Malls of the UAE, part 5: Abu Dhabi’s World Trade Centre Mall plans big changes

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The fifth instalment in our occasional mall-ology series drops into Abu Dhabi’s World Trade Centre Mall and finds that it is in the throes of change.

A shopkeeper speaks:

“This is a quiet mall, it gets busier on Thursday evenings and Fridays, but many outlets have closed, I hope the new food court will bring more people.”

– Sales assistant at a ladies fashion retailer

What are the selling points?

It’s a beautiful shopping arena with wooden ceilings and balustrades throughout, the Asian decor is combined with an open urban/industrial centre that allows the lifts and escalators to become a wonderful centrepiece unlike any other in the UAE.

The World Trade Centre Mall opened in November 2014 as part of a mixed-use development that includes the hotel Courtyard By Marriott and the tallest building in Abu Dhabi, the 381-metre Burj Mohammed bin Rashid, as well as the office tower housing Arabtec.

The mall sits on the 12-acre site of Abu Dhabi’s old central market. Developed by Aldar and designed by Foster & Partners, the mall sits in an ultra modern building complex that sits sparkling and new amid a hotch-potch of buildings that bustle to overlook the corniche.

There are a lot of smaller community and specialist malls surrounding the site, however the mall offers five floors of below-level parking that have eased one of downtown Abu Dhabi’s problems.

Tracking footfall

For the amount of traffic outside the mall I was surprised at the lack of customers inside it. I visited the mall between 1pm-4pm on a Wednesday afternoon and was unhindered in my stroll through its corridors. In the shops I visited I almost had personal service such was the lack of custom. The brand new food court, which opened on March 22, was very busy – the mall did have F&B options before but they were spread throughout the different levels of the mall, not perfect if son wants a burger and daughter wants pizza.

There are several stores that have closed throughout the mall but conversations are continuing as to new tenants, says the mall’s general manager, James Waugh. However, one of its anchor tenants, House of Fraser, has also lost its cosmetics concessions from the Chalhoub Group leaving unsightly boarded-up areas on its, most visible, ground floor. The mall offers high end fashion such as Elie Tahiri mixed as well as the functionality of a Spinneys supermarket, covering all bases.

The outlook

The World Trade Centre Mall is refocusing.

Along with the retail mix and new concepts the look of the mall will change with some of the wood taken away replaced by glass and more greenery added to make it a softer shopping environment. The new food court that offers family friendly dining options – including McDonald’s and KFC – is the first block of change, alongside the brand new Tasleeh Shooting entertainment area.

While some parents may find it slightly jarring seeing junior wielding replica weapons such as the M9 automatic rifle, used by the US military, shooting pellets powered by Softair technology – the kids will love it, it is a lot of fun, which I filed under ‘guilty pleasure’ – there is also a Kalashnikov Cafe for that immersive, cordite and bullets experience.

The mall will have a new F&B experience called The Hub, consisting of 5 licensed restaurants, on its upper floors. Jazz@Pizza Express, the first licensed restaurant, has already opened.

There is also a new, Kidzmondo, children’s entertainment complex being opened on the 2nd floor on the souq side of the mall.

The mall has also increased its tourist numbers by busing in visitors from Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal adding 5 months of cruise traffic to its footfall.

“The retail mix in a mall is crucial, but the mall also has to be navigable and understandable,” said Matthew Green, the head of research and consultancy for CBRE. “This is still a relatively new mall so it is still finding its feet. The management has moved quickly to redress areas where they see weakness and that should stimulate more traffic and business.”

Any hidden gems?

While the shooting experience is great fun, sitting in the middle of the food court, it can hardly be said to be hidden. If you want an oasis of calm amid a backdrop of towering buildings then head over to the souq side of the mall and follow the signs for the roof elevators (these are not clear). Once on the roof, among the AC generators there is the Al Rawaq Cafe serving Arabic and western delights in a conservatory or outside on some lounging settees with Shisha served all day.

In conclusion

From a design point of view WTC mall is one of my favourite malls in the UAE. It has not tried to copy other malls but has possibly paid for its individuality.

While footfall is not what it had first expected, the opening of the new food court had boosted daily traffic by 10,000 per day.

The mall management expects a further 10 per cent jump in footfall when all the new changes have been implemented. The car park is set to have better signage and flow to make the mall easier to navigate.

For a mall to gain traction it has to capture its immediate catchment area, with the new changes, WTC mall could well become the choice of downtown Abu Dhabi.

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