Faisel E RS Altawheed
Professor Klepper
English 113B
13rd December 2013
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 and 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. In addition, sunlight encourages the
children to engage in physical activities by making them feel more energetic
(Omartian 17).
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:
If
luxurious shopping were a religion, one of its temples would definitely be the
Prestige district. To give the luxury brands a unique character, the stores are
double in height. Upon entering this district, an astonishing purple dome with
its own lighting system catches your eye. There are massive architectural
arches that are made from copper colored materials complemented by Portoro
stone. Combining the arches color with the purple light reflects a color that
is usually associated with luxury (Renk). The ground is made of a shiny marble
that reflects the light from the ceiling lamps. This district attracts a
luxurious segment of people that likes to shop for expensive brands, such as
PRADA, Chanel, Burberry, and Christian Dior.
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.
Omartain, Stormie. "The Power of
Sunlight." The Power of
Sunlight. The Christian Bradcasting Network, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.
Renk, Stefen.
"Color Theory." Renk Student Support Web. N.p.,
14 May 1999. Web. 8 Nov. 2013.
Valdes,
J. M. (2002). Culture Bound: Bridging the
culture gap in language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
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