AL AIN // Big city shopping came to a district of Al Ain this month with the opening of the Al Foah Mall.
The principal tenant is a Lulu Hypermarket, which is spread over two floors and has brought grocery services to those in the outlying district close to the Al Ain-Dubai highway. Previously, there had only been smaller grocery stores.
With the green and red Lulu colours visible a kilometre away, the mall has already drawn hundreds of people but is set to draw thousands once it is fully occupied within six months.
Al Foah Mall is Al Ain's fourth mall. In terms of high-end retailers and size, it is smaller than Bawadi Mall, Al Jimi Mall and Al Ain Mall.
A visit by The National last Friday evening found more than half the space still unrented or unoccupied with the second floor, where the food court is, bare and inaccessible to the public.
Residents of the district hope that when the mall is fully occupied it will meet their shopping and entertainment needs but according to management that could still be six months away.
"We officially opened on December 12, but expect to be at full occupancy within five to six months," said Gurpreeth Singh, Al Foah Mall's general manager.
That no other major brands have yet to rent space at the mall comes as no surprise to Zayed al Shamsi and his family, who live nearby.
"We are at the most outlying part of Al Ain," Mr al Shamsi said. "So it's no surprise that the big brands are not here, especially with Al Bawadi Mall not too far away. We have to be satisfied with the fact that we have a major supermarket nearby.
"Residents of Al Foah had to go to Al Ain Mall or Al Jimi Mall for groceries, but the opening of this Lulu is quite welcome. I don't anticipate that it will be the favourite shopping destination for all of us (in Al Foah) but it is really good that it opened here."
The Oscar Cinema is also set to open over the next three months at Al Foah Mall. It is not affiliated with Grand Cinemas or Cinestar, the UAE's main cinema brands, but residents of the area were pleased.
"This is really great," said Samer Amiri, 13, from Syria, who lives within walking distance from the mall. "Now I won't have to bother my father or brother for a ride to go to the cinema. Hopefully, they will play new releases and not old movies like other small cinemas."
Greatly anticipated among Al Ain residents is the scheduled autumn opening of The Mall, a multi-storey structure under construction in the industrial part of the city opposite the Etisalat building less than five kilometres away from Al Ain Mall.
Set to attract major retailers, The Mall will be closest to those in the furthest parts of the city away from the Central District.
Residents of the Falaj Hazza and Zakher Districts are hopeful that its opening will bring them closer to shopping and entertainment than the city's current malls.
ealghalib@thenational.ae
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Norwich City 1 (Cantwell 75') Manchester United 2 (Aghalo 51' 118') After extra time.
Man of the match Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
Law%2041.9.4%20of%20men%E2%80%99s%20T20I%20playing%20conditions
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20profile
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FIGHT CARD
Bantamweight Hamza Bougamza (MAR) v Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Catchweight 67kg Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) v Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lighweight Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) v Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg Mostafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) v Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) v Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78kg Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight Sallaheddine Dekhissi (MAR) v Abdel Emam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg Rachid Hazoume (MAR) v Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG)
Lighweight Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg Omar Hussein (PAL) v Souhil Tahiri (ALG)
Middleweight Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
AL%20BOOM
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh289,000
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Company%C2%A0profile
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Meydan race card
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
7.05pm: Handicap Dh 185,000 2,000m
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap Dh 190,000 1,400m
8.50pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,200m
10pm: Handicap Dh 165,000 1,600m
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
Profile
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Kill%20Bill%20Volume%201
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'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'
Rating: 3/5
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Mads Mikkelson, Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Jude Law
FA Cup fifth round draw
Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
Reading/Cardiff City v Sheffield United
Chelsea v Shrewsbury Town/Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United/Oxford United
Leicester City v Coventry City/Birmingham City
Northampton Town/Derby County v Manchester United
Southampton/Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City
Portsmouth v Arsenal