Renovation of Korat branch forms major part of The Mall's Bt2-billion makeover plan
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The Mall Group will next year mobilise more than Bt2 billion for major store makeovers to be trendier and more attractive to high-end shoppers.
“All the physical facelifts and marketing activities will be in line with the group’s strategy to revise its shopper target to be more upper-class consumers.
“The group also wants to adjust its image to be more modern and urbanised,” Duangta Phongwilai, group general manager for corporate marketing, said yesterday.
The move was prompted by the mushrooming of community malls, which have siphoned sales and shoppers from The Mall’s branches.
Of the budget, Bt1.7 billion will be for the first major renovation of its shopping mall in Nakhon Ratchasima. Retail space will be expanded and allocated to new dining and fashion brands. About Bt300 million will go to a minor facelift of The Mall Bangkapi, which will be repositioned as a dining hub in eastern Bangkok.
Some Bt500 million will be allocated to a marketing blitz next year, which is more than double the normal Bt200 million. About 150 highlight campaigns will be launched throughout the year, which is triple the usual 50 major campaigns launched annually in the past.
About 30 per cent of the campaigns will be targeted at young adult shoppers and 50 per cent at families. The rest will be aimed at teens and seniors. About 40-50 per cent of all shoppers at The Mall’s complexes are adults aged 35-45, so the group wants to expand the customer base to cover more young and working adults.
The Nakhon Ratchasima project will commence around the second quarter of next year and be completed in the beginning of 2016, when visitors are forecast to increase 30-50 per cent from about 80,000 a day during the week and 120,000 a day on weekends at present.
“The facelift of The Mall Nakhon Ratchasima is a major preparation to face tougher competition and go against Central Group, which will open a major shopping complex in Nakhon Ratchasima around 2017,” Duangta said.
Next year’s marketing strategy will focus on organising modern and large-scale events steadily throughout the year, not just seasonally. The events will include imported shows, international merchandise exhibitions and landmark displays in front of the malls to provide photo opportunities.
As for the 2014 year-end campaign, the group will spend Bt40 million on the “Joy to The Mall” campaign from November 20 to January 4.
