Dragon City to top expectations

Dragon Mall, part of the  $3.2 billion Diyar Al Muharraq development, celebrated its official opening last month in Dragon City. Presently, 95 per cent of the stores are leased and by now more than 60pc of the shops have opened their doors. The remaining outlets are at the final stages of finishing their fittings and will begin trading over the next few weeks.

The expectations of the Dragon Mall becoming a major shopping attraction - and a destination in its own right - for retail shoppers and trade consumers are proving true. Customers from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are flocking to the mall in large numbers, with more than 10,000 people visiting the mall on the first day of opening – well above numbers initially anticipated.

Dr. Maher Al Shaer, CEO of Diyar Al Muharraq comments: “We’re very excited to see another key milestone reached at Diyar Al Muharraq with the opening of Dragon Mall. We are confident that Dragon City will firmly position itself on Bahrain’s shopping and dining destination map in months to come, and its overall contribution to Bahrain’s economy will be substantial in years to come.”

Apart from the retail and dining offerings for locals and tourists, Dragon City is projected to grow into a key re-exportation hub for Chinese made products, accelerating the Kingdom’s export sector. The development offers a range of Chinese merchandise from home appliances, household items, building materials, furniture, toys, machinery, garments, fabrics, footwear and general produce.

 Henry Hu, Marketing Manager and Assistant of the General Manager of Chinamex, the operator of Dragon Mall, articulates why the company chose Bahrain: “The GCC and MENA are important markets for Chinese companies. Bahrain’s strategic location gives easy access to the rest of the GCC and other regional markets. In addition, we found Bahrain to be friendly and welcoming in every aspect, for both people and businesses. Compared to Dubai, Bahrain is open not only to big businesses, but also to SMEs, which is wonderful for smaller Chinese companies. Bahrain also allows 100pc foreign ownership in Dragon City, which is very attractive. At Chinamex we are delighted with the encouraging response from the shoppers from Bahrain, KSA, Kuwait and Qatar.”  

The Dragon City instigates international partnerships as exemplified by Bahraini Khalid Bucheeri and Chinese Hu Youning, who are business partners in Sallan Lighting, a lighting shop in Dragon Mall.  Youning explains: “I wanted to have a partnership with a local who understands and facilitates reaching the local and Saudi markets.