Dalma Mall signs lease agreements with Apparel Group to open 10 lifestyle stores

Dalma Mall, the largest shopping and lifestyle destination in Abu Dhabi, has signed lease agreements with Apparel Group, an international fashion and lifestyle brand conglomerate, to open 10 outlets featuring an assortment of fashion, footwear and accessories brands in the mall.

Mr Rashid Doleh, Executive Director of Dalma Mall, signed the agreement with Mr Nilesh Ved, Chairman of Apparel Group. As per the agreement, Apparel Group will open 10 stores, which will sprawl over 17,000 sq feet in the mall.

Set to open by the first quarter of the year, the new stores will offer visitors to the mall the opportunity to select from a range of popular high street brands including Aéropostale, Aldo, Aldo Accessories, Bench, Nine West, Charles & Keith, Tim Hortons Coffee, Dune, Naturalizer and Ingot.

Mr Doleh said: “The agreement with Apparel Group underpins the evolution of Dalma Mall as the definitive lifestyle destination in Abu Dhabi offering a large array of retail choices for visitors. We are committed to bringing exceptional global brand experiences to the mall, and Apparel Group’s rich repertoire of popular brands will be a huge draw for Abu Dhabi residents and visitors.”

He added: “Through partnerships such as with Apparel Group, we are focused on creating an ideal tenant mix that will strengthen customer loyalty and repeat visitor footfall. This, in turn, will add value to our retailers, maximising their business and operational efficiencies.”

Mr Ved said: "New store concepts are a crucial part of our mission to satisfy our multicultural customer base and offer them a one of its kind retail experience. On our recent opening of Tim Horton's in Abu Dhabi, we received overwhelming response and believe the launch of our new stores at Dalma Mall will receive the same welcome and will further strengthen our presence in Abu Dhabi. Dalma Mall is strategically located at the heart of the emirate’s expansion corridor and serves as an ideal retail destination for the numerous residential communities mushrooming up in the areas. We appreciate the entry from the mall management and feel it will be an apt location for our key international brand portfolio.”

With over 60 per cent of its total leasable area of 1.6 million sq feet already leased, Dalma Mall has signed strategic partnerships with major groups such as Landmark Group and Al Futtaim, among others. More than 60 outlets are open already including a large Carrefour Hypermarket, Centrepoint, Home Centre, Fun City, Max, Emax and Matalan as well as a host of specialty stores.

Recording an average month-on-month footfall growth of 35 percent, Dalma Mall is all set to register a surge in visitor turnout with a large number of anchor stores opening later this year including Marks and Spencer, BHS and Toys R Us.

Abu Dhabi’s largest Cineplex – the 14-screen CineRoyal Cinemas – offering over 2,200 seats and unprecedented cine-going experiences, has also opened at the mall, underlining its appeal as a must-see shopping and entertainment destination in the UAE capital.