Banana Kuwait Blog | Entertainment | Food | Fashion | Electronics

I took a stroll in the afternoon at the awaited Grand Avenue District in Avenues Phase III, it was interesting seeing all those new shops, stores, restaurants and cafe’s open all at once. Many of my friends thought this is Avenues Phase III, but actually there are 4 other districts coming up (Prestige, The Souk, Soku, and The Mall).

I observed that Phase III is quiet different with regards to architectural design (contractor Mabanee did a pretty good job) where the 5 districts are interconnected through the Grand Avenue District (see figure below).

The Grand Avenue looked like a tree-lined boulevard similar to Shanzelize in Paris, the architecture was a mix of three styles; European, Regional, and Contemporary under a curved roof, nice. I also liked how the A/C was totally hidden and how the roof was transparent allowing sun light to penetrate. My concern is that the new parking lot is not yet completed, so finding a parking space can be a major headache during peak hours, also I wish if there are more entrances to The Avenues since the entrance by the 5th Ring Road and the backside entrances from the two-lanes road are congested all the time.

So now I’ll focus on the part you are all waiting for, the shopping experience isn’t it? Well these are the first-time stores in Kuwait that were opened so far;

The Cheesecak Factory

Texas Roadhouse

Garrett Popcorn

COS

Harvey Nichols

Jack Wills

West Elm

Williams-Sonoma

Sarar

Pink

Teavana

Jo Malone London

New branches for existing stores; H&M, Shake Shack, Starbucks, MAC, Juicy Couture, pinkberry, Bath & Body Works, Potbelly, Pizza Express, Vilebrequin.

As for the opening soon stores and restaurants, these are the ones that I saw;

Millions of Milkshakes

Red Lobster

Olive garden

Ben’s Cookies

Veranda

vision express

Muji

Lacoste

Tory Burch

Dior

Tanagra

Kevingstone

Uno Chicago Grill

Cafe Blanc

Kaizen

Shahrayar

Life With Cacao

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الافينيوز المرحلة الجديدة

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I went to AlHamra Luxury Center on Eid and I gotta say that I never saw it this much crowded before, maybe because of Grand Hamra Cinema was opened? Good news is that the stores keep opening one after the other, I’d say 70% of the mall is now open. I spotted new restaurants, cafe’s, shops have opened and others opening soon, so let’s see what we got;

Bice Ristorante: It’s about to open and if I’m not mistaken it’s an Italian concept restaurant with over 30 branches worldwide, and now they are expanding into the Middle East with branches opening in Kuwait, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. It’s located on level 3 ad they said the opening is on the 15th of November.

Cuts Steak Restaurant: It’s a new restaurant that will serve a variety of steaks opening soon on level 3 of the mall.

Al Hamra Thermae: I posted about this one before, they say it will be the most luxurious SPA/Gym in Kuwait and I wonder how much subscription will cost, opening is on December. Read more [link]

IL Caffe Di Roma: Small Italian cafe serving various hot and cold drinks located right beside Elevation Burger.

Samsung Store: Looks like Samsung is opening electronics store that will probably sell Samsung phones and electronics though I’m not sure if belongs to the same Samsung dealer in Kuwait City.

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I wanted to buy new t-shirts and hoodies for the winter so I headed to the Avenues and saw that my favorite clothing store Geddes & Gillmore was just opened, it’s from Holland I remember I bought some stuff from them when I visited Amsterdam. Their clothing style is similar to Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister and suitable for young individuals who want stylish casual wear for relatively lower price.

They are located at the Avenues Phase I nearby Deer & Dear.

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I was fixing my car in Shuweikh and saw the Creative Design Center was officially opened, it’s a mall that was there for over a year but I never checked it, there were shops for furniture, chandeliers, floor tiles, mattresses, wall papers… etc. for houses and office buildings. There was also my favorite French iconic furniture store, Roche Bobois, and American Mattress.

Though several shops were still closed, find the location on map below.

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I found that several franchises are coming to Kuwait and most of them will be through Alshaya, I read somewhere that Alshaya operates over 2,000 stores in Kuwait and other countries, most of them are US franchises. So let’s see what we got;

Williams-Sonoma: I saw billboards in Kuwait streets saying that it will open soon at the Avenues, it’s an American appliance retailer specialized in kitchenwares, furniture and linens, as well as other housewares and home furnishings, along with a variety of specialty foods, soaps and lotions.

Katsuya by Starck: I read on Arabian Business this early morning that Alshaya will open Katsuya by Starck in Kuwait and Dubai in 2013, it’s also an American restaurant serving Japanese cuisine. My best guess is that it will open at the Avenues Phase III.

West Elm: I read that it’s an American retail store that offers contemporary furniture designs and other housewares, it will also open at the Avenues Mall.

Other stores/restaurants opening soon in Kuwait include Garrett Popcorn, Cheesecake Factory, Harvey Nichols, Muji, Kidzania, and IHOP.

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