Work begins on key Oman retail destination

Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall and leisure pioneer in the Middle East and North Africa, has started work on its Mall of Oman, a super-regional retail destination coming up in the sultanate, said a report. The mall is located at Madinat Al Irfan, the new central business hub being developed by Omran near Muscat International Airport. When completed by 2020, the Mall of Oman is set to become the biggest shopping destination of its kind in the sultanate hosting an estimated 350 outlets set on a retail space of over 135,000 sq m area, reported the Oman Observer. Major attractions will include a giant snow park, Vox Cinemas complex, and the nation’s largest store of the Abercrombie & Fitch apparel and lifestyle brand, it stated. Recently, a joint venture of Shapoorji Pallonji Middle East and Consolidated Contractors Company Oman (SP-CCC) were appointed as the main contractor for the Mall of Oman, according to the report. Initial enabling works, representing Phase One of the project, are being undertaken by local Omani firm Sarooj Construction. Besides major earthworks and utility diversions, the contract also entails the construction of road infrastructure providing access to the site just off Muscat Expressway,