Pictures: Dubai’s biggest mall set to be completed by 2020

Dubai developer Nakheel has awarded a construction contract to build its Dhs6.1bn Deira Mall – set to be Dubai’s biggest shopping destination in terms of retail space, it announced on Wednesday.

United Engineering Construction won the Dhs4.2bn contract to build the mall, a statement said.

The developer received three bids for the project, it said in February, with the lowest bid starting at Dhs4.2bn.

Construction will begin in the third quarter of this year, with completion expected in 2020.

Offering four million square feet of leasable area, Deira Mall will be located at Deira Islands, Nakheel’s new, 15.3 sq km waterfront development.

With a total built-up area of 10.3 million sq ft, Deira Mall will feature over 1,000 shops, cafes, restaurants and entertainment outlets across three floors.

The development will also feature a retractable roof, allowing open-air shopping in cooler months. It will also include a 3.8 million sq ft multi-storey car park with 8,400 spaces.

The Dhs40m design contract for the mall was awarded in June 2014.

Vibro-compaction work is currently under way on the site, Nakheel said.

In terms of gross leasable area (GLA), the new mall will beat Emaar-operated Dubai Mall, which offers 3.77 million sq ft of GLA.

Also read: Deira Islands Mall to offer most retail space in Dubai – chairman

Deira Mall will be the centrepiece of Deira Boulevard, a new Dhs5bn development with 16 residential towers, nearly 3,000 apartments and retail, restaurant and recreation space. Together, Deira Mall and the Boulevard will have 4.5 million sq ft of shop space. A construction tender for Deira Boulevard was released in January this year.

Deira Mall is one of two large-scale retail projects currently being constructed by Nakheel at Deira Islands.

The other, Deira Islands Night Souk, is set to become the world’s largest night market, with 5,300 shops and almost 100 quayside cafes and restaurants. Construction on the project is underway, with completion anticipated in 2018. All units at the Night Souk are fully leased.

Also read: In pics: World’s biggest night market takes shape at Dubai’s Deira Islands

Deira Islands will add 40km, including 21km of beachfront to Dubai’s coastline and feature hotels, resorts, serviced apartments, mixed-use buildings and waterside homes.

Nakheel has signed joint venture partnerships with Spain’s RIU Hotels and Resorts and Thailand’s Centara Hotels and Resorts for two beachfront resorts at the islands, with more hotel deals on the way.

The four-island development is expected to house more than 250,000 people when complete and create around 80,000 jobs.