Al Jazira Sports and Cultural Club and Majid Al Futtaim the Middle East, Africa and Asia’s leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer officially broke ground, on Tuesday, on City Centre Al Jazira, the new AED1.4-billion lifestyle destination coming to Abu Dhabi.

The new project will bring to the capital an integrated shopping, lifestyle and entertainment destination, contributing to Abu Dhabi’s vision that aims to develop a competitive, sustainable and globally open economy.

The construction of City Centre Al Jazira is on track and forging ahead, with a contractor appointed to deliver the enabling works, which are starting this month. The new super-regional mall is scheduled to open its doors in early 2021.

The ground-breaking ceremony was held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Chairman of Al Jazira Sports and Cultural Club, and Vice Chairman of the Honorary Authority.

Strategically located in the heart of Abu Dhabi, between Airport Road and Al Muroor Road, City Centre Al Jazira will showcase beautiful architecture and design. It will include 153 retail stores, a Carrefour Hypermarket, a Magic Planet family entertainment destination, a fitness centre, as well as indoor and alfresco dining choices. The total leasable area is expected to be 80,500 sqm within a built-up area of 215,000 sqm.

"Al Jazira Sports and Cultural Club is a well-established name. We believe in empowering our community, and we are thrilled to partner with Majid Al Futtaim, which will allow us to have the opportunity to have a major role in building a new lifestyle destination in the heart of Abu Dhabi," said Saeed Mohamed bin Butti Al Qubaisi, Chairman of Al Jazira Investment, the official investor of all Al Jazira Sports and Cultural Club assets.

"Al Jazira Sports and Cultural Club is one of the famous names in the capital of the UAE and it is very popular among the youth. We are delighted to partner as investors and strategic partners with Majid Al Futtaim to build City Centre Al Jazira. We trust that this new lifestyle destination will offer Abu Dhabi and its visitors an unparalleled experience," said Mohammed Haji Khouri, Vice-Chairman of Al Jazira Investment and the Chairman of City Centre Al Jazira Ghaith Shocair, Chief Executive Officer, Shopping Malls, Majid Al Futtaim – Properties, said, "We are delighted to partner with Al Jazira Sports and Cultural Club to bring our first-ever City Centre mall, City Centre Al Jazira to the capital. The Al Jazira Sports and Cultural Club is a well-established and respected institution, and we hope that together, we will be creating great moments, for everyone, every day, for the capital’s communities.

"City Centre Al Jazira will be Majid Al Futtaim’s first super-regional mall in the capital. The UAE capital is enjoying prolific developments with its residential market, world-class infrastructure development projects from transportation to museums and healthcare, which is positioning Abu Dhabi as a key market for us."