Overseas Developments

Developers have no plans to build any new regional malls in the United States. In fact, the most recent major enclosed shopping center opened more than two years ago.

Around the globe, however, the story is quite different.

Last fall, Westfield London, dubbed Europe’s glitziest and largest urban shopping complex, opened in a west London suburb. At 1.6 million sq. ft., it has 265 shops and nearly 50 restaurants. Days later, the world’s largest shopping center opened in the United Arab Emirates. At 3.7 million sq. ft., the Dubai Mall will eventually house more than 1,200 shops and is expected to attract 30 million visitors a year.

Westfield London blends high-end designers and mass market retailers under one roof. It’s an unusual approach, as conventional wisdom suggests that luxury shoppers prefer not to rub elbows with the masses and the latter are put off by pricey designer shops. Brands like Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Tiffany & Co. are showcased within a boutique-style wing called The Village.

Westfield also features its share of new concepts. Carphone Warehouse launched its “Wireless World” format in conjunction with Best Buy; it also includes an area dedicated to Best Buy’s Geek Squad. U.K. powerhouse Marks & Spencer has a 10,000-sq.-ft. location featuring separate departments for its Autograph and Limited Collection brands.

At press time, some 700 shops were open at the Dubai Mall, where a key draw is the Dubai Aquarium & Discovery Centre, a spectacular showcase of marine life that includes a live shark-feeding demonstration. Another alluring feature is the sprawling Arabesque gold souk: Elaborately designed to reflect traditional Arabic geometric design, this section of the mall is home to some 220 jewelry shops.

Dubai Mall also houses a fashion catwalk atrium and an Olympic-sized ice rink. Other soon-to-open attractions include The Grove, an indoor/outdoor streetscape with a fully retractable roof; KidZania, an innovative 80,000-sq.-ft. edutainment concept; SEGA Republic, a 76,000-sq.-ft. indoor theme park; and a 22-screen cineplex, the largest in Dubai.

U.K favorites Waitrose and Hamleys are open, with anchor department stores Galeries Lafayette and Bloomingdale’s set to open in early 2009 and 2010, respectively.