Stars and Stripes
The Associated Press
Interior of giant Morocco Mall, located outside Casablanca.
CASABLANCA, Morocco — The inauguration of the giant Morocco Mall, located outside Casablanca, was set for Thursday with a performance by singer Jennifer Lopez. The $270 million mall with 350 stores stretches across 24,700 acres will open to the public Monday, Dec. 5. Its branch of the French retailer Galeries Lafayette has been awarded a Guinness World Record for largest shop facade inside a shopping center.
Plagued by high rates of illiteracy, poverty and unemployment, Morocco, a popular European tourist destination, also has a wealthy elite that enjoy shopping at Western consumer outlets. The seaside mall is joint project of the Moroccan Aksal Group and Al Jedaie group and is forecast to host 14 million visitors a year.
See a video about the mall at:http://www.megamallrabat.com/casablanca_megamall.html
