MAJID Al Futtaim’s City Centre Muscat, the first and largest lifestyle shopping destination in Oman owned and operated by the region’s leading shopping mall, retail, and leisure pioneer across the Middle East and North Africa, opened last Wednesday the final phase of its OMR35 million expansion, under the patronage of Ahmed Bin Nasser Bin Hamed Al Mahrizi, Oman’s Minister of Tourism.
City Centre Muscat’s redevelopment – known as #CCMTatweer – has added 10,000 sqm to the Sultanate’s largest and most successful retail and family entertainment destination. A team of almost 1,000 people contributed 1.7 million manhours of work on City Centre Muscat’s expansion, all while the mall remained fully operational for existing retailers and visitors. Through its expansion, City Centre Muscat has created up to 1,350 new jobs for the community.
City Centre Muscat now features 60 new shopping stores, including 12 fashion, lifestyle, and F&B brands making their debut in Oman. International brands now open include Virgin Megastore, Bershka, American Eagle Outfitters, Koton, F&F fashion accessories, New Look, Guess Accessories, Lovisa, and handmade cosmetics Lush, all coming to Oman for the first time. Food and beverage outlets making their debut in the Sultanate include Köşebaşı Turkish restaurant, Ahwak Arabic restaurant, and Shake Shack, New York’s burger specialist.
“Serving as the launch platform for new brands in Oman, elevating our customer experience to the highest level, and innovating in design were among City Centre Muscat’s key aims in expanding and enhancing the mall – a tangible example of creating great moments for everyone, everyday,” said Husam Al Mandhari, Senior Mall Manager for City Centre Muscat. “City Centre Muscat is delivering a world-class retail and entertainment experience that resonates with residents as well as Oman’s growing number of tourists.”
Today’s official opening completes a 12-month journey for City Centre Muscat, which earlier saw the launch of a 10-screen VOX Cinemas alongside the renovation of Magic Planet, and the mall’s food court dining area. To enhance City Centre Muscat’s accessibility, the mall added 700 parking spaces and modified its car park for easier traffic flow.
In addition to creating an entirely new retail extension to broaden the mall’s range of fashion and lifestyle options, City Centre Muscat invested significantly in infrastructure and design elements to create a seamless look and feel between the existing and new parts of its facility.
Contemporary flooring, more natural lighting (complemented by an ecologically sustainable LED lighting system), and updated ceiling structures have created a premium look and feel. The mall’s architecture pays tribute to the traditions of Oman combined with a modern, fresh aesthetic, including enhanced facilities such as prayer rooms and restrooms throughout.
“City Centre Muscat’s new look, feel and size underscores its status as the leading lifestyle destination in the Sultanate, and a key asset for Majid Al Futtaim to support the needs of the communities we serve in the GCC. As Oman’s retail landscape continues to grow and the country attracts both new residents and tourists, our goal is to find additional opportunities to develop and deliver world-class destinations for these communities,” said Fuad Mansoor Sharaf, Senior Director – Property Management at Majid Al Futtaim Properties.
To celebrate the mall’s expansion, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the City Centre brand from Majid Al Futtaim in the region, a range of compelling activities for all audiences will take place throughout the month. City Centre Muscat will reveal a striking mall-wide display to commemorate the 45th Oman National Day on Nov. 18 . Aspiring Omani Singer Nasr Al Sulaimi, accompanied by musicians, will perform the country’s national anthem as well as both original and well-loved hits at City Centre Muscat on Nov. 20.
The ‘Art of C’ – a cultural program developed in association with The Omani Society for Fine Arts (OSFA), will unveil artworks from some of Oman’s most respected artists, celebrating the country’s 11 governorates, also as part of City Centre Muscat’s national day program. Finally, the last week of November will attract Oman’s most fashionable and beauty-centric shoppers as the mall hosts catwalk shows and make-up workshops to present new collections and industry trends on Nov. 26-28. — SG
