Abu Dhabi's Yas Mall Sign Five Retail Brands

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Abu Dhabi-based Aldar Properties announced today that five major UAE retail groups representing a large number of leading global brands have committed to Yas Mall. Aldar has also unveiled new details about the development's unique design that will make Yas Mall one of the most exciting retail deliveries to hit the UAE.

Five of the UAE's leading retail groups - Landmark Group, Dubai Holding Group, M.H. Alshaya Co, RSH (Middle East) LLC and Liwa Trading Enterprises - have all committed to Yas Mall, taking confirmed leasing to over 40%. These firms' leading brands will join Géant Hypermarket, ACE Hardware and the already open IKEA, with advanced negotiations also underway with a number of major regional and international brands.

Fred Douglas, Director of Retail Leasing at Aldar said, "The design for Yas Mall combines critical commercial success factors from the world's best retail destinations to help create a destination that re-defines the modern shopping centre in the Middle East."

Yas Mall will feature 235,000m2 of retail trading area. It has been designed as a series of neighborhoods to create a sense of pedestrian scale, combined with the look, feel and detail of the world's most exciting shopping streets and civic spaces.

Convenience is a distinguishing feature of Yas Mall. The mall is positioned in the centre of four parking structures with visitor access directly into four connected shopping neighborhoods that form a square circulation pattern.

At the heart of Yas Mall is the Town Square, a vibrant and exciting meeting place. Featuring restaurants, coffee shops and other communal areas, the Town Square is surrounded by striking double height stores across two levels. Yas Mall's avenues are linked to scenic courtyards featuring exciting public art displays that both bring Yas Mall to life whilst also helping shoppers to find their way.

Yas Mall will also be connected to Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the world's first Ferrari theme park, via the Welcome Pavilion and Cascade Walk, blending dynamic internal and external space with its fountains, lights and music.

With direct road links to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Ain and the surrounding residential communities and dedicated junctions to take visitors directly to the 10,000 covered car parking spaces, as well as provision for the mass transit systems planned for the area, Yas Mall will be one of the most accessible retail centers in the region.

Mohamed Al Mubarak, Deputy CEO and Chief Commercial Officer of Aldar told the World Property Channel, "Yas Mall is set to transform the UAE's retail experience. Following our delivery of the IKEA store earlier this year, we are thrilled to be pushing forward once more in the development of this exciting superregional mall. The commitment shown to Yas Mall by some of the UAE's leading retail groups is a fantastic endorsement of what we are looking to achieve here."

The major new retail development on Yas Island set to open in Q4 2013.

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