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In the scorching heat of a Dubai summer, where temperatures routinely climb past 120 degrees Fahrenheit and air-conditioned malls serve as essential sanctuaries, Majid Al Futtaim is proposing something radical: a shopping destination where nature isn't kept outside, but invited in.
Thirty years after opening the Middle East's first modern shopping mall, Majid Al Futtaim is marking the milestone with its most audacious concept yet. Ghaf Woods Mall, the company's 30th mall, will be the region's first forest-integrated retail destination. The project is a $4.2 billion development featuring more than 1 million trees woven throughout a super-regional shopping district on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road.
"We're excited to unveil the plans to add the 30th super-regional flagship destination," Khalifa Bin Braik, chief executive officer of Majid Al Futtaim Asset Management, said. "This is a newly reimagined, first-of-its-kind, retail shopping district that's going to be immersed and integrated within the forest living signature theme."
It's a striking departure from the hermetically sealed retail palaces that have defined 's shopping culture for three decades, and it signals where Majid Al Futtaim believes the future of regional retail is heading.
"Ghaf Woods Mall marks a bold new era in retail and community placemaking," Ahmed El Shamy, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Development, said. "In seamlessly integrating nature, technology and human-centric design, we're offering an exceptional experience that enriches the lives of residents while evolving with the lifestyles of our customers across Dubai."
The vision is both pragmatic and poetic: extensive tree coverage designed to reduce ambient temperatures across the development through biophilic principles, creating what Majid Al Futtaim calls a "Mall in the Forest" that turns conventional climate-controlled retail inside out. It's a concept that responds to growing consumer demand for experiential destinations while addressing sustainability concerns in a region grappling with extreme heat and environmental challenges.
The announcement carries particular resonance as Majid Al Futtaim marks the 30th anniversary of its founding. The journey from the developer's first mall at City Centre Deira to Ghaf Woods reflects the evolution of Dubai -- from trading port to global metropolis, from transactional retail to destination experiences.
Now as suburban Dubai expands eastward along the E311 corridor, Majid Al Futtaim sees opportunity in a catchment area projected to generate about $9.5 billion in consumer spending by 2035. The location serves major residential communities including Arabian Ranches, Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubailand -- a growing population underserved by experience-led retail destinations.
"As a growing residential community, there are currently no experience-led malls within the catchment area," Bin Braik noted. "We're going to have leisure, entertainment, food offers, and are going to continuously encourage new brands to come into Dubai for the first time."
The mall promises to be a platform where brand tenants and consumers can meaningfully connect, with retail integrated throughout a forest environment -- a concept Bin Braik describes as "building on the legacy of Majid Al Futtaim and continuously reimagining what retail needs to be, responding to consumer trends and needs."
The biophilic design approach places Majid Al Futtaim at the forefront of an accelerating global movement. Recent research demonstrates that natural elements dramatically reshape consumer behavior: skylights can increase sales by 40 percent, while biophilic environments generate 36 percent higher dwell times and enable retailers to command pricing premiums of 20 to 25 percent. Temperature reductions from extensive tree coverage offer sustainability benefits beyond mere aesthetics -- a critical consideration in a climate where outdoor spaces become nearly uninhabitable for months each year.
Globally, mall developers have experimented with nature-integrated concepts. Singapore's Jewel Changi Airport pioneered the model with multilevel gardens and a dramatic indoor waterfall. China's Yorkville development in Chongqing features a 750,000-square-foot botanical garden interwoven with retail circulation. Melbourne's Burwood Brickworks earned recognition as the world's most sustainable shopping center through its rooftop urban farm. But the Gulf region's unique climate challenges and cultural context demand different solutions -- solutions Majid Al Futtaim is now engineering at scale.
Bin Braik said for international brands evaluating Dubai market entry, Ghaf Woods offers compelling advantages: early positioning in a high-growth suburban corridor, differentiation through environmental design, and Majid Al Futtaim's proven ability to create destination retail in unexpected locations. The company is courting flagship and anchor tenants seeking alternatives to the increasingly saturated main corridors of Dubai like downtown, where Emaar's Dubai Mall drew 111 million visitors in 2024.
The competitive landscape makes Majid Al Futtaim's suburban pivot particularly strategic. With prime retail rental rates up 14.9 percent year-over-year in 2024 and the UAE retail market projected to reach $227.1 billion by 2033, landlords who can offer differentiated experiences command premium positioning.
As Bin Braik noted, walking through the existing Ghaf Woods Experience Center offers a preview of the vision. "We've looked at adding a million-plus trees, and eventually that's going to reduce the temperature of the entire development. The idea is how we can utilize that design and integrate it into the mall ecosystem, blending the best of both worlds in a sustainable retail ecosystem."
Thirty years after introducing the integrated mall concept to a region where shopping meant open-air souks, Majid Al Futtaim is betting that the future of retail doesn't lie in escaping nature, but in embracing it. The developer is banking on consumers responding to a forest-wrapped mall the way they once flocked to an indoor ski slope, bringing yet another evolution in the global retail scene.