Work pertaining to Nakheel Mall is expected to begin in early October, with a tender floated for the $680 mn, 418,000 sqm retail-dining-entertainment complex on Palm Jumeirah. Endorsed earlier this year by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the mall will be built at the northern end of the island’s trunk. Ground preparation and piling work for the project is already under way. The construction contract for the mall is expected to be awarded by the end of this year, with a separate contract to build a five-star, 50-storey hotel to be built alongside the mall will be awarded at a later date. Contractors have been invited to collect tender documents from Nakheel Contracts and Procurements Department. Due to open in 2016, The Nakheel Mall and Hotel complex, includes five retail levels with more than 100,000 sqm of shop space. There will also be three basement parking levels, 4,000 parking bays, a 1,000 square metre indoor garden and a 180 metre high viewing deck with views of Palm Jumeirah and the Dubai skyline. The mall will have 200 shops, including a 4,200 sqm supermarket, two anchor department stores, a nine-screen cinema and six medical clinics.  There will also be a roof plaza with restaurants and cafes as well as a host of eateries inside.