Emaar strengthens ‘Rent To Own’ portfolio

Dubai, UAE; May 28, 2009: Emaar Properties has unveiled a new portfolio of homes in its Rent to Own scheme within the Downtown Burj Dubai community. Customers can lease the ready-to-live-in residences for one year before making a purchase option, with the entire rent for the first year going towards the down payment. They can renew the rental lease if they do not decide to purchase the home after one year.

The Rent to Own scheme, launched by Emaar in November 2008, has gained strong response from customers, who benefit from the convenience of staying in a home of their choice for one year before making a purchase decision. With the entire rent of the year going towards down payment, the scheme also presented a financially beneficial option.

The residences showcased as part of the programme are located in the residential clusters of The Old Town, Old Town Island, South Ridge and The Residences, all established communities with an array of lifestyle amenities. South Ridge and The Residences are impressive high-rise towers while The Old Town and Old Town Island feature elegant Arabesque architectural features.

All the homes have upgraded finishes and offer prime views of the 500-acre Downtown Burj Dubai, described as the new heart of the city. The newly released units include one- to five-bedroom apartments with either large terraces or balconies. The Old Town, Old Town Island, The Residences and South Ridge are all centrally located in Downtown Burj Dubai.

Mr Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director – UAE, Emaar Properties, said new units are being included in the scheme following the strong customer response to the programme. “The diverse collection of newly released units offers customers the convenient option to own a home in one of Dubai’s most sought-after communities after experiencing the lifestyle differential for one year.”

A must-visit attraction for tourists and offering an unparalleled lifestyle choice for residents, Downtown Burj Dubai is the newest social and commercial hub of Dubai featuring world-class hotels, shopping malls and several globally renowned landmarks.

All homes offered as part of the Rent to Own scheme are near Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building, and residents only need to take a short stroll to watch The Dubai Fountain, the world’s tallest performing fountain and a spectacle that performs to popular Arabic and World music.


The Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination, is also in close proximity to the four residential clusters. The mall, with 1,200 retail stores and 160 F&B outlets, has several leisure choices including Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo with 33,000 aquatic animals; the Olympic-sized Dubai Ice Rink and The Waterfall, a spectacular water feature that traverses four levels of the mall.

Residents also have easy access to Souk Al Bahar, a modern shopping and F&B destination designed in Arabesque fashion. Downtown Burj Dubai already has four premium hotels – The Address Downtown Burj Dubai, The Palace – The Old Town, Al Manzil and Qamardeen. Another huge draw in the community is the Emaar Boulevard, one of the world’s finest boulevards that recently hosted the first-ever Burj Dubai Classic Car Show.

“With the opening of The Dubai Mall and the addition of leisure attractions such as The Dubai Fountain and Emaar Boulevard, visitor traffic to Downtown Burj Dubai has increased considerably. This has further driven rental demand in the community,” said Mr Matrooshi.

Emaar is showcasing three model homes for customers to make an informed rental decision after evaluating the finishes and amenities. They can also visit the Emaar Sales Centre at Emaar Square or call toll-free 800-EMAAR (36227) for more details.

Downtown Burj Dubai can be easily accessed from Sheikh Zayed Road and Financial Centre Road (Doha Street) and offers easy access to the financial nerve-centres of the city.

14 dazzling performances of The Dubai Fountain daily

Dubai, UAE; May 28, 2009: The Dubai Mall Waterfront Promenade attracts thousands of visitors daily for the dazzling performances of The Dubai Fountain, the world’s tallest-performing fountain. Starting from 6pm, there are 14 daily performances until 11pm.

The Dubai Fountain currently performs six songs at varying intervals including ‘Sama Dubai,’ the tribute of Emaar Properties to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. ‘Sama Dubai’ describes the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and marks the first time that an Emirati song has been choreographed for a fountain.

The other songs to which the fountain sways in perfect sync are ‘Dhoom Thana,’ a super-hit Hindi film song from the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Om Shanti Om;’ ‘Baba Yetu,’ an award-winning song in Swahili composed by Christopher Tin for the computer game ‘Civilization IV;’ the Arab world’s top-selling dance number ‘Shik Shak Shok’ by Hassan Abou El Seoud; and the signature piece of world-renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, ‘Con te partiro’ (Time to Say Goodbye).

Mr Nasser Rafi, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Malls Group, said: “As Dubai’s newest tourist attraction, The Dubai Fountain continues to draw thousands of people every week to The Dubai Mall Waterfront Promenade. The timing of the fountain’s performance has been managed to enable visitors to stroll through the mall and return for repeat viewings.”

The fountain performance starts at 6pm with performances every half-hour until 8pm. Between 8pm and 11pm, music-water displays occur every 20 minutes. Located on Burj Dubai Lake, the world’s tallest performing fountain shoots water jets as high as 500 ft (150 metres), equivalent to that of a 50-storey building.

The Dubai Fountain is 900 ft (275 metres) long and has five circles of varying sizes and two central arcs. It has been designed by California-based WET, the creators of the Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas. Over 6,600 WET Superlights – the most advanced incandescent large fountain lights available today – and 25 colour projectors create a visual spectrum of over 1,000 abstract attractions.

