UAE-headquartered developer and malls operator Majid Al Futtaim is expected to award the main construction contract for its Mall of Saudi project, located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the second quarter of 2022.
The mega mall forms part of Majid Al Futtaim’s 16-billion Saudi riyal ($4.3 billion) Riyadh North integrated retail and lifestyle development.
“The main construction tender was issued in the second week of November 2021, with the submission date scheduled on 23 January 2022. The main construction tender is expected to be awarded by the end of April 2022,” a source aware of the details told Zawya Projects.
The developer broke ground for the project in October 2021, according to a report by local English language daily Arab News.
The bidders for the main contract include Orascom Construction, Shapoorji Pallonji Mideast, ALEC Engineering & Contracting, Nesma & Partners, El Seif Engineering Contracting Company, Webuild, and Arabian Construction Company, officials from two companies confirmed.
In May 2021, Majid Al Futtaim announced that it awarded a four-year contract to infrastructure consulting firm AECOM to provide lead design consultancy for pre-contract and post-contract construction supervision for the mall.
In October 2021, the company said it had appointed Mace as the project management partner for the Riyadh North development to oversee the planning, construction, commercial, and control management.
Mall of Saudi is expected to house over 600 stores across 300,000-square-metre gross leasable area, the largest ski slope and snow park in the Middle East, nine luxury hotels and branded residences with 2,000 keys, a Carrefour hypermarket, and 31 VOX cinema screens, including the world’s largest IMAX, according to past press statements issued by the developer.
The source said Mall of Saudi is slated for completion by December 2025, adding that the project value, as estimated by him, is $750 million.
(Reporting by Senthil Palanisamy; Editing by Anoop Menon)
