The soft opening of the first phase of the BD250 million ($663 million) mixed-use Bahrain City Centre this month is set to offer a new experience in shopping and entertainment to the kingdom’s residents and visitors alike.

Adding as much as 150,000 sq m of gross leasing area to the kingdom’s retail space, Bahrain City Centre will not just be a shopping mall but a complete all-purpose facility conveniently situated in the heart of the city along Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Road in Seef District.
The project is part of Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) Shopping Malls’ City Centre family. “As with all our malls, Bahrain City Centre will have several ‘firsts’ for the region, both in terms of its size and scope as well as its unique offering of a fully integrated shopping and leisure destination,” says a spokesman for the developer.
MAF has an unsurpassed reputation of delivering the best in shopping, leisure, entertainment and services in the region. “The decision to have our project in the Seef district was not a difficult one as it is increasingly developing into a prime location attracting luxury apartments, five-star hotels and shopping malls,” says the spokesman.
“We chose Seef for its strategic location that will provide easy access for residents and tourists alike,” he adds.
Apart from the commercial and retail space that will stretch over three levels, the much-awaited project has set the new benchmark for commercial, retail and entertainment megaplexes in the kingdom.
Bahrain City Centre will offer an impressive list of attractions that include: the biggest indoor/outdoor climate controlled water park in the Middle East; Cineco Cinema – the largest cinema complex in the region with 20 screens; a 16,600 sq m Carrefour hypermarket – the first in the country; and a wide selection of international and local brands that will establish the centre as the prime retail destination and one of the region’s leading shopping centres in terms of size, variety of offerings and the strength of the brands it houses.
The shopping mall will have more than 350 shops, approximately 300 specialty shops and around 20 anchor stores. The mall is themed around water with the main skylight representing a large wave, and the four nodes reflecting water or beach themes. There is also a “river” of granite on the ground floor with a water feature as part of the “river”.
There are two hotels – one is a 14-storey, five-star and the other is a 12-storey, four-star – offering a total of 550 luxurious rooms. Kempinski is to operate the five-star property, and possibly the four-star as well.
Cebarco, the main contractor for the project, is carrying out the fitout of the hotels under a separate contract with Majid Al Futtaim and the hotels are expected to be ready by the end of next year.
Slated to open next year, the water park has an indoor area and an outdoor area and its main features include a family wave pool, a lazy river, four-lane racer, a standing wave pool, a tilting bucket, numerous pools and a food court. Once complete, it is expected to be the biggest indoor water park in the Middle East.
The family entertainment centre at the Bahrain City Centre will be operated by Magic Planet and will offer numerous rides, apart from a bowling alley.
The project is also designed to accommodate the largest collection of food and beverage outlets under one roof in the kingdom – 54 units in all – which will extend over 9,700 sq m. It will have 11 coffee shops, 13 restaurants, 21 food court units and nine smaller outlets serving juice, ice cream and other snacks.
The car-park, which will have a capacity for 5,500 vehicles, will feature a traffic management system that will direct visitors to the most convenient vacant car spaces.
Cebarco was awarded the BD150 million ($397.89 million) construction contract for the project in February 2006 and work commenced within a month. The value of the contract included additional works awarded to the company and some cost escalations, says Peter Sellers, general manager of Cebarco.
Cebarco’s scope included building the structure, installing all the MEP services, interior fitout to the public spaces and the external works. Some of the items were designed by Cebarco as well, such as the main skylight over the central mall which is one of the main architectural features of the BCC. The tenants are responsible for fitting out their individual shops.
The project is nearly complete, with Cebarco undertaking the finishing works for structures such as the glazing for the main skylights, roads and external works, installation of ceilings and specialty finishes. “The mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) works on the project is also in its final stages with starting of the final fix and commissioning, early last month,” says Sellers.
“We have delivered all retail outlets to the client on or before schedule so that they may handover for tenant fitout,” he says.
In July, around 4,800 people were working on site, with the number increasing to 6,000 by early August as the individual tenants brought in more shop fitout tradesmen and merchandisers to the site.”
“The project absorbed considerable resources and at its peak we had 15 tower cranes working on site,” says Sellers, commenting on the resource allocation for the project. “These cranes were special due to the construction methods and had maximum lift capacities of up to 24 tonnes, significantly more than normal construction cranes. We also employed the first luffing crane in Bahrain which operated in close proximity to the hotel structures where a traditional hammer head crane could not have worked. To date we have spent over 21 million man hours of our own direct labour and over 12 million man hours of subcontractors.”
“Whilst the Bahrain City Centre is unique to Bahrain, many of the problems relating to labour, material shortages and coordination of trades are common on all large projects in the kingdom,” Sellers says while referring to the challenges faced on the project. “At Cebarco, we are supported by experienced personnel whose job is to overcome such problems. With the cooperation of suppliers and subcontractors, we overcame the obstacles and finished the project on schedule. We promote a team approach to construction and this becomes vital when the market is hit by turbulence.”
“Another concern has been the price escalation, but fortunately, a large part of the escalation occurred after we had placed purchase orders. We have also been fortunate in having an understanding client who appreciates the current market conditions,” Sellers adds.
Highlighting the priorities that Cebarco had set for itself in executing this project, Sellers says: “There were three main priorities. The first was to construct a high-quality building with high-quality finishes and systems as required by our client. The second was to complete the project on time, while the third was to provide a safe working environment for all of our employees, tradesmen and workers and for those employed by other parties who need to work on the project. We are very proud to have achieved each of those priorities.”
Cebarco has also been proactive in minimising traffic disruption in the areas surrounding the site. “We have not been involved in the overall traffic management for the whole complex. The client has specialist traffic management consultants handling those issues,” says Sellers. “However, to ease traffic flow on site we have set up a warehousing facility and a steel reinforcement factory with 11 lines, on site, to ensure that the project was fed with reinforcement steel.”