The Dubai Mall hosts 3 million visitors over month-long shopping festival

Dubai, UAE; May 28, 2009: The Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination, hosted three million visitors over the one-month long shopping and entertainment extravaganza, which concludes today (Friday, May 29, 2009). Festival@The Dubai Mall attracted more than 750,000 visitors every week, strengthening sales across the mall’s 900 retail and F&B outlets.

Marking the formal opening of the mall by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, the Festival@The Dubai Mall offered a diverse bouquet of bargain deals on global brands, ‘Win Millions’ raffles, Bid 2 Win auctions for premium products, a Grand Bentley draw and mall-wide entertainment. One of the spectacular attractions during the festival was the unveiling of The Dubai Fountain, the world’s tallest performing fountain.

Today (May 29, 2009), one lucky winner will get AED 1 million in cash prize at the ‘Win Millions’ raffle. The Grand Bentley draw for the luxurious, four-door Bentley Continental Flying Spur will also be held, adding to the prize bonanzas offered on the final day. The mall will come alive to a spectacular display of entertainment as several performers come together for a grand finale. Apart from daily entertainment programmes, the mall has also hosted more than 100 fashion shows during the festival at the newly inaugurated Fashion Catwalk at the Fashion Avenue.

Mr Nasser Rafi, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Malls Group, said: “We have achieved the objectives of hosting the Festival@The Dubai Mall, which were to enhance visitors and strengthen sales at our retail outlets. To draw over 3 million visitors in one month is a testament to the success of the mall as well as the city’s global reputation as a premier tourist destination.”

He added: “The Festival@The Dubai Mall has been a confidence booster for the economy, and offered customers a perfect continuum of shopping and entertainment spectacles from Dubai Shopping Festival to the Dubai Summer Surprises, which will start shortly. We are thankful to all our partners for their support, particularly to the Dubai Shopping Festival Office.”

With a total cash prize of AED 3.1 million apart, The Festival@The Dubai Mall has set a new benchmark in mall-wide entertainment with the spectacular array of leisure attractions. The Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, a popular attraction at the mall, introduced Shark Dives for the adventurous, offering the opportunity to dive into the 11 metre deep aquarium and surf the waters with sand tiger sharks and rays. The Olympic-sized Dubai Ice Rink introduced ‘Disco on Ice’ with an in-house DJ belting out popular music and the Fashion Catwalk was abuzz with haute couture events.

The Festival@The Dubai Mall is supported by Dubai Media Inc, Arab Media Group and The Address Hotels + Resorts, a part of Emaar Hospitality Group.

UAE Nationals dominate The Dubai Mall raffle winners

Dubai, UAE; May 27, 2009: The ‘Win Millions’ raffle at Festival@The Dubai Mall has a clear domination by UAE Nationals, who have won 40 daily raffles for AED 10,000 each and one weekly draw for AED 100,000 with only two days remaining for the shopping and entertainment extravaganza to conclude.

Three expatriates – an Iranian, South African and Pakistani each – also won AED 100,000 each at the weekly draws. The Iranian expatriate, Mr Kaveh Oyar Hosseini also got AED 50,000 as bonus prize money for being present in the mall during the draw. The grand draw for AED 1 million will be held on the closing day of the Festival on Friday (May 29, 2009).

Mr Nasser Rafi, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Malls Group, said: “The winner profile of Festival@The Dubai Mall highlights the cosmopolitan character of Dubai. Apart from the UAE nationals, the daily winners of over 100 customers at the mall include nationals from the Middle East, Europe, the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, CIS countries and USA.”

He added: “The multi-cultural profile of winners also highlights the appeal of The Dubai Mall to people of all nationalities, several of them tourists. The chief draw of the mall as a shopping destination is the diversity of choices it offers, with over 900 outlets including several flagship and Middle East debuts of the world’s leading brands.”

To participate in the Win Millions raffles, customers only have to spend AED 500 at any of the retail and/or F&B outlets. They also get bargain deals from participating outlets.
The month-long Festival@The Dubai Mall, also featuring a Grand Bentley raffle and mall-wide entertainment, will conclude on May 29. It is supported by Dubai Media Inc, Arab Media Group and The Address Hotels + Resorts, a part of Emaar Hospitality Group

Final day prize bonanza at Festival@The Dubai Mall: AED 1 million and Bentley car up for grabs

Dubai, UAE; May 27, 2009: One lucky shopper will win the grand prize of AED 1 million on Friday (May 29, 2009) as Festival@The Dubai Mall, the month-long shopping and entertainment extravaganza at the world’s largest shopping and leisure destination, draws to a close.

The Grand Bentley raffle draw for a luxurious, four-door Bentley Continental Flying Spur will also be held on May 29, adding to the excitement of the closing day celebration. Several entertainers will join in the mall-wide entertainment in a fitting grand finale of the family festival that has attracted thousands of visitors over four weeks.

Mr Nasser Rafi, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Malls Group, said: “The Festival@The Dubai Mall is one of the most unique mall-wide retail promotion events ever undertaken in Dubai. The total cash prize package of AED 3.1 million adds to the excitement of shopping with visitors having the extensive choice of 900 retail stores including 160 F&B outlets.”

He added: “The closing day will be a bonanza with two grand draws – one for AED 1 million in the Win Millions raffle, and the other for the Bentley car. Two lucky winners will join over 100 lucky customers, who have already won cash prizes ranging from AED 10,000 to AED 150,000.”

