Souk Al Bahar is Dubai’s one of the most exotic waterside shopping, dining, and entertainment place which comprises of more than 100 shops. These include 22 restaurants, cafes and lounges which form Souk Al Bahar’s waterfront promenade. The inside of the mall consists of some of Dubai’s favorite chains and retail stores with world famous brands. As the mall is located at Burj Lake, it is outlined with the waterfront promenade offering exclusive views of Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall’s dancing Fountain. The outdoor layout of the mall consists of an assortment of restaurants on two levels, some of them are inside while, most of them are outside, offering the beautiful view of adjacent Dubai mega structures. Another important feature of Souk Al Bahar layout is parking facility for visitors so that they can shop at their convenience. They drive in, park, walk to their destination in relative safety and speed. The people who are observed to occupy the place are usually tourists belonging to different cultures.
It is an Arabic style shopping mall which focuses on Arabic culture. It is an attractive spot for all Arabic culture lovers but may not attract those who have a dislike for Arabic cultural values. It does not target lower to middle class people as the souk is very expensive for both shopping and dining and addresses to the needs and lifestyle of upper-class people only. Additionally, Souk Al Bahar is not a very old mall as it was established in December 2007 but rapidly become famous.
Layout of the Mall:
Spinneys is the main anchor store in the mall. It is a big supermarket located in the basement, which addresses to the needs of all public, bachelors or family, children or adult. There are a number of other stores inside the mall. These include confectionery, cosmetics, electrical appliances, restaurants, cafes, bakeries, cocktail bars, grocery etc. Names of a few of them are given below:
Abdel Wahab – Lebanese lounge and restaurant
Alison Nelson’s Chocolate Bar – a good place for dessert if you have a chocolate fetish
Baker & Spice – organic prepared foods
Bicé Mare – upscale Italian and seafood
Caribou Coffee – coffee and internet
Cinnabon & Seattles Best, coffee and cinnabons
Cru – a wine bar with frequent ladies specials
Dean & Deluca – premium quality made to order salads and sandwiches
Hive – popular bar with a Friday brunch on offer
Karma Kafé – a trendy Japanese fusion restaurant
Left Bank – a chic lounge and bar
Mango Tree – a sophisticated Thai experience
Margaux – french/ Italian dining delight
Mirai – expansive, trendy Japanese cuisine
Momotaro – fine sushi
Rivington Grill – fine British grills and classics
Sammach – seafood specials
Shakespeare and Co – café food, pastries, and Shisha
The Meat Company – great steaks and service
Torino Lamborghini Caffé – sandwiches and coffee
Urbano – Italian pizzeria and trattori
Zahr El-Laymoun – trendy and relaxed Lebanese spot
Souk Al Bahar (meaning ‘market of the sailor’ in Arabic) derives its name from its traditional souk architecture of natural stone corridors, high archways and subdued lighting and its unique location on an island in the Burj lake. The ancient cultural architecture identifies its cultural Arabic name “Souk” (Bazaar) whereas, the term “Al Bahar” (sailor) is identified by its exotic sea side location.
Target Public:
People of all ages (elders/ middle aged/ young/ children) and both genders are found visiting this mall. However, the majority of people visiting the mall comprises of tourists from different regions of the world as well as young couples. Tourists are seen to occupy the place entire day. While, the young couples are mostly seen after office timings.
The ideal location of the mall is an advantage to Souk Al Bahar. There are so many other attractions around the mall like Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall. Additionally, The Address Hotels are also located in the nearby vicinity. All these facts sum up to attract the tourists to visit the area making Souk Al Bahar a must site of their journey. The number of tourists who visit the place increases in the months of December because the vacationing period in most of the parts of the world.
As the place is frequently visited by the tourist who rarely have their personal accommodations and cooking facilities, therefore the most frequented places at Souk Al Bahar are cafes, restaurants, dining halls along with the shops which offer attractive souvenirs for families back at home. Spinneys is a supermarket in the basement that meets the general needs of all household items, from grocery to clothings, fruits, vegetables, butchery, etc. So it is the most frequently visited supermarket of the mall. Souk Al Bahar is a lifestyle shopping mall which does not categorize the mall and the mall shoppers. It provides a wide range of items and services which are offered to everyone irrespective of age or gender. These may include dining facilities for those who want to enjoy a delicious meal, huge variety of shopping products for shopping lovers as well as entertainment for everyone.
The similarities that Souk Al Bahar shares with other shopping malls include:
It comprises of outlets constructed with modern themes to attract crowds.
World’s most famous brands are available at this shopping mall to attract brand conscious customers.
Parking facility is available for shoppers to provide them convenience.
Various promotional schemes and events are organized to attract mall shoppers. (But there are unfortunately no events at this moment in the mall).
