Middle East’s largest SEGA Republic to open at The Dubai Mall

An exciting array of theme park adventures awaits families at The Dubai Mall. The largest-ever SEGA Republic in the Middle East region will open at the mall shortly. A high-adrenaline ride, adventure and gaming zone, SEGA Republic is developed in association with Japan-based SEGA Corporation, one of the global leaders in hi-tech entertainment.

Finishing work on SEGA Republic, the newest leisure attraction at the mall, is currently progressing for opening this summer, for which The Dubai Mall has set apart 76,000 sq ft across two levels. An indoor roller-coaster, thrilling rides and motion simulators, many of which are bespoke attractions for Dubai, are the highlight of SEGA Republic, which will appeal to all members of the family.

Mr Nasser Rafi, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Malls Group, said: “As the world’s largest family shopping and entertainment destination, The Dubai Mall is continuously adding to its retail and leisure portfolio. The opening of SEGA Republic, the largest indoor theme park of its kind in the Middle East region, will complement the successful leisure attractions of the mall such as Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, Dubai Ice Rink and The Waterfall.”

He added: “In the coming months, even as more retail outlets open, the mall will unveil newer leisure concepts such as KidZania®, a unique edu-tainment concept for children and Reel Cinemas, the 22-screen cineplex. Leisure components are a strong draw for families and, in turn, further support retail sales.”

SEGA Republic will feature numerous key attractions including SPIN GEAR, HALFPIPE CANYON, SONIC HOPPER, INITIAL D4 LIMITED, STORM-G and OUTRUN2 SP. With most of the major attractions being based on skill levels, visitors are guaranteed that no two rides are ever the same, providing a unique experience every time. While the bespoke roller-coaster, SPIN GEAR, is set to become a rage among families, HALFPIPE CANYON, a snow/skateboarding simulator that has gained a phenomenal following at SEGA’s Joypolis theme park in Japan, is also keenly awaited by theme park enthusiasts in the region. “Drifting” fans can now experience the thrill of INITIAL D4 LIMITED and SONIC HOPPER, the 9-metre drop tower that provides a breath-taking ride. Visitors can also enjoy up to 250 amusement games, a climbing wall and a host of food and beverage options at SEGA Republic.

Mr Suresh Bhatia, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Retail LLC, explained: “Most of the attractions in SEGA Republic will be a first-time experience for visitors to the mall and in the region. The selection of rides, roller-coaster, motion ride simulators and games in this all-season indoor theme park, have been made to meet the demands of the fun-loving young population of the region as well as families. Safety aspects are given the highest priority, and SEGA Republic will have a dedicated team of professionals on hand to assist visitors.”

He added: “A judicious leisure mix is one of the biggest attractions of shopping malls today. The Dubai Mall is setting the trend in the region and globally too, with unprecedented leisure concepts which have all been well-received. The indoor environment of SEGA Republic has also been specially developed for the varying rides, keeping the convenience of visitors in mind.”

KidZania®, another leisure concept in the mall to open this year, is a novel concept that introduces children to a scaled-down version of a city in which they can experience the ultimate in role-playing. They can choose from over 70 preferred ‘roles’ and be provided with costumes and other accessories for the complete real-life like experience. Reel Cinemas, the 22-screen cineplex due to open this summer, the largest in the city, will house up to 2,800 seats. Over 900 retailers have already opened at The Dubai Mall and the remaining 300 will open in the next three months. Several of these are flagship stores or mark the Middle East launch of global brands.

About The Dubai Mall:
The Dubai Mall is the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination spread over a total area of 12 million sq ft. With a total internal floor area of 5.9 million sq ft, the mall has 3.77 million sq ft of gross leasable space which hosts 1,200 retail stores including over 160 food and beverage outlets in food courts that have a capacity to seat 3,000.
The Dubai Mall offers an unparalleled retail mix combined with world-class dining, entertainment and leisure attractions. The leisure attractions include The Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, which features the largest acrylic viewing panel in the world and a walk-through tunnel. The Olympic-sized Dubai Ice-Rink is another key leisure attraction and a destination for skating enthusiasts.
Fashion Avenue, a 440,000 sq ft fashion precinct dedicated to haute couture, positions the mall as the fashion capital of the region; while the Gold Souk is a sprawling gold and jewellery retail showcase with over 200 stores.
The strong family entertainment theme includes KidZania®, an innovative children’s ‘edu-tainment’ concept that is being introduced to the region for the first time; SEGA Republic, a 76,000 sq ft high adrenaline indoor theme park; The Grove, an indoor-outdoor streetscape with fully retractable roof, and the 22-screen Reel Cinemas with a total capacity of 2,800 seats.
For the convenience of visitors, the mall offers over 14,000 car parking spaces.

About Emaar Malls Group LLC:
Emaar Malls Group LLC, is the retail and shopping mall subsidiary of Emaar Properties PJSC. Emaar has announced investments in shopping malls of over US$4 billion (AED 15 billion) with 10 million sq ft of retail property in operation or under development in the emerging markets of the Middle East, North Africa, the Indian Subcontinent and South Asia and is on target to become one of the largest developers of shopping malls in the world. At the forefront of these developments is the flagship The Dubai Mall, the world’s largest mall, in the heart of the Downtown Burj Dubai.
Emaar Malls Group also operates two other malls in Dubai; Souk Al Bahar, an Arabesque shopping and entertainment development on The Old Town Island, and Dubai Marina Mall, a lifestyle shopping mall for residents of the Dubai Marina community. Internationally, Emaar Malls Group is planning or developing shopping centres in Egypt, Syria, Morocco, Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia and continues to drive the company’s expansion strategy on a global scale.

About Emaar Retail:
Emaar Retail is a wholly owned subsidiary of Emaar Malls Group LLC and is the vehicle for all retail operations. Emaar Retail is developing a portfolio of brands in key growth markets and is strategically building new alliances, joint ventures, franchises and licenses for all mall developments under the Emaar Malls Group umbrella.

Emaar Retail also manages the business operations for The Dubai Mall’s leisure and entertainment brands including KidZania®, SEGA Republic, the Olympic-sized ‘Dubai Ice Rink’ and Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo. Emaar Retail has also entered into a joint-venture with Cathay Organisation Holdings Ltd in Singapore, to form Reel Entertainment to develop cinemas across the region including the flagship 22-screen cineplex at The Dubai Mall.
Emaar Retail was established to drive Emaar Malls Group’s developments in key emerging markets across the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian Sub-Continent through creating the right retail mix for the various markets.