Visitors to The Dubai Mall can enter the ‘Win Millions’ raffle for the AED 1 million draw and a daily draw of AED 10,000 on Thursday, by spending a total of AED 500 in any of the retail and/or F&B outlet, while also availing of bargain deals from the participating outlets. They can collect the raffle coupons from the customer service desks.

Raffle coupons for the Grand Bentley draw are sold out. Only 5,000 tickets, each priced AED 200, were on sale to win the coveted Bentley Continental Flying Spur. Ticket-holders also have access to the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo walk-through tunnel for closer encounters with the 33,000 aquatic animals.

The Festival@The Dubai Mall also featured Bid 2 Win, an innovative auction for premium products; bargain deals on various global brands and mall-wide entertainment. It is supported by Dubai Media Inc, Arab Media Group and The Address Hotels + Resorts, a part of Emaar Hospitality Group.

Grand Bentley raffle draw on closing day of Festival@The Dubai Mall

Dubai, UAE; May 24, 2009: The much-awaited Grand Bentley raffle draw will be held on the closing day of the Festival@The Dubai Mall on May 29, 2009. The Grand Bentley draw is one of the key attractions of the month-long shopping and entertainment extravaganza at the mall.

Only 5,000 tickets, each priced AED 200, were offered for sale for the Grand Bentley raffle. The lucky winner will get a luxurious, four-door Bentley Continental Flying Spur, which is currently displayed in the mall. Winners can also opt for a buy-back guarantee on the car.

Mr Nasser Rafi, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Malls Group, said: “The Grand Bentley raffle was one of the talking point events of the Festival@The Dubai Mall. With all 5,000 tickets already sold out, we will host the draw on the closing day of the festival.”

He added: “The Festival@The Dubai Mall has been a strong crowd-puller to the mall drawing over 750,000 people every week. The various opportunities to win millions of dirhams apart from the Bentley further added to visitor appeal.”

The Grand Bentley raffle ticket also offered the free access for ticket-holders to The Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo walk-through tunnel for closer encounters with the 33,000 aquatic animals.

Mr Bob Ferguson, a Scottish visitor to the UAE, is looking forward to the results of the Grand Bentley raffle. “I bought the raffle coupon as a birthday gift for my friend. I have not won at raffles but I believe that my friend, who lives here, will be lucky and get to take home the Bentley.”

A self-confessed luxury-car enthusiast and Egyptian expatriate resident in Dubai, Mr Sami Elgabri has also entered the raffle on behalf of his friend. “The Bentley Continental Flying Spur is a dream car, and all its aspects are perfectly finished. It will make a perfect car to own,” he said.

The Festival@The Dubai Mall also features Bid 2 Win, an innovative auction for premium products; bargain deals on various global brands and mall-wide entertainment. It is supported by Dubai Media Inc, Arab Media Group and The Address Hotels + Resorts, a part of Emaar Hospitality Group.

AED 20 billion investment in The Dubai Mall drives retail growth and creates 10,000 new jobs in Dubai

Dubai, UAE; May 17, 2009: Emaar Malls Group and its retailer partners have together invested AED 20 billion to develop the world’s largest shopping mall and create 10,000 new jobs.

The Dubai Mall is the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination covering 12 million square feet, equivalent to 200 football fields. And soaring visitor numbers are driving business, with mall retailers reporting a 33 per cent jump in sales from December to April, said Mr Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties, in an interview with Pan Arab television station Al Arabiya.

The Dubai Mall is also now the region’s single largest new employment generator, creating 10,000 jobs this year. Retailers have created an estimated 7,500 jobs and Emaar Malls Group has hired thousands more people to work in management, operations, sales, marketing, security, parking and other services.

Mr. Alabbar said: “The Dubai Mall is a catalyst for Dubai’s economy, driving the retail sector and employment. The formal opening of the mall on May 8, 2009, by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, attracted a record 160,000 visitors – over 10 per cent of the city’s population. With 750,000 visitors every week during the Festival@The Dubai Mall, the mall is on course to achieve annual visitor traffic of 37 million.”

“The Dubai Mall is one of the most significant investments in retailing in the world. It has introduced 165 new retail brands and concepts into the Middle East and unveiled flagship stores of international brands. The world famous department stores Galeries Lafayette and Bloomingdale’s are making their Middle East debut at the mall. This reflects the strength of Dubai’s retail sector and the appeal of The Dubai Mall to the global retail industry,” explained Mr. Alabbar.

According to recent research by CB Richard Ellis, Dubai is the fourth most-attractive city for international retailers next only to London, Paris and New York City. The study mapped the global footprint of 280 of the world’s top retailers across 67 countries. It revealed that 46 per cent of these global retailers are in Dubai compared to London (60 per cent), Paris (49 per cent) and New York (47 per cent).

With 1,200 retailers, The Dubai Mall has the largest collection of international brand names under one roof. If all the shop fronts were lined up, they would stretch 23 kilometres. More than 900 shops are already open, and the remaining 300 will open in the next three months. Visitors can also choose from an array of international cuisine at two food courts with a total seating capacity of 3,000. The mall also has over 14,000 car parking spaces.

Leisure attractions at the mall include The Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo featuring over 33,000 aquatic animals including sharks and rays, and with the world’s largest acrylic viewing panel and a walk-through tunnel; the Olympic-sized Dubai Ice-Rink; and The Waterfall, an indoor spectacle that traverses the four floors of the mall. The daily shows at The Dubai Fountain are an added draw for visitors.

