JEDDAH, 20 May 2005 — Jeddah has acquired one more landmark, this time a mega mall, whose opening on Wednesday night was visited by hundreds of shoppers. “It’s a mega mall, because it’s huge and unique in terms of features, facilities, amenities and services,” Anas Saleh Seirafi told a press conference on behalf of the owners of Serafi MegaMall, located at the intersection of Tahlia Road and Sitteen Street.
“It’s one of the most prime locations of the city, where Tahlia and Sitteen streets are considered the most important commercial spines,” Seirafi added. The mega mall has a simple ‘L’ shape design that contains a single four-level retail spine with anchor stores at both ends, a hypermarket that is accessible from the mall along with a separate entrance from the parking area, and an office building on Tahlia Road with its separate entrance and distinct identity.
“These commercial activities depend on and strengthen one another in a coherent and attractive mixed-use development,” Seirafi said, adding that the design also makes full utilization of the adjacent major streets to give the project maximum view and accessibility.
Two hundred stores occupy 50 percent space of the 100,000 sq-m mall. Aside from Danube Hypermarket, which has taken 15,000 sq-m area, it has a fun land — a family entertainment center, a space race section — a bachelors’ car racing and entertainment center, a food court for 25 restaurants, Serafi Business Wings, health and fitness center and, above all, prayer halls for more than 500 persons and parking space for 1,200 cars.
It has made full use of its space with floor plans that provide for car park, hypermarket, retail shops and department stores on ground floor; prayer halls for men and women on first floor; additional car parking area, coffee shops, seating areas, “Ice Rink,” “Fun Land” theme park, and “Space Race” games center, aside from retail shops, on second floor; and food courts, seating areas, fun land theme park, space race, bowling, rock climbing and Go-carting on third floor.
“The SR500 million mega mall is a family owned project,” Seirafi told Arab News. The family already has two malls in Jeddah and one in Makkah. Both Jeddah malls are located in downtown Balad — one with 400 shops and the other with 20 shops and office blocks. The Makkah mall, located in Al-Gazzah district, has 250 shops.
“We’re targeting middle and upper segments of shoppers,” Seirafi said. Asked whether the city has scope for more malls since many have already sprung up, Seirafi said: “There is scope for new malls provided decisions are right on procedures, design, criteria and location.”