In pictures: Sharjah’s all-new shopping mall aims for experiences

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The City Centre Al Zahia in Sharjah is not any other mega shopping destination that UAE’s retail sector and its shoppers are all set to welcome. It is the first such mixed-use development to have opened in the new reality that is COVID-19. Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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It’s a mall that has opened as health and safety guidelines remain entrenched. Definitions of how well the mall is operating will be based on not just the shopper traffic it will attract but in how well their safety is taken care of. Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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In this regard, the 1.36 million square feet that the mall covers provide the space and spacing that today’s socially-responsible shopping and leisure environment needs. Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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The project, owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim Group, has worked on the entertainment options to ensure that the in-mall offerings are not just another add-on. In April, there will be the introduction of a nine-hole mini golf course to keep an older generation of visitors busy. Above, shoppers at Carrefour. Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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“Our new concepts, such as a first-of-its-kind interactive mini golf, are designed to capture the growing experience-seeking consumer base and allow for strong transversal users including adults,” said Cameron Mitchell, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas and Majid Al Futtaim Leisure & Entertainment. Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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The 16-screen multiplex comes with two MAX mega-screens - including the largest cinema screen in Sharjah. Above, Vox Cinemas at City Centre Al Zahia. Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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And there will be a lot of adults and kids that the City Centre Al Zahia can cater to. The mall is targeting a potential audience of 1.9 million residents in the general vicinity, and whose numbers will further rise with the completion of the Al Zahia residential community, being developed by Majid Al Futtaim through a joint venture. Above, Magic Planet at City Centre Al Zahia. Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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“VOX Cinemas City Centre Al Zahia marks our fourth cinema opening across the region in the wake of COVID-19,” said Mitchell. “Cinemagoers have demonstrated time and time again the desire to experience the shared, exhilarating and unrivalled experience of watching a movie on the big screen. The recent reopening of movie theatres in Los Angeles and New York, is a major step towards recovery of the box office.” Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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In the coming weeks, the retailers will be taking their places, occupying more than 300 outlets. The expectation is that the newness and the sheer breadth of new offerings would bring in the initial visitor numbers, and which will then repeat itself. Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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Shoppers at the Carrefour Hypermarket at City Centre Al Zahia. Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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VOX Cinemas, Magic Planet and Bowling have opened in compliance with government guidelines. These include strict sanitisation and physical distancing measures. Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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Even when COVID-19 turns into a distant memory – and an unwelcome one at that – malls, retailers and shoppers will have to live with its legacy. As the UAE’s first shopping and leisure destination to open during a time of the pandemic, the City Centre Al Zahia throws down a marker for the future. The future of retai. Above, visitors watch as artists playing Tom & Jerry tunes. Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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Fuad Sharaf — Managing Director, UAE Shopping Malls, Majid Al Futtaim Properties during a media tour of City Centre Al Zahia. Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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Classic cars on display at City Centre Al Zahia, Sharjah. Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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Magic Planet, which spans over two floors. Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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Bowling centre with an eight-lane bowling alley, digital scorekeeping computers and video simulations. Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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A visitor admires artworks displayed at The Studio in City Centre Al Zahia. Image Credit: Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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