Phase 1 of Bahrain's The Avenues mall inaugurated

The Avenues mall in Bahrain is the first of the brand to open outside Kuwait

An outlet of The Avenues mall was inaugurated in Manama by Bahrain's Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander, and First Deputy Prime Minister, HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

The launch makes Bahrain the first country where The Avenues brand has extended outside Kuwait.

Phase 1 of The Avenues in Bahrain comprises the Grand Avenue and the Harbour facilities, and is expected to create 4,000 jobs for Bahrainis.

Worth $159m (BHD60m), the implementation of Phase 1 extended for a period of two years.

Work on Phase 2 of the mall will "commence within months", with completion expected in 2020.

Second-phase works will see the project's west side being completed, and the addition of 30,000m2of leasing space.

The 210-key Hilton Bahrain Bay Hotel and Residences will also be developed during the second phase, with the residences due to be connected to The Avenues.

Comprising 130 retail units, the mall's first phase features 40,000m2of leasable space, half of which is devoted to restaurants and cafés, all of which overlook the Bahrain Bay.

Additional facilities built within the mall include a games hall, 10 cinema halls, parks, walkways, and car parks, Bahrain's state news agency, BNA, reported.

Designed similarly as The Avenues in Kuwait, the project's architecture features a covered roof that allows in sunlight, but blocks out heat.