Located on the 30-acre Burj Dubai Lake, The Dubai Fountain is the world’s tallest performing fountain. Designed by California-based WET, the creators of the Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas, The Dubai Fountain is over 900 ft (275 metres) in length. It features powerful water nozzles which shoot water sprays to heights of over 500 ft (150 metres) – equivalent to that of a 50-storey building. Over 6,600 WET Superlights – the most advanced incandescent large fountain lights available today - and 25 colour projectors will create a visual spectrum of over 1,000 different water expressions that will appeal to visitors.

Other entertainment features opening in the next three months include KidZania®, an innovative children’s ‘edu-tainment’ concept that is being introduced to the region for the first time; SEGA Republic, a 76,000 sq-ft indoor theme park; and the 22-screen REEL Cinemas with a total capacity of 2,800 seats.

More retail therapy is AED 1 million wish-list of shoppers

Dubai, UAE; May 18, 2009: With only 10 days to go for the grand draw for AED 1 million, marking the grand finale of Festival@The Dubai Mall, visitors are flocking to the mall to enter the Win Millions raffle. By 29 May, a total of AED 3.1 million worth in prize money would have been won by shoppers during the month-long retail and entertainment extravaganza.

Since the festival began, over 90 lucky shoppers, from 24 different countries have won prizes ranging from AED 10,000 to AED 150,000. The Middle East, Europe, USA and Asia have all been represented, with UAE Nationals being the most frequent winners.

Shoppers are excited about the prospect of winning AED 1 million, and most of them have more retail spend on their wish-list if they happen to win the grand prize.

Palestinian National Ali Yasin, 26, would love to buy a sail boat. “I would also like to travel the world especially to South America for the culture, Africa for the nature and Antarctica for the nothingness that exists there. The idea of traveling or sailing into nothing is very appealing. And if I still have any remaining money I would buy all sorts of gifts for my family.”

Lebanese Bride-to-be, Amal Fayad, 24, said: “Oh, I would buy so many things with a million dirhams right now. First I would throw a bigger wedding in Lebanon, buy more clothes, and travel to more destinations for my honeymoon and of course I would save more money for our future life together.”

Saqib Iqbal, a stock broker from Los Angeles who was on vacation in Dubai said: “I would invest all the money is stocks because now is the time when you can buy cheap and then can sell at a higher price.”

On the festivities at The Dubai Mall he said, “It is awesome. The mall is huge and so much bigger than what we have in LA. I would come again to Dubai…definitely.”

Launched on April 30, 2009, Festival@The Dubai Mall is a month-long retail extravaganza with bargain deals, raffle draws and colourful entertainment regaling visitors. Customers spending an aggregate amount of AED 500 at the retail and F&B outlets over the festival period can collect raffle coupons to participate in the Win Millions draw.

In addition to five daily draws for AED 10,000, a weekly draw for AED 100,000 is held every Saturday with the winners standing to gain a bonus of AED 50,000 if they are present at the mall during the draw. The final draw will be held on May 29, at 10pm, where one lucky winner will win AED 1 million.

Festival@The Dubai Mall is supported by Dubai Media Inc, Arab Media Group and The Address Hotels + Resorts, Emaar Hospitality Group’s five star hotel brand.

Polish skating artist puts a smile on little faces at Festival@ The Dubai Mall

Dubai, UAE; May 12, 2009: Bartosz Krygiel, a student pilot from Poland and a skating artist at heart, is enjoying his time in Dubai entertaining children at the Festival@The Dubai Mall, the month long festival which has added a colourful tinge to Dubai’s summer.

Bartosz learned skating as a child and has been a professional skater for the last three years. He is a member of the Warsaw city skating team and has taken part in roller skating and figure skating championships.

“In Poland, skating is very common, we skate in all weather. It is great exercise and an environment friendly way to get around. Skating is a national pastime for us and there are many competitions to encourage skating enthusiasts. Hopefully, we should see more skating activities in Dubai soon; there is definitely great enthusiasm for it.”

A first time visitor to the emirate, Bartosz is intrigued by the magnificent buildings, highways and pristine beaches in Dubai.

“I have never seen anything like this city, it amazes me. When I received the invitation to take part in Festival@The Dubai Mall, I was intrigued by the opportunity to visit Dubai, so I called up the organisers and here I am entertaining the little children and other visitors to the festival.“

Bartosz and his colleagues perform the ‘Comic Roller Action’ in The Dubai Mall every week during the festival. They dress as comic characters and skate around the mall entertaining children and families with their funny tricks.

“So far I have enjoyed my time here; the children seem fascinated by figures on skates,” Bartosz added.

‘Man in the Box’ creates uproar at The Dubai Mall

Dubai, UAE; May 11, 2009: Talk about ‘out of the box’ thinking. Manard Flip Flap did some original thinking and decided that being ‘in the box’ was the way to go.

The ‘Man in the Box’ that Manard Flip Flap perfected 15 years ago in Sheffield, England, is now in Dubai, and the advocates of the act are Richard Gillet and Matthew Rose.

And their act is creating an uproar at the Festival@The Dubai Mall. On the face of it, Gillet and Rose are two “eccentric entertainers” who admit that they “like to make idiots out of ourselves.”

