Dubai-based Al-Futtaim Carillion (AFC) has started work on the Big Box retail centre in the Jebel Ali area.

The mall will have about 100 retail units including a hypermarket, an Ikea furniture store, an Ace Hardware store, as well as food and beverage outlets.

The development is being built for the local Al-Futtaim Group, which is the majority shareholder in AFC. The other shareholder, the UK’s Carillion, entered compulsory liquidation in January. Since then it has been widely understood that the Al-Futtaim Group is in negotiations to take over Carillion’s share in AFC.

The contractor for the foundations of the project is Germany’s Bauer. The consultant is the local Brewer Smith Brewer Gulf. The cost consultant is the US’ Aecom.

The Al-Futtaim mall is one of the major components of the larger Wasl Gate development, which is being developed by the local Wasl on a 1.5 million square-metre site next to Energy metro station in the Jebel Ali area. In 2017, the local Al-Naboodah Construction started work on the infrastructure for the development.