A new high-end shopping center on Al Sadd St. is gearing up for an end-of-September launch, and will contain an organic grocery store, several restaurants and two indoor souqs focused on gold and jewelry, according to a mall official.
Most of the stores inside the two-story Al Sadd Mall – located near Royal Plaza, on the north side of Al Sadd St., roughly halfway between C-Ring Road and Al Waab Street/Jawaan Street – will be single-brand retailers opening their first outlet in the country, said general manager Bashir Jama.
“We’re not taking any duplicate brands that are in Qatar already,” he told Doha News on a tour of the mall this month.
While the common areas appear to be largely completed, most of the stores were observed to still be in base building condition, with unfinished floors, exposed overhead ductwork and plastered stone walls.
Confirmed retailers include French skincare treatment center LPG Systems and fashion and diamond retailer Laodicea City.
On the restaurant front, the mall will include Puro Ristorante, an Italian eatery known for its “pure” white decor punctuated by black accessories and elaborate artwork. Additionally, Jama said he’s in talks with three-star Michelin chef Heinz Beck, who oversees several restaurants, including Social in Dubai.
Jama said he was unable to mention other specific stores, but added that the shopping center is expected to also include an organic grocery store, a bakery, cosmetics and clothing retailers, a children’s salon, coffee shops as well as multiple gold and jewelry kiosks clustered into “souq” areas on the upper floor.
Competition
The new Al Sadd Mall – owned by Mubarak Al Hajri and developed by Said Al-Sharan Trading & Contracting Co. – is one of several new shopping center under construction across the country that, when combined, would nearly quadruple the current amount of organized retail space in Doha.
Though Qatar’s population is growing at a rapid clip, new retail developments are coming up even faster. That means that the city’s supply of shopping space could begin to outstrip demand from merchants as early as this year, according to a 2013 report published by real estate services firm Colliers International.
Jama said approximately 80 percent of the center’s roughly 27,000 square meters of leasable space has already been rented. In terms of the mall’s size, it has roughly a quarter of the space of City Center Mall, which has 120,000 square meters of leasable property.
Al Sadd Mall is much smaller than many of the shopping centers under construction, which Jama said will work to its advantage. Visitors would be able to reach shops more quickly and easily, avoiding long walks through parking lots with loaded shopping trolleys.
However, Jama said his facility’s most important competitive advantage is its location.
“We’re at the heart of a residential center and a business center … This is the heart of Doha. Everybody goes through this (area),” he said.
In addition to the heavy vehicle and foot traffic that Al Sadd Street sees, Qatar Rail is building a metro station less than a block away as part of the east-west Gold Line running between the airport and Villaggio Mall.
Jama said a consultant found a sufficient number of middle and high-income expat and local households in the area to support the luxury shopping center. He added he also expects to draw guests staying at hotels in the vicinity, which include La Cigale, the Wyndham Grand Regency and the Millennium Hotel.
“There isn’t a better location to have a mall than here,” Jama said, contrasting it with other new shopping centers under construction on the outskirts of Doha.
He added that the shopping center’s scheduled fall opening is just the development’s first phase. Plans are also in the works to add a five-star hotel connected to the mall in a pair of vertical extension of up to seven stories.
Jama said a hotel operator has not yet been selected.
Thoughts?
“Pure” because it is a white restauran, just that I believe it is pure, just in the color…..because pure Italian I doubt it, because that stays in Italy like pure Spanish in Spain. Heinz Beck in Doha after years of winning with La Pergola at Hilton??? Por favooooor!!! I hope he’s smart enough not to start anything here for the “incredible” Al Sadd Mall. Any chef would swap Al Sadd Mall for HIlton in Rome!
check out the prices for the menu items at “Puro” in Italy. Entrees starting at 60 riyals? Mains for about 100 riyals? I remain to be convinced that people will pay that to eat at an Italian restaurant in the suburbs.
I don’t know Puro, but Puro is nothing compared to the famous Heinz Beck’s restaurant. That’s why I jumped on the chair when I read it. Beck doesn’t do shows like Hell Kitchen or things like that. He does not need. It is like saying that El Bulli of Adria’ Ferrran in Cataluña decides to open an extra place in Doha for molecular cuisine!!!!….c’mon let’s be realistic.
As per prizes, gourmet places in Italy like in Spain and France are expensive, not surprised. And in fact, like you, I think they won’t have a full booked restaurant here in a mall of international Al Sadd street….plus, how to get ingredients without having trouble with the Customs?….the nightmare of all restaurant managers and chefs! This is not Dubai, if they want to emulate it, then they should take the full package option!
I don’t know Puro, but Puro is nothing compared to the famous Heinz
Beck’s restaurant. That’s why I jumped on the chair when I read it. Beck
doesn’t do shows like Masterchef or things like that. He does not
need. It is like saying that El Bulli of Adria’ Ferrran in Cataluña
decides to open an extra place in Doha for molecular
cuisine!!!!….c’mon let’s be realistic.
As per prizes, gourmet
places in Italy like in Spain and France are expensive, not surprised.
And in fact, like you, I think they won’t have a full booked restaurant
here in a mall of international Al Sadd street….plus, how to get
ingredients without having trouble with the Customs?….the nightmare of
all restaurant managers and chefs! This is not Dubai, if they want to
emulate it, then they should take the full package option!
I’m loving the shot of the escalators. Now that really is ‘news’..
I love the statement “Visitors will be able to reach shops more quickly and easily, avoiding long walks through parking lots with loaded trolleys”. Visitors wont be able to get within 2 kilometres of the place at peak times and after 5pm. That area of Al Saad has to be one of the most congested areas of Doha. The roads can’t cope with what is there, so anyone wanting to go will have to park 2 to 3 kilometres away anyway. Secondly Im not sure which country the statement maker is in, but anyone shopping for high end jewels and gold doesn’t wheel shopping trolleys. Hey also they don’t drive, they will just have their driver pull up at an entrance, after sitting in traffic for 40 minutes to move 3 kilometres, then hold up traffic for 5 mins whilst they slowly alight as if they are walking the red carpet at the oscars! How, with the lack of road infrastructure in the area, the volume of traffic was this ever allowed….
Zero city planning. That is how.
Too right. But From what I see what would be the point of having planning permits etc, as it could all be bypassed depending on who you are, so why bother.
how come so far the mall has been empty since it was finished? Because the rents there are absurd. Oh wait, for high end shopping you can leave the wheel shopping trolleys outside the “Puro” restaurant….très chic!
yep from what my naked eye has told me it has been finished for near 18 months
No matter how hard I try I just can’t accept restaurants in a shopping malls are the real deal….so tacky.
agree with you!
Yawn
Really ? Has the silly season started in Doha already ?
It’s got a very art deco feel to it. Wouldn’t it be great if Betty’s of Harrogate opened a grand tea room serving Earl Grey and large Rascals!
Hmmm, not sure about the elevated cat litters though.
Hahahahahahahahhahahaha … Elevated cat litter.. I had to look for it.. You can’t unsee it
They must be anticpating some pretty big cats!
Only the big cats shop at high end gold and jewel stores
Bachelor days?
Is this an advertisement?
More like a desperate please for tenants / shoppers……
Ooops that should have read
more like a desperate plea for tenants / shoppers….