Dubai Mall to add 5,000 new parking slots

The move will bring the total parking spaces at the mall to 14,500

Dubai Mall will build 5,000 new parking spaces by spring 2019, the chief executive of Emaar Malls (developer of Dubai Mall) said yesterday.

The mall, which hopes to receive as many as 87 million visitors this year, will add the spaces via its ongoing Zabeel and fountain view extensions.

Currently offering 9,500 parking spaces to shoppers, Dubai Mall routinely faces traffic problems at peak times.

Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne Emaar Malls CE said the parking situation was most retailers’ number one concern.

The company also said it would launch its new parking app this week, which will show users available parking spaces and the nearest parking space to a chosen store, and will also offer them prereserved parking.

The app will sync with Google Maps and other navigation systems to show help users find parking space, and will direct shoppers who cannot locate their vehicle to their car “simply by inputting your plate number.”

In an interview with Gulf News, Bousquet-Chavanne, who took over as CEO two months ago, dismissed concerns about retail oversupply in Dubai. “The only thought I can give you is that when you have assets of that quality ... the best protection against change is the quality you have built,” he said.