The mall management however, denied claims made by the outlets and said they have been issued with the change of timing notice. Notices are also posted all around the mall and inside elevators.
"This is not true and we have individual receipts," said a mall spokesperson who preferred not to be named. Gulf News spoke to a handful of outlets and visitors. The outlets owners preferred to talk only if their name, as well as their outlet was kept anonymous.
"Shop owners in Al Musalla Tower shopping mall are being harassed by the company in charge without any official notice. The company in charge ... removed benches meant for clients and customers. They have also enforced a closing time of 10pm for the shops and forced shop owners to abide by it," said an outlet operator. Another outlet operator said that the new timings will reduce business.
Providing insight into the positive changes that the Al Musalla management intends to bring to the shopping mall, the spokesperson said: "All the changes that we have introduced inside the mall are done in compliance with and according to rules and regulations of the Dubai Municipality and the Dubai Economic Department."
Share this article
Popular in UAE
-
Your pictures
Readers' pictures
A Selection of the best Gulf News reader pictures this week
