Bigger, better, bolder

MOST BANGKOKIANS have long lost count of the shopping malls that have sprung up in the city and its suburbs over the last two decades and which cater to every lifestyle. The developers, though, are convinced that residents need more, spouting words like “iconic”, “luxury” and “world-class” as they introduce their latest high-end meccas to the shopping faithful.

Long-time rivals Central Group and The Mall Group are both setting out to turn a new page in Thai retail history with the opening of top-of-the-range shopping centres, investing billions of baht in large-scale venues despite the current political uncertainty and a global economic slowdown.

Last Friday Central Group opened the doors of Central Embassy, a Bt18 billion, seven-storey luxury retail mall and 30-storey five-star hotel on part of the land formerly occupied by the British Embassy at the corner of Wireless and Ploenchit roads.

Not to be outdone, The Mall Group held a big event earlier in the week at Bitec Bang Na with thousands of guests to announce its six mega projects representing an investment of Bt50 billion.

The company snapped up land for Central Embassy in 2006 in a historic deal reportedly worth about Bt3.5 billion. That works out to more than Bt900,000 per square wah for the prime nine-rai plot, less than a third of the 31 rai that the Britons had owned since 1922.

“This site has been touted as the most valuable plot and the best prime business location in Bangkok and we were delighted to beat the 33 bidders and win the final bid. About Bt6 billion has been invested in the land and development, Bt7 billion in the structure and another Bt5 billion in interior design and custom-designed outlets of retail tenants to make them unlike any of their stores in other locations,” says managing director Chart Chirathivat.

“Our aim was to create a brand-new shopping destination that matches consumers’ changing lifestyles and offers them a unique experience.”

Destined to become an iconic landmark, the infinity-shaped, 37-floor building combines cutting-edge flowing contours with a touch of Thainess. Inspired by the roof tiles of Thai temples, the external skin of the building is a composition of 300,000 pieces of aluminium shingles at variant angles, resulting a moire-like pattern articulated by the play of light. 

Greeting visitors at the entrance is the hulking bronze horse sculpture by figurative artist Fernando Botero. The Colombian is globally acknowledged for his exaggerated volume of horse sculptures, which feature in several international locations including Barcelona Airport and the Dubai Mall. 

“All glazed areas are designed to merge seamlessly with the aluminium skin. Our materials are first-rate ranging from pillars made from Corian, a solid surface material composed of acrylic polymer and alumina trihydrate, to give them a flowing, virtually seamless and organic shape, to the curved glass panels and the polished terrazzo tiles imported from the UK,” says Chart. 

“About 90 per cent of shoppers may ignore these tiny details but we believe they will make us stand out from other malls.” 

 

 

With more than 200 stores and dozens of eateries, the company is expecting more than 50,000 visitors a day. The curvature of 200-metre facade is lined with high-end brands including the 12-metre duplex stores of Gucci, Prada and Ralph Lauren. The 220-suite Park Hyatt Bangkok is expected to open by next year.

Claiming to offer ultra first-class viewing in its five theatres, the Embassy Diplomat Screens, being operated in collaboration with Major Cineplex, will accommodate about 30 to 50 seats a theatre and come complete with butler services. Film buffs can expect to pay more than Bt1,000 for a ticket.

On the lower ground, the food hall called Eathai is decorated with teak and Thai touches and offers Thai dishes and delicacies from all four regions, plus 23 food carts for those who prefer street food style eating. If you want to cook yourself, celebrated chef Pongtawat “Ian” Chalermkittichai is opening a cooking studio to help you sharpen your skills.

“We have concierges to help you arrange everything – whether it’s booking a hotel room or reserving a table in any restaurant. We’ve skipped automatic doors in favour of the personal touch, a doorman who greets and says goodbye to guests. In defining luxury, we pay attention to both emotional and reasonable needs,” says Chart.

Following the success of its mega shopping complex Siam Paragon, The Mall Group is to raise its flags on Sukhumvit and Bang Na in Bangkok plus Hua Hin and Phuket. The new malls will serve as hubs for retail shopping, entertainment facilities, residential properties, office buildings and resort destinations.

“The trend in the retail and lifestyle business is the luxury experience and we’ve been very successful in offering this since opening Siam Paragon in 2005. We are now ready to create six new mega projects that are not just shopping centres but world-class retail and entertainment phenomena,” says the Group’s vice chairwoman Supaluck Umpujh.

Three retail centres costing more than Bt20 billion will be developed on a 50-rai plot in the heart of Sukhumvit. The current Emporium will be renovated to give it a more elegant and modern look while the site opposite will be home to the new EmQuartier, a 200,000 square-metre mall, office building, event atrium and indoor park that is scheduled for completion by the end of this year.

Adjacent to the Emporium and Benjasiri Park is the Emsphere. Featuring a project area of 200,000 square metres, its design is inspired by the shopping complex Omotesando Hills in central Tokyo. It should open within the next three years.

 

 

The Group’s pivotal goal is the Bangkok Mall at the intersection of Bang Na-Trat and Sukhumvit roads. Costing some Bt20 billion, the mall aims to become the largest shopping centre in Asia within the next three years, with the 100-rai plot becoming home to a 80,000-sqm department store, a 30,000-sqm theme park, a 20,000-sqm water park, plus 14 theatres, retail shops and a residential complex.

In Phuket, the Mall Group is developing its Blu Pearl project on a 150-rai plot that will feature a shopping mall, arts and crafts bazaar, cabaret theatre along with a 60-rai theme park and resorts.

The company has also partnered with Proud Real Estate, the property firm belonging to politician Suwat Liptapanlop, in a Bt5-billon retail project called BluPort in the heart of Hua Hin. Located on a 25-rai plot across from the InterContinental Hua Hin., it will boast a department store, retail shops, theme park and a hotel. 

“The country’s participation in the Asean Economic Community next year will herald Thailand becoming a leading shopping hub with top tourist destinations that include Bangkok, Hua Hin, Pattaya, Phuket and Chiang Mai. Our six projects will become powerful magnets attracting locals, expats and tourists,” says Supaluck.