Nairobi’s biggest mall, Two Rivers, is expected to open its doors next month following two previous postponement brought about by an expansion of the original retail space.
The shopping complex was initially to cover a total of 1.2 million square feet of land but this has increased to 1.7 million square feet.
The main reason for the expansion is a move to increase the lettable space from the original 460,000 square feet to over 700,000 square feet, according to the investment firm which is a significant shareholder in the mall.
“The additional time has been due to this over 50 per cent increase in scope of the mall driven by demand from additional retailers,” Fred Murimi, director of Centum Capital, said.
Centum Capital is in charge of development and execution of investment opportunities for the firm, with the multibillion shilling Two Rivers being the flagship project.
The shopping mall sits on 11 of the 102-acre property situated along Limuru Road, in close proximity to the affluent neighbourhoods of Runda, Nyari, Gigiri and Muthaiga in Nairobi.
The firm plans to have Mr Price Apparel, Mr Price Home, Bossini and Adidas stores at the shopping complex.
Other brands that are expected to set up in the three-floored mall include Adidas, Porsche, Essentials and Foschini as well as nearly a dozen banks including Sidian Bank, Prime Bank and Standard Chartered.
The mall will have 207 shops. Construction of the mall will cost about Sh15.5 billion, the apartments Sh3.8 billion while infrastructure will cost Sh5.8 billion, according to Centum.