The Centaurus News & Updates For the first time in the history of the federal capital, residents can shop at a real shoppingmall. The Express Tribune, February 18th, 2013. It might be difficult to believe, but the last time Islamabad had a similar multi-storey shopping complex was the Awami Markaz — the utility store-disguised-as-mall back in the ‘90s. Hundreds of Islooites thronged The Centaurus Mall on Sunday as it opened its door for public for the first time. The four-storey mall, which has around 250 shops, is being opened in phases. For now, the mall’s ground and first floors have been launched. “The Centaurus Mall will feature a five-screen cinema, a “fun city” for children, a food court featuring international fast food chain outlets, and four levels of parking in the basement,” Fahad Faheem, manager development of the Centaurus project, told The Express Tribune. Muhammad Amir, a doctor at the Shifa International Hospital, was visiting the mall with his wife and sons, Moonis, 11, and Hassan, 7. Amir said the Centaurus Mall reminded him of a mall he and his family visited in Khobar, Saudi Arabia. “It is great that we have a mall comparable to malls in the Middle East,” Amir said. “I hope it can take off.” Mrs Imran, who wished to be identified by her spouse’s name only, said Islamabad residents would only come across malls when visiting Lahore or Karachi, but now they can boast about one in their city. “I am extremely pleased that we have a good place to shop at last,” she said. “Not only do they have a lot of brands under the same roof here, but also a safe environment for shoppers.” She said she was impressed by the variety of brands that have set up shops at the mall. Cinnabon — a popular American baked goods chain — Lahore’s Al-Fatah super store and the luxury watch brand Tag Heuer are some of the major shops that will open at the mall over the next few weeks. At the Concept Art Gallery on the ground floor, store manager Sardar Abrar Riaz said he was pleased with the turnout on the opening day. “The customer response has been very good,” Riaz said. “People need entertainment and security, and I feel this mall combines both those features.” The Centaurus inaugurated by the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Raja Parvez Ashraf along with Chairman Pakgulf Mr. Sardar Ilyas Khan and President Pakgulf Mr. Tanveer Ilyas Khan. The mall has 16 escalators, panoramic lifts, CCTV cameras and back-up generators, Faheem said. He said 80 per cent of the shops have been booked so far. The shops have been rented out for an average monthly rent of Rs500 per square foot, but there are different rates for different floors. The $350 million Centaurus project — which includes a five-star hotel, two residential towers and a corporate tower in addition to the mall — started in 2006. The project attracted some controversy when the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) raised an objection on its height. The CAA claimed the construction firm had increased the number of floors after construction began and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) did not receive permission from the CAA before approving the new heights of the buildings. Pak Gulf Construction — the real estate developer for the Centaurus — also withheld payments for the project because it claimed the CDA had not provided it with utility services mentioned in the original agreement between the two parties. However, in September 2012, the developer and CDA reached an agreement regarding the establishment of a grid station for the Centaurus. ISLAMABAD: For the first time in the history of the federal capital, residents can shop at a real shopping mall where all kinds of facilities are available to public. Daily Time, 09 March, 2013 The Centaurus is believed to be the largest mall in Pakistan. Planned with in-depth research and benchmarked with the best in the world, the mall would bring a completely new experience for the people of Pakistan, Ghayas Abbasi, the spokesman for Pak-Gulf Construction, the firm building The Centaurus, told Daily Times. The official said that there are more consumption opportunities in the mall than any other shopping centre, adding that it is a five-storey building that includes a large sport complex, multiplex cinema, restaurants and around 250 shops. “The developer is also going to build a five-star hotel as part of the complex,” he added. The spokesman described the development as “Pakistan’s largest shopping mall”, which is expected to create direct consumption opportunities for about 15,000 to 20,000 people at the same time. Abbasi told Daily Times that covering a large piece of land, the mall had a five-screen cinema, premium shopping options, gaming zones, roof gardens, fine dining options like never before, hypermarkets and a multi-level parking space. “People are excited in the sense that they will get more opportunity to shop and more brands will be coming,” he added. “The Centaurus Mall will also feature a ‘fun city’ for children and a food court, featuring outlets of international fast-food chains” Abbasi said. The $350 million Centaurus project in the capital started in 2006 and opened in February of this year, following a very good response from customers. “The mall has 16 escalators, panoramic lifts, CCTV cameras and back-up generators, providing an entertaining and secure environment for customers and shopkeepers,” he said. The mall – the largest in Pakistan in terms of built-up space, largest number of shopping outlets and entertainment options under one roof – is expected to be completely functional this year, he said. The Centaurus Mall Opening 17th February, 2013
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 06:53:14 +0000
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