But there is more to their act, wherein Rose snuggles into a red box festooned with silver stars, and Gillet leads him around the mall, playing footsie with kids and adults. Rose, in fact, bends over his back to fit into the box.

Rose has been doing the ‘in the box’ act for six years, and Gillet for the last two years. “It’s silly and fun! And I get to play footsie with a lot of people,” says Rose about his choice of the act. Gillet is more matter-of-fact: “It’s a silent act so has no language barriers and can cross all cultures.”

Both are talented artists who do juggling, trapeze, clown acts and street theatre, and they had pursued promising careers earlier before leaving it behind to join the circus. Gillet was a math teacher while Ross was an IT professional. “We did not like what we did,” says Rose. “We hated serious jobs so took a job that made people laugh. Our job is one where you are instantly rewarded, the payback is immediate.”

On the best part of their work, the two say: “First is getting the adults to play with us. Here at The Dubai Mall, the response has been amazing. People just stop and watch and play with us.”

The downside is the physical fatigue: “I keep doing this until my back pains from bending over,” says Ross.

The two have performed around the world including at the Singapore Arts Festival, the Glastonbury Festival in the UK, and in Dubai, thrice already.

The Man in the Box is one of several roaming performances being held in The Dubai Mall as part of the month-long festival. Visitors to the mall stand to win millions of dirhams in prizes in the Win Millions raffles and fabulous shopping deals. They can also take part in the Bid 2 Win auction every weekend and the Grand Bentley raffles.

Lucky start to month-long vacation for winner in The Dubai Mall ‘Win Millions’ raffle

Dubai, UAE; May 11, 2009: The month-long vacation of South African expatriate Ms Candice Groves, indeed, got off to a flying start as she won the AED 100,000 in the second weekly draw at the ‘Win Millions’ raffle of Festival@The Dubai Mall.

Ms Groves had waited for the daily draw results on Thursday having purchased a laptop but had left the mall after the 4pm result of the daily AED 10,000 raffle was drawn. Although there were three other daily draws to go in addition to the weekly draw for AED 100,000, Ms Groves left the mall since she had never won any draws before and wasn’t feeling particularly lucky.

She, therefore, could not believe her ears when she received the call on Saturday to say her ticket had been pulled as the winner of the AED 100,000 draw. The lucky win was extra sweet as Ms Groves got the coupons after purchasing a laptop computer for her sister who was flying in that same night to start a month long holiday together.

Ms Groves said: “This is the first time I’ve ever won something in my entire life. I’ve done all the draws in Dubai during the various festivals and offers, and never won anything.”

Ms Grove was ecstatic on winning the AED 100,000 on the very first day of her holiday. She said: “There are absolutely no words to describe it. I’m totally gobsmacked. This is the first day of my vacation and my sister arrives tonight so it’s going to be a wonderful holiday.”

She added: “Thank you so much to The Dubai Mall for this opportunity. This will be my favourite mall from now on. We’ll drive all the way from Jumeirah down here.”

As part of the Festival@The Dubai Mall, five draws for AED 10,000 are held daily at 2pm, 4pm, 6pm, 8pm and 10pm. Every Saturday a weekly draw is held for AED 100,000 at 6:15pm with the winners standing to gain an added AED 50,000 if they are present at the mall during the draw. The grand draw will be held at the end of the festival for AED 1 million. The total prize money for the ‘Win Millions’ raffle over the 30-day festival is AED 3.1 million.

To participate in the draw, visitors to the mall only have to spend an aggregate AED 500 at any of the participating stores, including the F&B outlets, to get a raffle entry coupon during the one-month festival period. Officials of the Dubai Department of Economic Development conduct the draw in the presence of officials from The Dubai Mall and Dubai Shopping Festival Office.

The month-long festival also features an innovative Bid 2 Win, a live auction held during the weekends; a Grand Bentley raffle with only 5,000 tickets of AED 200 each going into the draw and mall-wide entertainment. Visitors can also revel in the spectacular sight of The Dubai Fountain, the world’s tallest performing fountain.

Festival@The Dubai Mall is supported by Dubai Media Inc, Arab Media Group and The Address Hotels + Resorts, the five star hotel brand of Emaar Hospitality Group.

Dubai’s haute couture hotspot, the Fashion Avenue opens at The Dubai Mall

Dubai, UAE; May 4, 2009: Adding colour, verve and haute couture appeal to its ongoing shopping and entertainment festival, The Dubai Mall has opened its dedicated Fashion Avenue, a 440,000 sq ft area dedicated to high-fashion. Fashion Avenue will be a centrepoint of activities during the Festival@The Dubai Mall, currently being organised until May 29, 2009.

As the high-fashion hot-spot of Dubai, Fashion Avenue will eventually house over 70 signature or flagship stores, several of which are debuting in the Middle East region. Among the outlets already open at Fashion Avenue are: Jimmy Choo, Missoni, Zadig & Voltaire, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Jean Paul Gautier, Burberry, Loewe Emilio Pucci, Chloe, Stella McCartney, Escada, Brioni, Alexander McQueen, Temperley, Roberto Cavalli and Valentino.

