Al Shubaily Grand Mall in Al Khobar starts its phased soft opening

Al Shubaily Grand Mall, the large shopping and leisure project on the Al Khobar waterfront, opened its doors for a phased soft opening on Thursday 29 October at 4pm. Eng. Saud bin Khalid Al Shubaily, chief executive of the operator Arabian AlEsaar, announced the start, and said the official grand opening will follow in 2027, on a date still to be announced.

The mall is built around three named areas. The Valley is its dining district, with a selection of international restaurants in one setting. De L'Avenue is the fashion and luxury wing, and the company says several of its international brands are opening for the first time in the region. The Promenade faces the water and is meant as the place to walk and take in the view. Beyond the shops there are cinemas, go-kart tracks, children's play areas and arcade games, so the project is pitched at families as much as at shoppers.

The mall has been one of the most watched projects in the Eastern Province for several years, and the company describes it as the region's most anticipated. It adds a new destination to a coast that already draws visitors from Dammam, Dhahran and across the King Fahd Causeway, and gives Al Khobar a large indoor option for the cooler months, when the waterfront is at its busiest.

During the soft opening, stores and facilities open gradually, so not everything will be running on a first visit. The company has not published opening hours, a full list of the brands open now, or the cinema operator. If you are planning a trip, expect a mall that is still filling up: check the mall's official channels for what is open that week before you go, and keep the grand opening in 2027 in mind for the full line-up.