Nakheel Mall, the new shopping, dining and entertainment destination at the heart of Palm Jumeirah, was officially opened by Nakheel Chairman, Ali Rashid Lootah on Thursday. The Dh1.2 billion destination, provides on-the-doorstep convenience for the island's 78,000 residents, a new destination for the wider Dubai community, and a stunning new attraction for the millions of tourists who visit the UAE each year. Easily accessible by road, rail or on foot, the mall has its own Palm Monorail station, with free monorail trips to the mall until the end of February 2020. There is also direct road access to a three-level multi-story car park, and pedestrian access from Al Ittihad Park and nearby residences. Nakheel Chairman, Ali Rashid Lootah, said: "We are proud to add Nakheel Mall to our diverse portfolio of retail, leisure and hospitality projects. This stunning new destination combines first class retail facilities with unique attractions at our flagship master development, Palm Jumeirah, which continues to be one of the world's most sought-after places to live and visit. "Nakheel Mall has been part of The Palm's master plan since day one. Today's mall opening is another key milestone which brings us ever closer to realising the vision for this world-famous island." With a focus on entertainment and leisure, the mall has five levels of shops, restaurants and attractions, including a 15-screen Vox Cinemas complex, Trampo Extreme, Fabyland, Waitrose supermarket, Depachika Food Hall, H&M, Fitness First and many more. Nakheel Mall is also the access point for The View at The Palm, a public observatory perched on the top of the neighbouring Palm Tower, 230 metres above the island. The View will open in 2020. A host of National Day weekend live entertainment, promotions and activities gets under way at Nakheel Mall today, with Dh1 million worth of prizes - including a brand new Maserati - up for grabs for every Dh250 spent between now and 7 December. My Little Pony and Baby Shark are live on stage, with live bands, roaming entertainment and children's workshops, too. Nakheel Mall operational hours are 10 am to 10 pm on week days, and 10 am to 12 midnight on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.- business@khaleejtimes,com

Construction of Nakheel Mall, the AED1.2 billion retail and entertainment destination at the heart of Palm Jumeirah, is now 85 per cent complete, with fit out also under way at major outlets at the mall, master developer Nakheel said today. The news comes as a giant, 600-tonne tower crane is removed from the construction site, signalling a major milestone in Nakheel Mall’s progress. All under and above ground floor and ceiling work has been completed, with interior works, such as granite and glass fixing, well on track. Meanwhile, the centre piece of the mall – a 25 metre high crystal dome that will straddle the mall’s Monorail station – is also taking shape. Inside the mall, fit out of the 60,000 sq ft, 15-theatre VOX Cinemas complex has begun, with more retailers due to start fitting out shortly. Nakheel Mall, part of Nakheel Malls’ AED16 billion expansion that will take its total retail space to over 17 million sq ft, has 350 shops, restaurants and leisure attractions across five floors, plus three underground parking levels with 4,000 spaces. Features include two fountains, two waterfalls plunging 65 ft into the mall and a fine dining roof plaza with spectacular views of the island, Arabian Gulf and Dubai skyline. The mall will also be the access point for the 240 metre ascent to the public viewing deck at The Palm Tower, Nakheel’s 52 storey landmark hotel and residential building, also at an advanced stage of construction. The Palm Tower comprises a 289-room St Regis hotel and 432 luxury apartments, topped off by one of the world’s highest infinity pools on the 50th floor. Above that is a 51st storey restaurant complex, with the rooftop viewing deck, offering awe-inspiring views across island, sea and city views on the 52nd level. Other large-scale projects in Nakheel Malls’ growing portfolio include Deira Mall, the Middle East’s largest mall, for which an AED4.2 billion construction contract was signed last month; Deira Islands Night Souk; Al Khail Avenue; The Circle Mall; Nad Al Sheba Mall; Warsan Souk; Discovery Gardens Mall; and major expansions to Ibn Battuta Mall and Dragon Mart. Nakheel Malls currently has 4.5 million sq ft of retail space in operation, with another 12.5 million sq ft on the way. Nakheel Mall is one of a host of new Nakheel developments – across the residential, retail, hospitality and tourism sectors – on Palm Jumeirah. Among the others are the iconic PALM360 two-tower hotel and residential complex featuring a Raffles hotel, Raffles-branded residences including 12,000 sq ft penthouses, and the world’s largest sky pool. The Pointe, The Palm Promenade, Palm West Beach, The St Regis Beach Club and Palm Beach Residences are also under construction or development.