UAE-based conglomerate Al-Futtaim has broken ground on a 78,500 sq m mall project in Jebel Ali, Dubai.

The mall, which forms part of the Jebel Ali Development (JAD), will comprise nearly 55,000 sq m of leasable space.

The development will include Dubai’s second IKEA store, covering an area of 30,000 sq m. It will also feature an additional 100 retail stores, a food court and cafe-style dining, a large hypermarket and Al-Futtaim Ace hardware store — all of which are expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2019.

Additionally, the project will feature over 2,000 parking spaces, 1,457 homes, hospitality and entertainment offering, a sports complex, K-12 schools, and a central park.

Omar Al Futtaim, Al-Futtaim’s vice chairman, said: “As a privately-owned company guided by an entrepreneurial spirit, we always take a long-term view of the market by planning ahead, and this project firmly positions our retail footprint in a high growth potential area of Dubai slated to witness a population growth spurt during the build up to Expo 2020 and well beyond.”

* Data provided by Timetric's Construction Intelligence Center.