In what seems to be a silent but expensive shopping center rivalry in the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi opened Yas Mall in mid November 2014. Located on the man-made Yas Island, construction costs were up to $2 billion.
With a 232,257 square meter footprint, it is the second biggest shopping center in UAE, after Dubai Mall in Dubai. Developed by Aldar Properties, the shopping center hosts over 370 stores, some of which are newbies to Abu Dhabi.
Some of the main attractions include a 20-screen VOX cinema, UAE’s first Lego store, direct access to the Ferrari World theme park and the region’s largest department store, clocking in at a gigantic 18,580 square meters. In order to accommodate all the shoppers, Yas Mall boasts nearly 10,000 covered parking spaces.
Food lovers are in for a treat with a bunch of first food franchises landing in Abu Dhabi, including The Cheesecake Factory, Texas Roadhouse, Angelina Café and Pie Face. In addition to regional chains, there are over 60 international restaurants.
Not so much into cuisine? Yas Mall has a thing or two for all consumers. Whether you’re into sportswear or haute couture, you need to be prepared for a serious shopping tour. Among the firsts to set foot in the UAE are Pottery Barn Teen and Icing; while Muji, West Elm, Jo Malone and River Island are only new to Abu Dhabi. The mall also hosts Joe Fresh, Under Armour, a two-level Go Sports store, Hollister and Brooks Brothers.
But you’ve got to hold your horses if you’re up for clothes shopping as some of the brand shops have not yet opened. Pottery Barn, Versace, Juicy Couture, Candylicious, Under Armour and DKNY are among the stores that have not opened their doors yet.
With aspirations to make every visitor a happy visitor, Yas Mall developers made sure that there are lots of great features for kids as well. Besides a life-size camel made of Lego blocks, the mall hosts Abu Dhabi’s first Hamley’s as well as a red tunnel slide from the second to the ground floor in the Virgin Megastore, for customers to slide down.
Developers predict that there will be around 20 million visitors in its first year, with an average of 50,000 people visiting per a day. Talk about foot traffic.