Faisel E R S Altawheed
Profesor Klepper
English 113B
8th November 2013
The Avenues Mall
One of the things that Kuwait should
be famous for is its malls. Five malls have been constructed in Kuwait over the
previous ten years. The Avenues Mall is the oldest among them. Despite its age
and competing malls, The Avenues Mall
keeps drawing people back. This begs the question, what makes this shopping
mall so special? Even if Kuwait's malls appear to be similar, having the same
entertainment facilities, restaurants, and clothing stores, The Avenues is popular
because it is well located and the road that leads to The Avenues doesn't have
much traffic. The impressive structure is the dominant reason to go to the mall;
it has over eight hundred stores spread over seven districts, each district has
its own theme and attracts all kinds of people. In contrast, Al Hamra Mall is
the newest mall in Kuwait. Even though it is extremely luxurious, it is always
empty. The reason for the emptiness is that it is located at the center of downtown
Kuwait, where it is usually too crowded with traffic, and it only attracts a certain
segment of people. What makes a Mall occupied with people is the organization
of the mall, the location, and the design.
The Avenues Mall is considered to be
the second largest mall in the Middle East. The founders of the mall had a well-studied
vision for the project. They decided to build a large mall in an empty area
away from the center of Kuwait. That basic plan made a tangible contribution to
the success of the mall. It made it easy to drive to the mall, and park,
without worrying about too much traffic.
Some people argue that locating the mall
away from the center of Kuwait forces people to drive longer, which leads to an
increase in gas consumption, and, therefore, will negatively affect the economy
and the environment. But from a another perspective, locating the mall in the
center of Kuwait actually leads to more traffic, and causes people to get stuck
in their cars for more than an hour just to reach the mall. Traffic jams lead
to more gas consumption and waste valuable time (Barth 6).
The founders have succeeded in transforming
what used to be an empty area, which no one usually visits, into a business
center that is rarely empty during any time of the week. They managed to
accomplish this by continuously developing and enhancing the shopping
experience in the mall. The Avenues Mall was first opened in 2007. It started with
three districts: 1st Avenue, 2nd Avenue, and The Mall. Six years later, they
managed to add five more districts, The Souk, SoKu, Grand Avenue, and Prestige.
Each of those districts provides different experiences to the shoppers and they
all have a unique theme.
1st
Avenue:
This district is one of the original
three districts in the mall. The design of this avenue was inspired by natural rock
formations and the sky. This district holds the biggest cinema in Kuwait. The
cinema has a large entrance lobby and huge black columns that are strikingly
decorated by using color-changing LEDs. It also has more than 200 stores,
restaurants, and cafes.
This part of the mall mostly attracts
younger people, and it is the busiest section. The reason it attracts younger
people is that the restaurants are middle class and are not too expensive, including
places like Chili's, Shake Shack, and some Arabic restaurants. In addition, the
stores provide the ultimate shopping experience for that category of people. The
clothing stores are mostly international brands that are not too expensive, such as H&M, American Eagle, and Banana
Republic.
2nd
Avenue:
This district is considered the
largest district in the mall. It is designed for the enjoyment of families and
kids. It contains Carrefour, a huge supermarket, and it also has restaurants,
cafes, and clothing stores. The restaurants here are different from those found
in 1st Avenue, they are mostly fast food restaurants that serve kids
meals, such as McDonalds and Burger King.
Since this district is meant to
attract kids and families, there is an attraction called KidZania, which is an
entertainment center that provides an educational environment for the kids. The
kids can play over 100 types of activities in a replica of a real city. To
provide the feeling of being outdoors, the roof is made of glass that allows
the sunlight in.
Grand
Avenue:
In order to keep up with restaurant trends
in Kuwait, the mall founders had to extend the mall and build this new
district. They managed to add more international restaurants; some that are
making their first debut in Kuwait, and others that have their only location in
Kuwait. In addition to the new restaurants, the founders of The Avenue decided
to create a walking path to attract people who would like to exercise. The path
is over 400 meters in length and around 22 meters wide. The path is designed using
elements of nature to give it the feeling of being outdoors. The street is
paved with different kinds of stones, and a long line of Palm Trees divides it
in two.
Prestige:
The
Souk:
This district is designed mirror a traditional
Kuwaiti market. They have accomplished this by replicating the characteristics
of an old market environment. The district is made of narrow streets, the color
of the walls and ground matches the color of sand, and the presence of light
and shadows on the wall gives it an old feeling. There are shops that sell the
works of our Kuwaiti' ancestor craftsmen, such as Misbaha and traditional clothes.
The restaurants in The Souk are
mostly old-fashioned restaurant that serve traditional Kuwaiti and Arabic food.
The cafes are mostly filled with old people who like to hang out and feel the
nostalgia. This district usually attract older people and tourists who would
like to experience
the traditional life of Kuwait.
To make a successful mall, great
management is required to design and control the large space in order to
provide convenience to all customer segments. The mall needs to continuously go
through enhancements and improvements to keep up with customer trends. A mall
is no longer just about shopping, it has also become a hub where people go to spend
leisure time, find entertainment, and enjoy dining experiences. It is also a
good place for people to spend quality time with friends and family. By attracting kids, youths, families, and old
people all in one area, The Avenues Mall has obviously achieved its goal of
offering convenience and fun to all segments of people.
Works Cited
Barth, Mathew, and Kanok Boriboonsomsin "Traffic Congestion and
Greenhouse Gases" Access. The
University of California Transportation Center, 13 July 2009. Web. 8 November
2013.
Renk, Stefen. "Color Theory." Renk Student Support Web. N.p.,
14 May 1999. Web. 8 Nov. 2013.
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