Al-Futtaim’s latest local community shopping project, Festival Plaza, has announced it will open in December 2019. The huge retail precinct covers 64,800 square metres and will serve as a convenient and local lifestyle destination at the centre of the upcoming Wasl Gate community. Bringing to life a new and exciting growth corridor, South Dubai, the project will appeal mainly to the nearby communities including Jebel Ali, Al Furjan, Dubai Marina and commuters from neighboring Abu Dhabi.
Al-Futtaim’s latest shopping destination will be home to much-loved flagship stores including IKEA, ACE, M&S, and a first-to-Dubai entertainment concept. It will also unveil new concept stores from ACE and Lulu Hypermarket. ACE’s newest concept will offer thousands of products and exclusive ranges, as well as an in-store café and garden area. Alongside Lulu and ACE, the neighborhood destination will be host to the second and biggest IKEA store to open in Dubai, spread over a huge 30,000 square metres with an added focus on sustainability and an international training centre for IKEA employees.
Lulu Hypermarket at Festival Plaza will be the first of several New Concept Lulu shops with a whole new look and feel designed by Retail Design of Italy. The new layout will have a big emphasis on food with over 85% of the space allocated to Grocery Food and Fresh Foods. For the first time, Lulu has included seating within the shop to allow customers to be able to consume food straight from the department to maintain the highest quality and freshness. Along with all their usual fresh food counters, Lulu will also introduce Sushi, freshly prepared on site and a Pasta and Pizza counter preparing food the way the customer wants it. For the cheese connoisseur, Lulu will have a cheese room displaying the largest selection of cheese in market. There is also a dedicated area for the vast range of directly sourced and imported, Organic, Gluten Free, Low Fat, Diabetic & Health Foods.
These stores will be joined by over an additional 120 others, as well as complimented by a 500-seat food court, over 40 dining and eating options, a Stay and Play offering, family entertainment Kids Club and over 2,300 parking spaces.
Timothy Earnest, Group Director of Al-Futtaim Malls commented: “Festival Plaza is built around its customers’ needs, which were identified through extensive research; so, this truly is a mall that directly addresses customer demand. The convenience of its location gives it a distinct advantage as well as providing customers with access to anything they may need in their every day lives. With this destination, we are bringing to life the Festival City brand of celebration, but in a lively and convenient way that appeals to the community that surrounds it.”
“As a company with the customer at its core, we look forward to welcoming our customers in December at our world-class offering that focuses on delivering sustainability initiatives utilising technology, as well as convenient services designed for the end-consumer,” he concluded.
Celebrating the fast-paced lifestyle synonymous with Dubai, Al-Futtaim will take an exciting step into technologically advanced retail concepts with its new mall. Festival Plaza will be deploying signature services to offer a convenient and stress-free experience for visitors throughout their journey – from planning their trip via the website, valet parking, digital wayfinding, free Wi-Fi access and home delivery services via IKEA. As part of Al-Futtaim’s commitment to sustainable construction and operations, a state-of-the-art building management system will be implemented with monitoring processes to ensure the asset is operated in the most efficient and optimal capacity. Aligning with the UAE’s commitment to meet its energy and waste targets, the Mall is also designed to support the recycling of as much waste as possible.
With a multitude of retail, dining and entertainment options, Festival Plaza will serve as a convenient and family lifestyle mall easily accessible from Sheikh Zayed Road, fifteen minutes from Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah and a few minutes away from RTA Energy Metro Station.
For more information on the Festival Plaza development, please visit: http://www.dubaifestivalplaza.com/