It partially opened last year, but on Wednesday, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, made it official. Reem Mall, Abu Dhabi's newest shopping destination, is now fully open to the public and is expected to become a busy lifestyle destination.
A handful of stores have been in operation since February 2023, and Snow Abu Dhabi was added to the attraction in May 2023. Since then, the Al Reem Island mall, which can accommodate up to 400 shops, has grown steadily, welcoming dozens of new retailers and restaurants in recent weeks ahead of the official launch.
Construction is reported to have cost $1.2 billion for a facility that covers an area of nearly 260,000 square metres and has a car park with 6,800 spaces.
Here are the retail, restaurant and entertainment highlights worth checking out.
World-first Bloomingdale's
Reem Mall is home to the world's only beauty-focused Bloomingdale's. On its shelves are cosmetic products from brands such as Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Estee Lauder and more. The arena also has a “magic mirror” where shoppers can see products on themselves without actually putting them on.
Elsewhere, new operators include fashion brands Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, as well as local perfumer Rasasi Perfumes. Earlier this year, Apparel Group opened franchises of Steve Madden, Nine West, Aldo Accessories and Skechers on a week-on-week basis.
The mall also has a bunch of multi-brand department stores including Centrepoint and the recently opened Jashanmal.
Boost juice and Eataly treats
Coinciding with the mall's official opening on Wednesday was the launch of a second branch of Australian-born Boost Juice Bar, which is bringing its healthy smoothies and multi-flavour concoctions to the capital.
Outposts of Chinese chain New Shanghai and steakhouse The Butcher Shop and Grill also opened recently, as did cafes such as Costa Coffee, Milestones and Brioche Doree.
In-the-know foodies are most excited about global Italian food market and restaurant chain Eataly's first branch in Abu Dhabi, which opened at Reem Mall last month. The venue features a full-service restaurant, a casual dining area and quick-service counters for on-the-go diners. It also has a cafe as well as Venchi gelato.
Private cinema and Cube Challenges
The mall has big ambitions when it comes to entertainment. For instance, the Vox Cinemas here is one of only two in the UAE that has a private screening room with eight seats for more intimate film viewings (the other is in Kempinski Hotel in Dubai).
The sub-zero 9,732-square-metre indoor park Snow Abu Dhabi, meanwhile, is a hit with children and adults alike and has 20 rides and attractions.
Another first for the UAE is Cubes Challenges, a real-life gaming experience that has 32 rooms with tasks that span four categories, and involves the use of fitness, problem-solving and other skills. The clue is in the name, with games including Laser Maze, Bomb Squad, Crazy Circuit and Lava Land, plus a range of horror-themed experiences, including Ghost Hunters and Magic Potion.
Reem Mall is open Sunday to Thursday, 10am-10pm, and Friday and Saturday, 10am-midnight
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Expert advice
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Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