The Dubai Mall will also launch a 20-meter long hydraulic Fashion Catwalk, which will be an anchor point for fashion retailers to showcase their collection and the world’s leading designers to display their latest in designs. Latest fashions from the world’s top designers including Missoni, Hugo Boss, Mulberry and Temperley and will be on display.

The fashion shows will include elaborate displays of high-street fashion and brands including Top Shop, Guess Jeans, Diesel and Reiss as well as children’s brands including Gap, Jacardi Paris, and Tommy Hilfiger to name a few. The Fashion Catwalk shows will be held for three consecutive weekends (May 7 to 9; 14 to 15; and 22 to 23) from 5pm to 9pm at the Fashion Avenue, located on the ground floor.

A VIP entrance, with a dedicated drop off area and valet parking service, leads visitors into the most prestigious area - the Fashion Avenue atrium - which will feature some of the world’s most exclusive and coveted designer brands including Chanel, Gucci, Armani, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Ermenegildo Zegna, Hermes, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tom Ford, Lanvin and Fendi. The signature stores vary in size from 5,100 to over 9,000 sq ft marking the largest regional outlets for some of these brands.





Mr Nasser Rafi, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Malls Group, said: “Fashion Avenue is an innovative approach by The Dubai Mall to elevate the overall shopping experience. Nowhere else in the Middle East will you be able to find such a collection of the world’s top brands under one roof. Fashion Avenue is indeed a one stop destination for industry trend setters and fashion enthusiasts.”

He added: “By hosting the largest collection of signature and flagship stores all available in a dedicated precinct we are ensuring that high end fashion aficiondas can source their favourite and coveted brands at the mall. If a unique or limited edition piece is available in Dubai, The Dubai Mall will be the place to find it.”

Fashion Avenue at The Dubai Mall can be accessed from the overpass bridge off Sheikh Zayed Road and from P3, from Burj Dubai Boulevard.

KidZania®, an 80,000 sq ft innovative children’s ‘edu-tainment’ concept; SEGA Republic, a 76,000 sq ft high adrenaline indoor theme park; and a 22-screen Cineplex REEL Cinema, the largest in Dubai are also set to open within The Dubai Mall this year. More than 900 retail stores including 160 F&B outlets are already open, of which several are flagship stores or Middle East debuts of global brands. The mall will also feature two anchor department stores – Galeries Lafayette and Bloomingdale’s.

Keen bidding fetches bargain deals at Bid 2 Win event during Festival@The Dubai Mall

Dubai, UAE; May 3, 2009: The Bid 2 Win auctions held as part of the Festival@The Dubai Mall witnessed keen bidding by hundreds of visitors to the mall. The two SMS auctions were held over the weekend offering an Apple Combo and Bose Lifestyle Home Entertainment System.

The Apple Combo, priced AED 14,498, was courtesy of Sharaf DG. Starting at a bid of AED 1, the combo comprising an Apple Mac Book, iPhone and iPod Touch was clinched by Mr Faiyaz for a price of AED 9,786.

The second Bid 2 Win event, held on Saturday, was for a Bose Lifestyle 48 Series IV DVD Home Entertainment System, courtesy of Plug-Ins, priced at AED 15,999. The winning bid by Mrs Colleen was for AED 11,550.

The Bid 2 Win is an innovative retail event where visitors to the mall only have to SMS the product code of the items on display at the mall to Etisalat 4643. Bidders first register to participate in the auction at the same number. Bids open at 10am and continue until 9pm. Bidders are informed of the status of their bid in real-time, and live updates of the auction are displayed on the multimedia screens.

The Bid 2 Win event will be held every weekend and items that go on auction will be announced in advance.

In addition to Bid 2 Win, the mall also offers a ‘Win Millions’ raffle, a Grand Bentley raffle with only 5,000 tickets priced at AED 200 each going into the draw and roaming entertainment throughout the mall.

Festival@The Dubai Mall is supported by Dubai Media Inc, Arab Media Group and The Address Hotels + Resorts, Emaar Hospitality Group’s five star hotel brand.

‘Lost keys’ open door to a fortune for lucky winner in Festival@The Dubai Mall ‘Win Millions’ raffle

Dubai, UAE; May 3, 2009: A set of lost keys opened doors to a fortune for 28-year-old Iranian expatriate Mr Kaveh Oyarhosseini, the first winner of the weekly draw at the Festival@The Dubai Mall. The weekly Saturday draws for AED 100,000 offer a bonus AED 50,000 for the winners, if they are present at the mall during the raffle draw.

Mr Oyarhosseini had waited for the daily draw results having come to the mall for a business meeting, but had left the mall before the AED 100,000 result was drawn. He was forced to return to the mall when he realised he had misplaced his apartment keys. While at the coffee shop, enquiring about the keys to the staff, the mall management called him to say his coupon had been drawn to win AED 100,000 and he had five minutes to arrive at the Star Atrium to claim the additional bonus prize of AED 50,000.

As spectators waited eagerly to watch the lucky winner, Mr Oyarhosseini came running down the stairs beaming in utter delight of winning it big. The mall visitors broke out in applause when Mr Oyarhosseini explained that he was in the mall looking for his lost keys. “They were the keys to luck,” he said.

The lucky win was extra sweet as Mr Oyarhosseini got the draw coupons after purchasing a diamond ring for his wife, Negin, from the Gold Souk of The Dubai Mall to celebrate her birthday and their wedding anniversary. “She told me that we will win, and we submitted half the coupons in her name and the rest in mine,” said the young entrepreneur who offers automation solutions for Dubai and Sharjah water and electricity authorities.

