Doha Festival City (DHFC) marked its second anniversary on April 5 with 90% occupancy, further strengthening its position as a preferred partner for retailers to expand their business, general manager Robert Hall has said.
The celebration featured a special live performance by superstar Iraqi singer Rahma Riad followed by a series of entertaining and family-friendly public activities, among others.
“DHFC opened its door in April 2017 with less than 40% occupancy and since then, the management committed to delivering the best brand mix for customers in Qatar,” Hall told Gulf Times.
He stressed that they provide retailers unique opportunities for growth and work hard to maintain customers interest in DHFC, which is home to several international brands.
The mall hosts 58 first-to-market brands, including anchor brands Harvey Nichols, Charlotte Tilbury, Kiehl’s, Dior Beauty Boutique and ACE Hardware, in addition to 46 retailers that are exclusive to the mall.
Apart from having the country’s only IKEA since 2013, DHFC is also home to the largest Monoprix in the world and the only Vox Cinemas with Theatre by Rhodes, and “over 400 stores offering great brand mix under one roof”.
“We have more than 100 places to dine and relax such as restaurants, cafes and casual dining outlets from brands that are unique to Qatar or debuting concepts including Jamie’s Italian, Café Coco, 800 Degrees, Letto Café and Aimee’s Café,” Hall said.
Elaborating on the positive impact of the illegal blockade imposed on Qatar, he noted that DHFC is working closely with the Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) on various initiatives that make the country consistently an attractive destination for local and foreign tourists from different regions globally.
Hall pointed out that such initiatives by QNTC provide DHFC with a platform to create partnerships for its retailers while also providing bigger and better shopping experiences for customers.
“Shop Qatar and Qatar Summer Festival are an amazing opportunity to attract the local community inwards and direct it towards internal tourism,” he said.
“We have shifted our focus internally first by ensuring that we support Qatari and local brands. This can be seen in our initiatives with Shop Qatar and Laha Premier for example, in addition to explore the locally developed brands.”
DHFC also amped up its local partnerships with top Qatari retail group, and looked regionally in Oman, Kuwait and Turkey to partner with brands that will add more diversity for its customers, he added.
With the soon-to-open theme parks (Snow Dunes, Virtuocity and Angry Birds Outdoor), the mall is set to offer unique experience that will attract tourists and new customers visiting Doha.
Hall said DHFC remained to be a top choice among shoppers due to several factors, including convenient parking with more than 8,000 carparks, being a smart mall with its free Wi-Fi, smart parking system, and its digital screens.
While taking a number of new brands on board recently such as Le Petit Train Bleu, The Coffee Club, Maki, Oud perfumes, Secret Notes, Atasay Jewelry, Antoine Karam, Quicksilver, Qinwan store and L’eto Caffe, the mall will launch new stores such as Patissez Australia F&B outlet, WYCON Italian cosmetics, in addition to other offerings in its kiosk such as Filicori Zechini café, Atyab AlMarshood, Huawei mobile, Tawaq perfumes, Pause coffee, Eden Coffee, and Cup of Joe.
DHFC general manager Robert Hall.
