Work on a new multi-million-dollar family shopping and recreation destination in Bahrain is in the final stage of construction, with its opening expected in the last quarter of this year.

Located in Zinj on the Shaikh Isa bin Salman Highway, Galleria is a project by Dadabhai Group’s MD Holding Company.

The open-layout mall will occupy a plot area of 30,000 sq m and offer a built-up area of more than 42,000 sq m. It will include a 12,800-sq-m hypermarket extending over two floors, according to MD Holding director Shabeer Dadabhai.

“Galleria will be a refreshing addition to Central Manama, offering modern architecture and open-layout design, lush landscapes and tree-lined avenues, as opposed to closed recreational and shopping centres,” Dadabhai said.

The project’s exclusive leasing and management representative is Pegasus Real Estate, whose managing director Aziz Mithaiwala said their research suggested a lack of an all-in-one shopping experience in the area.

Galleria has been conceived as a boutique mall with multiple stores opening on to wide outdoor spaces for families to gather in an environment offering a multitude of options for all age groups for their shopping, dining and recreational needs,” said Mithaiwala.

According to him, as much as 12,350 sq m has been set aside for shopping and dining spaces featuring prominent fashion brands and international and new-to-Bahrain food and beverage franchises and eateries.

There are three dedicated floors of parking for more than 580 cars, as well as several outdoor parking spaces, he said.

Pegasus Real Estate retail property development manager Ali Barhoom said a good tenant mix has been planned with 40 per cent of space reserved for retail units, 20 per cent for utility services and 40 per cent for food and beverage outlets.

“There will be high-street fashion labels and traditional boutiques, international coffee shops, casual dining and fast food chains as well as traditional ‘qahwas’ and ‘cafes’,” he said.

“The major attraction will be its clean, minimalist layout which will feature a greater floor space, large temperature-cooled walking aisles, in-store better and state-of-the-art shelving, all adding up to provide a truly international shopping experience for visitors,” Barhoom added.

The main catchment areas for the mall are Zinj, Mahooz, Adliya, Umm Al Hassam, Tubli and Gudaibiya.