Retail Property - ABC opens mall in Beirut suburb

ABC, Lebanon's leading department store operator, has opened a 540,000 sq ft (50,165 sq m) shopping mall in the fashionable Beirut suburb of Achrafieh.

Designed by BDP, the retail and leisure mall is anchored by an 86,000 sq ft (7,990 sq m) ABC store trading on three levels.

Unit shops provide a further 160,000 sq ft (14,865 sq m) of retail space, ranging in size from 260 sq ft to 32,250 sq ft (25 sq m to 2,995 sq m).

The steeply-sloped site means the upper two levels have direct street access while the lowest level offers souk- style shopping on a more intimate scale.

A restaurant area has been built above the mall to take advantage of views towards the Mediterranean sea.

Responding to the warm local climate, the mall is covered, but not enclosed, and there is under-floor cooling.