Focus on retail at Qanat Quartier, says official

United Development Company (UDC) is focusing on retail at Qanat Quartier, dubbed as “Qatar’s very own little Venice,” a senior official said yesterday.
“Qanat Quartier will have a variety of offerings such as shopping stores, novelty shops, clothing, food and beverage (international cuisine), cafes, which are very important,” UDC marketing and communications director Hussain Akbar al-Baker said.
The property consists of 180 retail units, some 1,200 residential units, 1,100 parking spaces, 14 Venetian bridges, and a 1.6-km canal.
The stylish bridges connect each of Qanat Quartier’s waterways, making it ‘a romantic place and one of the most glamorous addresses in Qatar.’
While highlighting the unique features of the property, al-Baker said the inspiration behind the whole island was to have different continents all in one city.
“As you can see Qanat Quartier is Venetian style, Medina Centrale is Spanish, Viva Bahriya is Morocco, and Porto Arabia is the French Riviera, with all the luxury retail and parking yachts,” he noted.
Porto Arabia is more on luxury and brands while Medina Centrale focuses more on medium market.
“We are developing Qanat Quartier at a very high speed, with lot of unique retail mixes and concepts,” he stressed. “It is going to be a combination of lifestyle services and amenities with a lot of gym facilities.”
The property now has two mosques. A school and medical centre will be opened. Qanat Quartier also features a world-class beachfront resort, as well as boutique hotels, and a Tuscan-inspired countryside sailing clubhouse.
“This was part of the vision of the mastermind of The Pearl-Qatar to include it with a Venetian atmosphere,” al-Baker said.
Souq Al Medina, which will open at Medina Centrale, is going to be an internal shopping arcade, he said. It will have different types of stores and offerings that will suit certain types of products.
“This variety helps distribute the footfall that we get and at the same time to make The Pearl- Qatar a family destination and a touristic landmark,” he added.
He said such range of retail concepts and residential opportunities suits different types of investors and budgets. At the same time, it gives more value to UDC in terms of answering the local demand for properties.