The Dubai Mall, one of the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destinations, will host the first Middle East store of Waitrose, ‘Britain’s best high street retailer.’

The Dubai Mall location is also the first Waitrose outside the United Kingdom. The mall opens on October 30.

The 55,300 sq ft store will be the largest supermarket in Downtown Burj Dubai, and will showcase Waitrose’s extensive range of quality food products. Located on the Lower Ground level, the same level as car parking, the store is accessible and convenient for all mall visitors.

Waitrose has entered into a licensing agreement with Fine Fare Food Market to open the store in The Dubai Mall. A second Waitrose store will open at the Dubai Marina Mall, which is currently being constructed for opening towards the end of this year.

Yousif Al Ali, general manager, The Dubai Mall, said: “The Dubai Mall is bringing in several new retail experiences to the Middle East region. Waitrose joins a league of international retailers like Galeries Lafayette, Bloomingdale’s and Hamleys, who make their Middle East debut at the mall.”

He added: “Waitrose has tremendous brand equity, and will appeal to a wide spectrum of shoppers. The opening of Waitrose is a reflection of The Dubai Mall’s objective of bringing in as many unique shopping experiences as possible to the city.”

Waitrose at The Dubai Mall has been designed by London-based design consultancy Kinnersley Kent Design to reflect the ambience of a Waitrose supermarket in Britain and to cater for the specific needs of the target market in the UAE. The store will offer an assortment of Waitrose branded products as well as locally sourced products to meet the needs of the Dubai customer demographic.

The product range includes fresh and frozen foods, delicatessen, cheese, fresh fish, meat, patisserie and hot food counters. Considering local tastes and traditions, Waitrose at The Dubai Mall will only sell-certified Halal food in the main store arena. A fully-functional scratch bakery; interactive butchery and fishmongers and a market-style fresh fruit and vegetable area will underscore the Waitrose commitment to freshness. The store will also carry a selected range of John Lewis non-food products.

Located in Downtown Burj Dubai, billed as the new heart of the city, The Dubai Mall is a 12 million sq ft complex featuring 1,200 retail stores and over 160 F&B outlets. The world-class Dubai Aquarium & Discovery Centre and the world’s largest indoor Gold Souk are among the opening day attractions. - TradeArabia News Service