McArthur + Company contracted for Palestine's largest ever shopping mall

The soon to be completed, 60,000 square metre mall in the Palestinian city of Ramallah is set to be one of the most impressive in the Middle East. The Lacasa Holdings designed mall will boast 160 retail units as well as five anchor stores, a hypermarket, 21 food and beverage (F&B) outlets, a food court, a children’s play area, a ball room, an ice rink, a cinema, and an indoor skydiving chamber.

The UAE-based retail consultancy and shopping centre specialists McArthur + Company have been announced as advisors to the new Lacasa construction. The firm will provide design consultancy and retail-mix advisory services during the construction phase and upon completion will transition into management and operations roles.

The shopping centre will be named the Mall of Palestine according to Emad Jaber, the chairman of the board of the Dubai-based Lacasa. Commenting on the appointment of McArthur + Company, Jaber said; “We’re thrilled to have McArthur + Company on board as our retail consultants and operators… The consultancy’s portfolio and service offerings are impressive, and we look forward to working with them over the next year to create an iconic landmark and an unparalleled retail experience for our customers.”

McArthur and Company is an international retail consulting firm which has extensive experience throughout the Middle East. Headed by Phil McArthur, the firm delivers tailor-made shopping experiences to its clients in both the region and beyond, having previously worked on projects in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran.

The successful completion of the Mall of Palestine will be a pillar for attracting foreign investment to Palestine according to Jaber. “Our success in our homeland is not only a personal investment success, rather it is much more than that; it is the success of our people in building on their land despite the occupation,” he said.

“It is also a message to all expatriate businessmen and our Arab brothers that Palestine is a fertile ground for investment projects. With our work and presence, we do away with the two prevailing ideas that the political and security situation at home prevents any opportunities for investment, or that the market cannot handle such projects.”

“Investing in my homeland Palestine is one of my top priorities and interests,” he added. “I started investing here in 2007 with small family business and then my investment expanded to include distinguished apartment projects. Currently we are building the largest commercial project, which is the Mall of Palestine, considered one of the largest company projects in the Middle East.”