An alert and vigilant security system is installed for the protection of shoppers.
Like many other malls of Dubai, Souk Al Bahar also provides availability of a variety of products concentrated within the premises of a single mall.
Souk Al Bahar also provides an atmosphere created for shopping comfort.
Souk Al Bahar also provides weather protection facilities.
Most of the people find Souk Al Bahar similar to the Souq Madinat Jumeirah due to its state of the art design and concept.
Souk Al Bahar is different from other shopping malls in following ways:
An aesthetic view from Souk Al Bahar enables the shoppers to enjoy the beautiful sites of Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall while eating and shopping. This is a different feature which is limited to few shopping malls in Dubai.
Another difference is that Souk Al Bahar is located in a beautiful setting on Burj Lake which is a feast for water lovers who look forward to visiting the place even if they dislike shopping.
Another major difference is that it is an Arabic style traditional shopping mall reflecting the Arabian heritage. All the outlets follow the same cultural theme which makes it different from other shopping malls.
Additionally, Souk Al Bahar is found to be less active in Events and Promotions to attract more visitors and shoppers there.
Site of modernisation:
Souk Al Bahar is certainly a site of modernization. We should not misjudge this place by its conventional name in the Arabic language “Souk Al Bahar” (means ‘market of the sailor’). This mall derives its name from both its traditional souk architecture consisting of natural stone corridors, high archways and subdued lighting along with its unique seaside location on the Burj Lake. The cultural theme flows throughout the mall, with shops reflecting the Arabian heritage through a mix of authentic handicrafts, fashion accessories, fashion wear, perfumes, carpets and furnishings. But all this is done by keeping in mind the most latest and modern aspects of shopping.
Public meeting place:
Souk Al Bahar consists of a lot of places which allow the facility for interaction with others. Few of the examples are given below:
- Left Bank which is a contemporary lounge, bar and restaurant. It is a trendy meeting place which combines style with a relaxed atmosphere. People coming from close locations are usually seen here, enjoying the mystical environment.
- Margaux Restaurant and Lounge is another place for Dubai’s high-flying executives and fashionistas. It is a perfect venue to relax and socialize over delicious tapas and mouth-watering cocktails along with enjoying the spectacular views of the Dubai Fountain.
- Yet another socializing spot at Souk Al Bahar is Zahr el-laymoun which is a homely and cozy restaurant environment with a modern edge, mostly liked by Arabic visitors.
An increase in the competition has resulted in discovering new ways and techniques not only to enhance business but also to survive in a competitive environment. This has given rise to the innovative ideas of incorporating fun with business. Another approach to this concept is that after a tiresome day, people want to relax by doing something enjoyable whereas, shopping is the least fun activity for most of the people. When people go out to visit the fun places, they also desire for the convenience of buying consumer products from somewhere nearby and finally dining out provides them the ultimate pleasant feeling. Grand shopping malls like Souk Al Bahar, provide all these in just one place but this should not be seen as a tug of war between commerce and fun. It is rather, an interdependence of commerce and fun. Both have become indispensable for each other and equally important.
Testimonial:
Here are the few responses of people who visited Souk Al Bahar – and such information was collected to complete this project:
“Food was fabulous and the wine was exotic”.
“Best place for Shisha and chill out experience”.
“Get to gather with loved ones, with the romantic view of the dancing fountain, cold breeze with the smell of Shisha in surroundings, is something inexplicable”.
“Service is very nice, food is good but prices are very high”.
“Music is super, live DJ plays at night, sitting is comfortable, all is good but the best is its fabulous location”.
“Flavor is good but with over priced dishes, offering smaller portions sufficient for the child only”.
The response provided by people indicates that they really like the Arabic cultural theme about Souk Al Bahar with the touch of modernization. But some are also disappointed with the costly experience they had there in the dining. As reviewed by Stephenie Kristen on Tripadvisor.com, “Meal for 4 costs around Aed 1200 at Karma Kafe in Souk Al Bahar”.
Since most of the visitors are tourists, they are really inquisitive about Arabic culture and this mall provides them a vivid site for cultural heritage.
In short, it cannot be said that Souk Al Bahar is an ideal mall from all perspectives. Moreover, people suggested that the other malls often provide car mechanic facility, shoe repair facility, solicitor services, multiplex cinema, free entertainment for children, etc.
On the basis of views and recommendations, an ideal mall shoul
d consist of shops, boutiques, restaurants, open air area, swimming facility, sports arena, nanny’s room to take care of kids and medical facilities. Also there should be a value for money because most of the people in Dubai are smart savers and compare the prices of menu with that of other such places. But if one does not really care for money, Souk Al Bahar should be the perfect place to enjoy and have peace of mind.
Erum Abbasi's e-Commerce blog 