The UAE’s Majid al-Futtaim Group (MAF) has narrowed the shortlist to two consortiums for the contract to build its estimated $770m Mall of Egypt development at 6 October City outside Cairo.

Negotiations had been ongoing with three groups since January this year. However, MAF has reduced the shortlist to two groups and is currently evaluating proposals from the joint venture of Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) and the local Hassan Allam Sons and the joint venture of the local Orascom Construction Industries with Belgium’s Six Construct.

A joint venture of the UAE’s Arabtec Construction and Industrial Construction & Engineering Company (Siac) has been removed from running.

The two shortlisted consortiums gave final bid presentations to MAF in the first week of September and the client is expected to make a decision before the end of the month.

The Mall of Egypt will cover a total area of 160,000 square metres and is scheduled to contain 350 shops when completed. One of the main attractions of the proposed mall will be an indoor ski slope, similar to the Ski Dubai component in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates, another MAF development.

In addition to the indoor ski facility, the mall will contain a 17-screen cinema complex, food court and other leisure amenities. The UK-based architecture firm RTKL is designing the shopping development.