Leviev opens huge Moscow mall

Israeli businessman opens new shopping center in heart of Russian capital's new business area

After several delays and in spite of pessimistic forecasts, Israeli-Russian businessman Lev Leviev recently opened a huge new shopping center in Moscow

Mall of Russia is located in the heart of the Moscow City – the Russian capital's new business area, which is in construction stages and will include 30 and 40-floor towers for luxury apartments, hotels and offices

The Moscow City's construction is expected to end in two or three years, but 74% of the Mall of Russia areas have already been rented out, with the annual income from rent giving expected to total $81 million.

In the meantime, more than 100 stores have already opened and the rest are expected to open in two or three months. The mall will eventually include 305 stores stretching over 170,000 square meters (1,830,000 square feet) and a huge cinema with more than 1,000 seats.

The mall is just a several minute metro ride from central Moscow, with a new stop inside the mall. The new shopping center has five floors and its stores include mega brands like ZARA, Marks & Spencer and H&M.

"Its big advantage is that it's accessible by metro and practical," says an Israeli architect who visited the place. "Moscow has 15 malls, but this one is functional and visitor-friendly, with many escalators and public spaces."

The design includes several attractions, including tree prints on the outside glass and a fountain which dances to the sound of music. But the climax is the glass dome – the biggest of its kind in Moscow – 10,000 square meters (108,000 square feet) of a metal construction combined with glass and thousands of colorful light bulbs.