He had waited for the results of the draws twice earlier, and once even went up to the DED officials to check if he had won. “We thought we might win one of the daily raffles for AED 10,000 but this came as a total surprise,” said Mr Oyarhosseini. His wife soon joined him to celebrate the lucky win, and the couple simply couldn’t contain their joy.

The winners in the five daily draws held on Saturday were: Mohamed Khir Ramadan (Syrian national); Shikha Jamal Almurry (UAE); Mane'a Hassan (UAE), A.N Edward (UK) and Rawda Ali (UAE).

As part of the Festival@The Dubai Mall, five draws for AED 10,000 are held daily at 2pm, 4pm, 6pm, 8pm and 10pm. Every Saturday a weekly draw is held for AED 100,000 at 6:15pm with the winners standing to gain an added AED 50,000 if they are present at the mall during the draw. The grand draw will be held at the end of the festival for AED 1 million. The total prize money for the ‘Win Millions’ raffle over the 30-day festival is AED 3.1 million.

To participate in the draw, visitors to the mall only have to spend an aggregate AED 500 at any of the participating stores, including the F&B outlets, during the one-month festival period. Officials of the Dubai Department of Economic Development conduct the draw in the presence of officials from The Dubai Mall and Dubai Shopping Festival Office.

The month-long festival also features an innovative Bid 2 Win, a live auction held during the weekends; a Grand Bentley raffle with only 5,000 tickets of AED 200 each going into the draw and roaming entertainment through the mall. Visitors can also revel in the spectacular sight of The Dubai Fountain, the world’s tallest performing fountain, currently undergoing testing phase.

Festival@The Dubai Mall is supported by Dubai Media Inc, Arab Media Group and The Address Hotels + Resorts, the five star hotel brand of Emaar Hospitality Group.

World’s largest in-mall retail festival opens at The Dubai Mall on Thursday

Dubai, UAE; April 29, 2009: The world’s largest in-mall retail and entertainment festival will flag off on Thursday (April 30, 2009) at The Dubai Mall. The Festival@The Dubai Mall, a 30-day shopping and leisure extravaganza, marks the first time in the world that over 900 world-class retailers including 160 food & beverage outlets, join hands for a grand promotion in a mall environment.

Mr Nasser Rafi, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Malls Group, said: “The month-long event comes at a perfect time to reach out not only to families in the Gulf region but also visitors from the larger Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent, Iran and Russia. The festival is timed to offer families an added incentive and invitation to visit the mall during the school holidays.”

Mr Rafi explained: “With 900 retail outlets already open, The Dubai Mall has the highest concentration of the world’s most leading retail brands in a single mall. The festival is therefore unsurpassed globally in terms of retailer participation within a mall environment. Retailers in the mall have extended their full support to the festival, which is organised with the Dubai Shopping Festival Office as the Strategic Partner.”

Leading retailers in The Dubai Mall, several of them operating their flagship stores or having opened their first Middle East outlets, support the Festival, by offering three kinds of shopping deals – Part Sale, Festival Discount and Festival Offers. Mall tenants will display their chosen category of the offers in-store for easy identification by customers. Complementing the retail deals, shoppers also stand to win millions of dirhams in prizes through daily, weekly and grand raffle draws.


Mr. Ramesh Prabhakar, Managing Partner, Rivoli Group LLC, observed that the Festival@The Dubai Mall is a “very positive sign of support from Emaar and the Dubai Shopping Festival Office. We are sure that it will become another key activity in the calendar of Dubai’s retail activities.”

Ms. Colette Shannon, Marketing Manager of the first Waitrose supermarket in the Middle East region in the mall, said the Festival will create top of mind awareness of the mall. “It is a superb mall, and will over time, establish itself as the premium mall destination in Dubai.”

Mr. David Reily, CEO Middle East, RSH, said that all of the company’s stores in the mall will have “cross-store offers” during the Festival with gift vouchers to be presented to customers. “The Dubai Mall is an outstanding destination and I have never seen a mall generate more fresh ideas or energy.”

Visitors to the mall can also take part in a unique ‘Bid 2 Win’ auction to bid for a diverse range of products starting off at an easy AED 1. In another opportunity to win big, the festival will feature a Grand Bentley Raffle, where only 5,000 tickets, priced AED 200 each, will be drawn for a luxurious, four-door Bentley Continental Flying Spur. An array of entertainment activities, across the mall will assure non-stop fun for all visitors.

The opening day of the Festival@The Dubai Mall will witness five lucky winners of raffle draws walking away with prizes of AED 10,000 each. Customers only have to shop for an aggregate AED 500 from any of the retail or F&B outlets during the entire month for obtaining the raffle coupons. The weekly draw for AED 100,000 will be held on Saturday with the winner standing to gain another AED 50,000 if present in the mall at the time of the draw. The sale of coupons for the Grand Bentley Draw will also open on Thursday morning at special stands across the mall.

Items for the Bid 2 Win will be displayed prominently at the mall and visitors only have to check the product code and SMS to 4643 after registering for the bid at the same number. The products for auction will range in prize from AED 10,000 to AED 100,000. Bids will start at AED 1 and will continue till 9pm, with bidders being informed of the status of the bid in real-time. Live updates of the auction will also be displayed in the multimedia screens across the mall.



