Leading developer Nakheel has awarded a Dh35 million ($9.5 million) contract to Dubai-based Convrgnt Value Engineering for the construction of its new 72,000 sq ft retail project, Pavilion.

With this launch, Nakheel will be adding another neighbourhood centre to its growing collection of retail projects at its Badrah community in Dubai. The new facility will serve nearly 800 homes at Nakheel’s Badrah and Veneto communities.   

Badrah Pavilion - the sixth neighbourhood retail centre by Nakheel - will feature 25 outlets including a supermarket, shops, services, cafes and restaurants besides a gymnasium.

Badrah contains almost 600 townhouses and apartments spread across eight low-rise buildings.

Nakheel said the construction was complete, and handovers were presently on.

Earlier this year, Nakheel opened its first Pavilion at Jumeirah Park, closely followed by a retail hub at Discovery Gardens. The developer is also building community centres at Al Furjan, Jumeirah Islands and International City.

"Nakheel Pavilions enhance our communities by providing convenient shopping facilities and a place to meet, dine and socialise. There has been a great response to our first two, and we look forward to opening more - including the one at Badrah - in the future," said a Nakheel spokesman.

Community Pavilions are just one element of Nakheel’s aggressive expansion into the retail sector, he stated.

The company is also building large-scale malls at Palm Jumeirah, Deira Islands and Jumeirah Village, and expanding its existing Dragon Mart and Ibn Battuta malls. Combined, these will add 6.1 million sq ft to Nakheel’s existing retail leasing offering.-TradeArabia News Service