Virgin Megastore
Virgin Megastore, the retail brand whose Saudi stores AZEIDK fitted with fire protection, alarm and security systems.
About the project
Virgin Megastore’s stores in Saudi Arabia were run under an exclusive franchise held by Megastores of Lebanon S.A.L., which also operates the brand in Lebanon. The Saudi stores included branches at Red Sea Mall and Jeddah’s domestic airport terminal, at Hayat Mall in Riyadh, which opened in November 2017, and at Dhahran Mall in the Eastern Province. The brand’s first Riyadh megastore opened in February 2015, and in the same year the Red Sea Mall store added a 20,450 sq ft Apple shop, described at the time as the largest in the Kingdom.
Why fire and life safety matter in large-format retail stores
Large stores in malls and airports combine heavy footfall with a dense fuel load of packaged goods, display fixtures and stockrooms full of cartons. Electronics ranges add lithium-ion batteries and many charging and demonstration points, which call for careful electrical design and fast detection. Shoppers tend to move deep into a large store, away from the entrance they used, so they need audible alarms and exit signs that lead them to the nearest safe route rather than back the way they came. A store inside a mall or an airport terminal must also work with the host building’s alarm and evacuation strategy, while security and surveillance systems protect high-value stock around the clock. Civil Defense requirements and the Saudi Building Code (SBC 801) frame these systems.
AZEIDK’s role
AZEIDK worked on Virgin Megastore facilities in Saudi Arabia, handling the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of fire protection, alarm and security systems according to project requirements.
Related reading: Fire safety guide for malls and commercial buildings · Security and surveillance systems
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