Gulf region’s first wellness & retail facility Wellness Boulevard is expected to open for its customers in the third quarter of this year at Abu Dhabi.
The mall intends to provide healthcare services fused with shopping and leisure options. It is aiming for a all-at-one-place where the people can enjoy wellness facilities, retail section, and dining area, along with well-equipped healthcare facilities. One destination for all, Wellness Boulevard tweeted about the mall.
The concept has already been tried in the US, but so far it has been slow in the UAE and Gulf markets. Instead, the mall developers focused on adding clinics and wellness facilities to their broad tenant mix.
Situated at Khalifa City, Wellness Boulevard provides equal attention to both sectors. “We have separate floors for each,” said a spokesperson.
On whether there will be anchor stores typical of traditional malls, the spokesperson related to the mall said, “Currently there are numerous [who are interested] and we are in discussions with more. We will be revealing more at a later date. We offer affordable prices which will be negotiated on an individual basis.”
Leasing is now open for the 130 units spread across the 36,000 square meters and seven floors, including a supermarket.
“The units will complement rather than compete, working in unison for the customer and clients,” according to the reports.
Ahmed Ali, General Manager at Al Falah Healthcare, said in a statement, “The concept of a multi-purpose, multi-specialty and 100 percent patient-focused healthcare destination characterizes growing demand from not only health services providers, but also the public for clean, safe and modern facilities that are conveniently located and easy to access.”
As per the reports, older malls will have to go this route as they see an increase in vacancies in the retail mix. Re-purposing malls will be the next big challenge that developers and their managements face.
