Gaysorn details ‘branding revolution’ for its luxury outlets
A SOCIAL MEDIA campaign dubbed “Bye Bye Gaysorn Plaza” that had created some buzz and puzzlement in the market was cleared up yesterday by the developer, Gaysorn Property, which is rebranding its luxury shopping mall as “Gaysorn Village”.
Gaysorn Village will not only be the new name for Gaysorn Plaza but also the “umbrella brand” for the group’s properties in the Ratchaprasong area – Amarin Tower, Amarin Plaza, and the Gaysorn Tower, which is due to be completed in June, according to Gaysorn's public relations representative.
Gaysorn refused to call the move a rebranding initiative, saying it was a “branding revolution” to reflect the group’s desire to “metamorphose” its Gaysorn Plaza, Thailand’s first luxury mall, which houses Louis Vuitton and other upscale shops, into more of a lifestyle hub.
Charn Srivikorn, chairman of Gaysorn Property Group, said investment in the first phase – which includes Gaysorn Tower and a 17,000-square-metre retail-space development at the tower and Gaysorn Plaza – would exceed Bt3.47 billion.
Both properties will be “seamlessly” connected when the 200-metre Gaysorn Skywalk is completed in September.
Banking on its “time well spent” concept offered to tenants, Gaysorn Village also involves development of central facilities including Gaysorn Urban Resort, an outdoor garden on the 19th and 20th floors of the office tower; Gaysorn Crystal Box, a panoramic, all-glass-wall meeting and seminar space on the 19th floor; and Gaysorn Urban Retreat, a health and wellness zone from the ninth to the 12th floors, which will be operational in September.
New office space is being developed simultaneously at the 20,000sqm Gaysorn Tower and the 18,000sqm Amarin Tower, plus 5,400sqm of more office space for rent at Gaysorn shopping mall.
The second phase of development involves renovation of Amarin Plaza, which the group acquired a decade ago, for completion in 2020.
Gaysorn Village involves total project space of more than 180,000sqm, including retail space, which will be tripled from 17,000sqm to 47,000sqm when Amarin Plaza’s renovation is completed in three years.
Among Gaysorn’s new tenants include Burger & Lobster, a restaurant chain from London, which will be opened at the front entrance of the mall, adjacent to Louis Vuitton.
After the slowdown of the retail market last year, Gaysorn expects a recovery this year thanks to domestic and external economic and political factors.
It expects daily shopper traffic at the Ratchaprasong area to improve from 300,000 to 450,000 people and at its mall, tripling from 10,000 to 30,000 people, thanks to the launch of the Gaysorn Village scheme, which will expand its targeted customers to beyond luxury shoppers.
Gaysorn Tower has signed up tenants for half of its leasable space and expects to close more deals to increase its let-up space to |85 per cent by the end of this year.
All the group’s properties in the new development project – Gaysorn Shopping Centre, Gaysorn Tower, Amarin Plaza and Amarin Tower – will become one under the new |logo “g”.
Gaysorn yesterday also unveiled its “Spirit of the Craft Masters” campaign, a new website at www.gaysornvillage.com and an interactive online concierge programme featuring three lifestyle gurus in food, wine and watches, including Gaysorn timepieces ambassador Pramote Rienjaroensuk and sommelier Thawat Srakong.
