Friday, December 13, 2013

The Avenues Mall

Faisel E RS Altawheed

Professor Klepper

English 113B

13rd December 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 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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