New shopping mall set for 2009 opening

A €44 million (Lm19 million) shopping and retail centre in Sliema will be up and running by spring 2009, bringing together a number of businesses including the first Debenhams store in Malta.

Although MIDI plc and UK's Miller Developments, which are building The Point, have not yet started to market the 46 retail units, over 60 businesses have already expressed interest in opening shops in the mall.

Apart from a major supermarket - making The Point a one-stop shop for anything from a bottle of milk to the latest fashion wear - the new shopping centre may also house a seven-screen cinema. The anchor tenant, Debenhams, will take some 2,500 square metres on two of the shopping centre's floors.

Speaking during the launch of the retail lease opportunities yesterday, Tigne Mall Ltd chairman Alec Mizzi said the "world-class retail centre" would set the standards for local retailing for years to come.

Just off Piazza Tigne, Sliema's largest open public square, The Point will be accessible both from Qui-si-Sana or the Ferries through the town's main arterial route.

The shopping centre will also be linked to an underground public car park with some 1,200 spaces. Dr Mizzi described The Point and its surrounding areas as "family oriented, safe and convenient" since it will be situated in a fully pedestrianised, landscaped and managed environment housing cafes, restaurants, residential apartments, offices and the restored Fort Tigne, which will be turned into a heritage attraction.

Dr Mizzi said a "major Italian contracting group" was recently appointed as the project's main contractor.

Miller Developments chief executive Phil Miller said The Point would provide parking facilities, a high quality air conditioned environment with a wide range of shops and restaurants.

The commercial part of the Midi project was originally scheduled to open next year. Dr Mizzi said the delay was caused by a number of factors, including negotiations with the government in connection with the site, finalising the agreement with Debenhams and the selections of consultants, among others.