Dubai-based developer Nakheel has started leasing 400,000 sq ft of shopping, dining and entertainment space at a new retail and leisure destination at its Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC) master community in the UAE emirate.

Covering a total area of one million sq ft, The Circle Mall will have 200 shops, an anchor supermarket, two department stores, a multi-screen cinema and a variety of dining outlets including a food court.  It is one of several projects in Nakheel’s growing retail portfolio, and the only shopping and leisure destination development at JVC, a statement said.

Strategically located between Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Al Khail Road and Hessa Street, The Circle Mall will serve hundreds of thousands of people living in Jumeirah Village and surrounding areas, according to the statement.

The Circle Mall is currently in the design stage, with construction beginning in the first quarter of 2015.  It is expected to open in 2017.

Nakheel currently has more than 6.5 million sq ft of leasable area in its retail project pipeline.  Last month, the company fully leased 5,300 outlets at its Deira Islands Night Souk within a week of its launch, and all 1,000 shops at Warsan Souk near International City on launch day.

New malls under way by Nakheel include Nakheel Mall on Palm Jumeirah, Deira Islands Mall, The Circle Mall at JVC and a mall at neighbouring Jumeirah Village Triangle.  The developer is also expanding its Dragon Mart and Ibn Battuta malls, and bringing six new neighbourhood retail centres – the first two of which opened earlier this year – to several communities across Dubai. – TradeArabia News Service