LETTER FROM DOHA
Where to start ? The neoclassical stone pediment of Jerusalem? The interior garden, planted with centuries-old olive trees imported from Spain? The white marble pavement which reflects the sun's rays and stays at constant temperature all day? Or the 40-meter-high glass dome that sits above all?
Half temple, half palace, Al-Hazm, built on the edge of the business district of Doha, is the most luxurious mall in Qatar. The 110,000 square meter complex, opened in 2017, is the favorite shopping ground for ultra-wealthy Qataris, a window open to the uninhibited opulence of the small gas emirate.
"I spent $ 1 billion (900 million euros) and I have not yet recovered, says the designer of the premises, Mohamed Al-Emadi, a real estate tycoon. I did this for my country, it's a gift. "
World's highest GDP per capita
No consumer franchises here. No Mango or Zara, no Sephora or Starbucks. The 90 shops, cafes and restaurants scattered in this open-air shopping mall are either high-end start-ups, launched by young Qatari entrepreneurs, or venerable houses, positioned for a long time in the luxury niche, like the diamond dealer. South African De Beers, or even local versions of prestigious brands, such as Le Train bleu, the famous brasserie at Gare de Lyon, in Paris.
Al-Hazm’s core target is the very high Qatari society, consumers with an elastic portfolio, used to shopping in the upmarket districts of Paris, Milan or London.
The emirate, the world's largest producer of liquefied natural gas, is the country with the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita on the planet ($ 70,000 according to the World Bank in 2018). It has long been the state with the highest density of millionaires in the world (175 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2014), before the influx on its soil of immigrant workers, who came to build the infrastructure of the 2022 World Cup, brought it down in ranking.
For these very large fortunes, members of the merchant elite or the royal family, Al-Hazm is the place to be in winter, when temperatures are bearable. Its ultra-sumptuous architecture – at the risk of kitsch -, the range of services available, from valet to bag carrier, and the very rigorous selection of brands, have shaped a world apart, a flattering and protected environment, the cream of the crop shopping destination. "The Qataris feel at home here, it’s like they are in their villa", observes the manager of a store, of Syrian nationality.