Shopping destination
Meanwhile, listing out the reasons behind setting up the mammoth project, the MAF spokesman says: “Bahrain is a very exciting market and was a natural progression for the regional expansion of the City Centre brand. We did comprehensive research before deciding to build the Bahrain City Centre and there were several favourable factors that helped us take this decision.”
He continues: “From the viewpoint of the economy, Bahrain’s gross domestic product (GDP) is witnessing steady growth with the 2007 figures ranging between 6.8 and 7 per cent. This growth has seen the population’s spending power increase as well.
“And from a tourism perspective, Bahrain is a very popular destination within the GCC and the Bahraini government has ambitious plans to further boost this sector. Last year, the kingdom welcomed 7.8 million visitors, with a vast majority of them arriving from other GCC countries, especially Saudi Arabia. Bahrain is a favourite weekend shopping destination for many Saudis.
“From a demand-supply standpoint, Bahrain did have malls but it lacked a centre where there was something to do for the entire family,” says the spokesman. “This is where the Bahrain City Centre comes in. Once you are in the centre, you have everything available under one roof. Whether it is your weekly grocery shopping, entertaining the kids, having a quick meal or a delicious gourmet spread, visitors will have access to the widest variety possible at one place in the kingdom.
“We will provide visitors with the largest and widest variety when it comes to shopping, leisure, entertainment, food and beverage offerings with the best parking and infrastructure facilities. The centre is designed to target the largest audience from the luxury seekers to price-driven customers to those who are looking for entertainment and normal day-to-day grocery shopping.”
From a retail standpoint, the Bahrain City Centre will be home to a blend of high-end luxury brands and stylish stores to affordable ones. The fashion-related offerings available through a number of outlets will include tailor-made services for the ultimate in luxury pampering, such as private shopping areas where VIP guests and customers who have made special bookings will be entertained, says the spokesman.
He adds: “As these visitors relax in plush surroundings with a meal or refreshments, personal assistants will bring out preferred garments and accessories, allowing guests to try on the latest must-have items in peace. Personal stylists will also be on hand, offering professional glamour tips on how to complete that new look.
“We are confident that the centre’s innovative and distinctive mix of international and local brands will not only transform the retail environment of Bahrain but also establish a benchmark for the regional market.”
“The demand for space at the Bahrain City Centre was very positive,” says the spokesman. “In fact the mall was 90 per cent leased out a year before its opening. A lot of this has to do with the scale of the project itself and the immense confidence that the region has in MAF developments.
“Also, the only changes that were made to the project were tenant related, as some tenants wanted to merge two or more units into one bigger unit, but the total leasing area stayed the same.”
“MAF Shopping Malls has been in the business for over 12 years, successfully developing and managing shopping centres across the region. When we build a shopping centre, we’re not just putting up a building,” says the spokesman. “We’re creating a business. We have an immense in-house capability developed over the years – an absolute understanding of global and regional retail that allows us to create a retail plan, which is appropriate for each of the trade areas in which we operate. Our process is absolutely retail and consumer led, which is driven by achieving the right retail mix tailored for the market. The various components of the Bahrain City Centre were chosen keeping in mind the same philosophy and backed by extensive research.”
He continues: “The various outlets to set up shop at the centre include 140 new brands introduced to the kingdom, representing 60 per cent of the gross leasable area. The anchor stores include Carrefour hypermarket, SAKS Fifth Avenue, Debenhams, Centre Point, Home Centre, Paris Gallery, Zara, H&M, New Look and Sharaf DG. Other prominent retailers and brands include Ferragamo, Burberry, Ralph Lauren, Rolex, Roberto Cavalli, Kiabi, Max Fashion, Virgin Mega Store, Sphera, XOXO, TGIF, and Wafi Gourmet, among others.

Traffic regulation
“A project the size and scale of the Bahrain City Centre is bound to face challenges. However, we have years of expertise in smoothly managing such issues,” says the spokesman. “We have received tremendous support from the government of Bahrain to help bring this project where it is today – the biggest in the kingdom and truly a landmark development.”
He continues: “In the design stage itself, an extensive study was carried out to ensure a smooth flow of traffic to and from the centre and within its various components as well. We have implemented various strategies, working very closely with Bahrain’s Ministry of Works and Housing and the Ministry of Interior and have invested heavily in the infrastructure around the Bahrain City Centre to make access as easy and stress-free as possible.
“Some of the measures in place included a separate entrance and exit for the multi-level car park at each of its six levels.
“Also, a new bridge is under construction across the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Highway which will create a better flow of traffic around the project. Through these measures we have tried to make customers’ visit to the centre as convenient and hassle-free as possible.
“Once they are in the parking building, there are three access points to the centre at each level.
“Also, the two hotels will have separate entrances with additional parking and valet services to ensure privacy to their guests while at the same time there will be provision for easy internal access for hotel guests that will lead them directly to the centre.”
“With the Bahrain City Centre, we have an opportunity to explore the Bahraini market and would definitely like to utilise the knowledge, experience and the growing economy for future projects,” says the spokesman. “However these developments are currently being studied and will be shared with the media once finalised.”

BUILDING MATERIALS QUICK FACTS
Readymix concrete,  420,000 cu m
Reinforcing steel,  42,000 tonnes
Structural steel,  5,000 tonnes
Waterproofing,  190,000 sq m
Granite,  35,000 sq m