Several entertainment programmes including musicians and jugglers will regale visitors, who can also tour the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo and Dubai Ice-Rink for added fun, and watch the testing of The Dubai Fountain, the world’s tallest performing fountain, at the nearby Burj Dubai Lake.

Festival@The Dubai Mall is supported by Dubai Media Inc, Arab Media Group and The Address Hotels + Resorts, a part of the Emaar Hospitality Group. Dubai Shopping Festival Office offers strategic support including executing the various retail and entertainment activities.

KidZania® readies for opening at The Dubai Mall offering role-play edu-tainment for children

Dubai, UAE; March 18, 2009: Children can soon experience their ambition to become anything from pilots to fashion models to doctors or bankers, as the first KidZania® edutainment attraction in the Middle East opens in The Dubai Mall in the third quarter of this year. Based on role play, the oldest game of all, KidZania® is one of the world’s most popular children’s entertainment concepts and is readying for opening at the mall shortly.

Essentially a scaled-down city featuring all business and social components of a bustling metropolis, KidZania® at The Dubai Mall offers up to 70 roles for children to play ranging from doctors, engineers, teachers, construction workers, artists and mechanics, among others. At KidZania®, children have the option of just ‘visiting’ or ‘working’ in establishments that are modelled on various professions. The ‘employees’ are provided costumes reflecting the theme of the role they prefer to play, and will be part of an entertainment zone that has its own currency and economy. The entire concept of KidZania® is developed on offering children a real-life business and social environment, and familarising them with real-world careers.

KidZania® aims at enabling children to develop their abilities and attitudes physically and intellectually, while stimulating creative thinking and social responsibility. This will particularly appeal to educational institutions looking for avenues to further strengthen their students’ overall development. The award-winning credentials of the theme centre are a perfect complement to the high standards of education envisaged by schools. KidZania® has already won the Best Theme Park Worldwide Award from the Themed Entertainment Association in 2001, the IAAPA Top FECs of the World Award in 2006 and IAAPA Brass Ring Award for Industry Marketing in 2008.

Mr Mohammed Ali, Region Executive Director, Emaar International, said: “Retail and leisure are central themes that drive the economy of Dubai, and both the sectors need continuous innovation. KidZania® is bringing to Dubai, a powerful and successful leisure attraction, which will further enhance the appeal of The Dubai Mall as a family destination.”

Established in 1999, KidZania® was an overwhelming success when it first opened in Santa Fe, Mexico City. The entertainment zone attracted over 760,000 visitors in the very first year of trade in Mexico and the impressive visitor turn-out repeated at KidZania® franchises in Tokyo and Jakarta. In addition to Dubai, new franchises are planned to open in Seoul, Osaka and Lisbon in 2009.

Mr Yousif Al Ali, General Manager, The Dubai Mall, said: “KidZania® is an entertainment concept that has no parallels in Dubai or the region. For the first time, children will have a city all for their own. They will manage the ‘city’s’ economy and social life by enacting various roles. They will also deal with the special KidZos currency, which they can use for buying and selling products, or even save into their accounts.”

He added: “KidZania® will be a place where every child’s dreams come true, and will enable them to obtain a better understanding of how cities and societies function. The opening of KidZania® also reiterates the commitment of The Dubai Mall to offer a distinctive leisure and lifestyle experience. Today’s mall visitors are discerning about their choice, and it is important to give them variety. KidZania® will be a much-preferred attraction for families.”

Sprawling across 80,000 sq ft over two levels in the entertainment zone, which will also feature SEGA Republic and REEL Cinemas, KidZania® will feature homes, offices, schools, fire station, race track, radio station, pizzeria, hospitals, bank, ATM machines, theatre and fashion ramps, all scaled down to a smaller, child-friendly size. Kids can then choose a preferred ‘role’ and be provided with costumes and other accessories for the complete real-life like experience.

Mr Suresh Bhatia, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Retail, said: “The overarching philosophy of KidZania® – an award-winning concept - is edu-tainment. For the first time in Dubai, children of all ages will have a unique play environment where fun and interactive learning meet. They can not only participate in fun-filled role-play activities but also hone their talent and skills through the real-life-like learning experiences. KidZania®’s niche activities also mark the first ‘experimental marketing’ platform in Dubai, whereby we are partnering with local service providers such as banks, hotels and automobile dealers for a true-to-life experience.”

He explained: “Work on KidZania® is progressing, and when it opens later this year, it will add to a diverse entertainment roster in The Dubai Mall including the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo and Dubai Ice Rink. KidZania® Dubai is billed to be the city’s next biggest family destination that will greatly contribute to the all-round development of children.”

KidZania® will be managed by a team of trained professionals. The high ratio of staff-to-children and Kid Zearch, a Radio Frequency ID, will keep track of children’s activities and whereabouts, reassuring parents who can drop off their kids and pick them up at a later time.

The Dubai Mall, one of the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destinations, has a wide spectrum of retail and leisure choices for visitors. Of the 1,200 retail outlets in the mall, more than 800 have opened. The leisure attractions including the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, Dubai Ice Rink and The Waterfall are crowd-pullers, while the Gold Souk and Fashion Avenue offer a variety of niche shopping options.