The Tamdeen chairman Mohammed Al Marzouq recently had an interview with Arabian Business where he mentions a few things that are interesting and a friend mine sent me a few highlights that I thought were interesting:
– Tamdeen are developing a new residential and retail project called Tamdeen Square which will be located near Messilah on the Fahaheel Expressway. 30 of the apartments have already been sold via hearsay. Mohammed Al Marzouq is betting on the fact that skyrocketing house prices, a huge waiting list for government-issued houses and their distance from the city centre means that many Kuwaitis will prefer the convenience of apartment life. The very talented AGI Architects are the designers behind Tamdeen Sqaure.
– Tamdeen is taking over development of the stalled tennis project next to 360 Mall and will be completing it as a “massive expansion” of 360 Mall that will include a 4000-seat stadium as the home of the Kuwait Tennis Federation.
– Al Manshar Mall was demolished a few years ago for redevelopment into a much larger, more modern new mall and will now be completed by 2017. The current Al Kout development on the waterfront [with the fountains] has been rebranded as Souq Al Kout while the land side one will simply be Al Kout Mall.
– Tamdeen was formerly working on a 160000-square meter project called the Mall of Kuwait in Sabahiya but then the global economy slipped and the project went dead, but apparently it’s back on.
Check out the full interview on Arabian Business [Here]
Thanks Khaled
22 replies on “Bringing malls to the masses”
Malls, tennis, bowling etc. I stopped at Malls, everything after doesn’t make sense. No one is trying to insult anyone but when did tennis become the liking of the local community. Also if they are doing it to host international tournaments then here is a question: a tournament a year or twice at best justifies such an investment? 2; 4000 seats for who? Locals? Or aspiring international spectators that probably cannot get a visa…do we even have 1,2 or 3k hotel rooms in Kuwait?
See, here is the problem, there is no public plan or vision to what might work to open up the economy on projects level and the private sector are thinking with a Real estate or retail mindset to boost revenue.
Malls, closest to what ‘might’ work.
What is do the liking of the local community? Football? And thats about it…
You’re not going to move forward thinking that way. I wouldn’t have thought badminton was such a big thing in Kuwait but now that I’m part of the community I realized how big it is. There are at least 10 leagues and they are expat leagues and then you have a bunch of other clubs that cater to the Kuwaiti badminton players.
Now imagine tennis, a sport that is much more popular than badminton not just in Kuwait but world wide. Just because you’re not exposed to it doesn’t mean it’s not popular. There aren’t that many places to play tennis as well. For example I know of tennis courts that charge KD10 per hour and you don’t need to be a member. I haven’t posted about them because I don’t want the courts to fill up.
Personally I thought bowling wasn’t popular when I posted about the new bowling arena being built but it seems it is.
Actually why am I going that far, table tennis, every year Kuwait holds the world table tennis open. It was held I think last month in Kuwait? I never know until when the tournament is over because of the horrible marketing the league does but I mean if you can hold table tennis opens in Kuwait on a world wide level then tennis run by Tamdeen seems very doable.
+1
bask your argument is laughable… just because you don’t care about tennis doesn’t mean that all kuwaitis don’t.
for example shooting doesn’t seem that popular among kuwaitis, and yet the only two medals kuwait ever got in the olympics were shooting trap medals.
actually kuwait have a lots of sport federations for a small country, I remember being shocked when my friend told me we have a rugby team…
We even have an ice hockey team! That one surprised me.
thats actually cool!
I wonder where do they train? the public ice rink perhaps?
No Einstein, the desert in kabd
Hi Mark,
I’m a fan of badminton too. Are you familiar with any club I can go to play it at around southern Kuwait.. (Mangaf Fahaheel Fintas area?)
bask – there was supposed to be a tennis complex / mall adjacent to 360 mall. It stands incomplete as the developers could not raise the funding required due to the financial crisis.
That project was supposed to be a self sustained unit – with the mall providing the bulk of the revenues. If I am not wrong it was planned to have a small hotel as well to provide accommodation to the participants and some spectators.
They had to plan it to be a self sustained unit due to the lack of unity in public planning / vision.
I think it is a very brave step that the private sector is taking with such decisions. No one can estimate the impact it will have.
I agree with Mark..
Yes there are many things wrong in Kuwait and we lack an overall vision, but we should encourage changes whether from individuals or business firms, individuals or corporations.
Kuwaitis don’t want to live in apartments. There are already several buildings ready for move in but everyone wants a house. A Kuwaiti guy and his brothers decided to take what they can get now and took three floors of the building for citizens. The apartment has 8 bedrooms and several bathrooms but they are the only occupants. Whatever happened to the government houses they used to build?
I don’t mind living in an apartment, in fact part of me wants to live in an apartment.
Don’t generalize YOUR views and opinions and state them as facts.
As for the government houses… They still are getting built its just that it’s really slow. I don’t even understand why the government even thought about supplying a house to each Kuwaiti! Such a stupid idea.
I’m sorry, where exactly did I say my opinion was a fact?
“Kuwaitis don’t want to live in apartments.”
No need to apologize, your just generalizing and stating it like a fact. When in fact it is utter false (as proved by some Kuwaiti below).
Where are you getting this from? Pulling it from your magical survey?
I am a Kuwaiti. A Pure blooded, original Kuwaiti. I want a loft as opposed to a villa. I prefer urban areas compared to suburban. Hell, I and plenty of my friends would take apartments over houses.
Kuwaitis in this age will take ANYTHING than wait for a house.
Apartment ownership in Kuwait is risky because of “Mushaa” (deed sharing). All apartments in the building share the same deed and any illegal building work anywhere in the building affects all apartments on the deed.
For example, if your neighbor illegally builds an extension on his balcony and the Baladia freezes the deed, no one in the building will be allowed to buy or sell their apartment until the building work is either removed or legalized and all fines are paid. The only way to do that is to sue the offending neighbor. Good Luck!
Until the government changes the ownership registration system for apartments, apartment ownership in Kuwait is very risky.
Isn’t that how it is everywhere though? Cuz I know in Lebanon it’s like that
Yep, magical survey that’s exactly where I got it from. Good for you if you will take an apartment as there are plenty out there, just find a wife first.
‘Pure blooded, original Kuwaiti’ as opposed to new Kuwaitis? Does that make you better than others?
Another project by Tamdeen: https://www.sshic.com/NewsInfo.aspx?cid=80&pid=16
https://248am.com/mark/interesting/new-luxury-outlet-mall-and-more/
And not a single parking space was built that day…
probably basement parking..
all the new projects have basement parking