Ruairi Moriarty

I have been in Algiers for a week, and the city is comparatively quiet during the day, as Ramadan continues for another week and the French connection leads to many executives with multinationals being away for August. Perhaps the most significant change in the city is the opening of SCCA's (the Swiss retail conglomerate) Bab Ezzouar shopping mall 10 days ago, the first truly western standard shopping centre in Algiers.

The mall provides over 100 retail outlets with many global brands, alongside the country's first bowling alley as well as a multiplex cinema (with a prescribed list of showings, sensitive to the socialist government as well as to a moderate brand of religion). It is clear that many people have come simply to look at this secular temple to retail, and to experience escalators. Above the retail outlets is 20,000 sq m of offices (Grade A), across 2,500 sq m floorplates, with dedicated access, raised floors and acoustic panels (occupiers can elect to lease in a "shell and core" condition or finished).

There is considerable vacancy of good to high quality office space throughout the city, with perhaps the highest specification space being found within the Bab Ezzouar area, which is rapidly taking shape in the vicinity of SCCA's mixed use scheme. Commercial space within the park is supported by an Ibis, Mercure, and soon to be built Novotel.

                                   SCCA's mixed use development at Bab Ezzouar - opened August 2010