Emaar MGF to construct India’s largest mall

Taking realty major DLF head-on, Emaar MGF is planning to build India's largest mall, the announcement for which will be made in the next six months. Currently on the drawing boards, the mall will ape the world's largest mall (spread over 5.8 million sq. ft.) being built by the compan’s partner (Emaar) in Dubai. Till date, the largest mall to be announced in India is DLF's Mall of India along NH-8 in Gurgaon that will be spread over 3.6 million sq. ft.

“The mall will have the same flavour as the Dubai Mall that has 3.77 million sq. ft. of retail space as well as the largest walk through aquarium in the world. The mall in India is in the planning stages and we will be making it public in the next couple of months,” says Shravan Gupta, executive vice-chairman and managing director, Emaar MGF. With 65-70% of Emaar MGF’s land bank in the north, the upcoming mall is likely to be built in the Delhi NCR.








Inspired by the scale of projects that its UAE-based partner Emaar is engaged in executing (like the Dubai Mall and the tallest tower in the world, called the Burj Dubai), Emaar MGF is also planning to come up with similar such real estate projects in India in the coming years. The first such project is Boulder Hills, a residential-cum-leisure complex at Hyderabad, which will have the largest golf course in India.

“While Delhi and Mumbai are the only two places where towers like the Burj Dubai can sustain themselves, we are also planning to bring in the first Giorgio Armani luxury hotel in India in the next four years. In the next one year, the company will even go in for an IPO. While larger SEZs (like the one in Gurgaon) have been kept on hold owing to government policies, we have got in principle approvals for 9-10 smaller SEZs across the country,” says Gupta.

Mall-A-Mall

• Currently on the drawing boards, the mall will be spread over 5.8 million sq. ft.
• Largest mall announced in India is DLF’s Mall of India sitting on 3.6 million sq. ft.
• Emaar MGF’s upcoming mall is likely to be built in the Delhi NCR
The importance India has for the $3.8 billion Dubai-based Emaar Properties can be gauged from the fact that it contributes 20-25% to the company’s revenues. “The joint venture between Emaar and Turner Corporation, a leading US building services provider, will also enter India and offer its services to the burgeoning real estate sector in the country,” says Amit Jain, chief financial offic