Majid Al Futtaim introduces its new-concept My City Centre

Ashish Panjabi with Sanjay Amar, director of the Jacky’s Group; Firas Tayfour, senior manager for corporate marketing at Samsung Gulf Electronics; Ali Al Hashmi, senior mall manager of My City Centre Malls; Marco Vocale, head of corporate marketing at Samsung Gulf Electronics; and Manish Arora, business head of Jacky’s Retail — Samsung Brand Shops inaugurating the new Samsung Brand Shop at My City Centre in Nasseriya on Monday. — KT photo by Juidin Bernarrd

The new centre aims to offer a balanced mix of practical and lifestyle-oriented stores

UAE conglomerate Majid Al Futtaim on Monday officially launched its new-concept My City Centre mall in Nasseriya, a Dh84 million investment that brings the company’s leisure portfolio closer to customers.

A mini version of Majid Al Futtaim’s popular City Centre chain of malls, the new shopping centre aims to offer a balanced mix of practical and lifestyle-oriented stores for local communities. My City Centre is also the first brand to be rolled out under the new corporate identity of Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, retail and leisure pioneer across the Mena region.

“It’s a new product for us, and we’re delighted to see the output for it,” Dimitri Vazelakis, executive managing director for shopping malls at Majid Al Futtaim Properties, told Khaleej Times at the opening. “We are really encouraged on how the community has accepted it.”

He described My City Centre as “very easy to navigate through, light, bright and comfortable.”

“We will make minor adjustments as time goes on…but this will be the model for us in this portfolio.”

Vazelakis said that Majid Al Futtaim chose Nasseriya because of its fairly high population, and so far this test market has been giving positive results.

“People come to our large-format stores on a weekly basis; what we recognise is the void in the market for our products in a small neighbourhood that allows people to come in conveniently,” he said. “So, in a neighbourhood city centre, people can just come down from their homes and walk into it, and come more often.”

“My City Centre in Nasseriya addresses the immediate needs of residents by offering a tailored mix of practical and lifestyle-oriented shopping options, while also acting as a social hub for the local community,” Ali Al Hashimi, mall manager of My City Centre said in a statement.

“Nasseriya is a booming residential neighbourhood, for which My City Centre will cater to a variety of immediate, daily needs from grocery shopping to banking and dining.”

Asked if there are any more My City Centre malls in the pipeline, Vazelakis said that Majid Al Futtaim is looking “at a number of opportunities across the UAE,” without elaborating further. Vazelakis pointed out that Majid Al Futtaim’s business has been on a high since last year, and 2014 seems to be looking brighter.

“We’ve had a great 2013 and 2014 [so far]. January in particular was very strong, so we expect the same strength or more for the rest of the year,” he said. “Dubai has grown and we are growing with Dubai.” Vazelakis also mentioned that the retail and leisure sector in the UAE, particularly in Dubai, will become even more demanding especially with the emirate hosting World Expo 2020.

“A lot more people and tourists will be coming in, which enhances the demand side.”

“Today retail is not just shopping; retail is a combination of spending time with family and being entertained — all combined aspects of day-to-day living. We want to become a hub for people to come to and have great moments for everyone every day,” Vazelakis said.