Just read on Mark and Nat’s blog that The Avenues is finally open. It is Kuwait’s largest mall and other than the brands expected, it is also going to have some new and popular ones.
It is situated right before the new IKEA on the 5th Ring Road and from the outside it sure looks pretty big and I’m guessing you’ll need at-least a couple of hours to go through it all.
Hopefully we’ll be able to visit sometime this week and then I’ll put up some pictures.
don’t want to seem picky, but afaik IKEA is part of the Avenues mall, as in part of mall (IKEA part) is already open and the next part is opening today.
arabianfox: Thanks for the clarification. Even though I’ve heard it before; I keep thinking IKEA is a thing on its own and not part of The Avenues.
Indeed, it is now open. Can’t wait to loot the Springfield store when they open there: there’s something about that store I just can’t seem to get enough of.
Lately, we’ve been seeing a lot of caricature malls going up all over the place that are remarkably similar in their touch and feel. The Avenues on some level is no exception. However, what makes it so distinct from the rest is, for one; the name Mabanee have decided to give it and two; the name again. It is so typically cosmopolitan – makes you wonder if it was truly meant for the melting pot which Kuwait is!
Haven’t been there yet but my money would be on a Deira City Centre re-visited or something on those lines, you get the idea.
We are beginning to see a pattern emerge here, in the nomenclature of malls on the Kuwaiti horizon : first you have the Avenues then Symphony, and in another year or two 360° Kuwait. The names certainly have gotten promising. Let us hope then the stores are not a damp squib.
Cheers,
B’Orrhoea
What I’d really like to see is some dedicated gadget/gizmo store in Kuwait. I’m sure it would do awesome business here.
Yeah the naming is getting interesting and it would be great if the crowd at Marina mall evened out some.