The multi-billion Qatari riyal mixed-use development project, Place Vendôme, which combines the hospitality and retail sectors, will generate a minimum of 5,000 jobs once it starts operations in Lusail City by 2018, an official has said.

Place Vendôme partner AbdulAziz al-Rabban described the project as “one-of-its-kind” in the country, and “will take Qatar to another level of shopping and tourism.”

“You cannot see another project like this anywhere else in the country. In the region, there are around one or maybe two projects similar to Place Vendôme,” al-Rabban told Gulf Times.

Place Vendôme is a project of United Developers, a group of four Qatari investors who partnered to align their expertise in retail, real estate, construction, and contracting. United Developers envisions Place Vendôme as a “groundbreaking example” of the entrepreneurship, vision, and energy of Qatari commitment to the nation’s development.

The project, which broke ground on March 17, 2014, is scheduled to open in 2018, along with two hotels and a serviced apartments complex, which were unveiled to the media in the presence of other Place Vendôme partners, Ibrahim al-Asmakh and Sheikh Khaled bin Nasser al-Thani.

Also present during the event were Place Vendôme project director Sean Kelly, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Africa and Middle East's Acquisitions and Development senior vice president Neil George.

Aside from the three mid-rise properties located inside Place Vendôme, the project will feature a mall containing over 500 retail outlets, restaurants, a central entertainment, and a unique luxury precinct that will showcase some of the world’s leading luxury brands.

“The two hotels, Luxury Collection Hotel and Le Méridien Lusail, as well as the service apartments, will be located beside the mall, which means that we will always have tenants, plus visitors who either want to stay in Qatar or people who want to enjoy our other amenities.

“To any standalone hotel, a mixed-used development plan is an advantage. The location of the Place Vendôme is also fantastic because it is in front the sea – you have a shopping mall, elegant hotels, and a magnificent view,” al-Rabban explained.

Asked about the construction phase of Place Vendôme, al-Rabban said: “The physical structure of Place Vendôme is already 95% complete. From what I understand, the entire construction phase will be completed by mid-August this year. From then on, we will start applying the finishing touches to the facilities.”

On employment generation, Kelly added: “We think at a minimum there would be 5,000 jobs available when the mall is fully-operational by 2018. It can vary a bit, depending on what the retailers would do but with 500 retailers and 650 hotel rooms, and by the time we have got all the maintenance and security staff, it could reach to that number.”