All Things Great & Mall

Shop ’til you drop? For the true test of retail therapy’s outer limits,try touring four of Asia’s leading mega malls

BANGKOK

If shopping malls are cathedrals of consumerism, then Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong district could be likened to Vatican City, with CentralWorld taking pride of place as its St Peter’s Basilica.

But what makes this complex stand out from the 11 other malls and department stores within a short walk? Well, at 550,000sqm, it’s the largest lifestyle shopping complex in South-East Asia.

CentralWorld also has the city’s most diverse range of shops and eateries, with more than 600 outlets. Added to this are the award-winning Central Food Hall supermarket, TK Park – an interactive day library and learning centre for kids – SF World multi-screen cinema complex, and the trendsetting Zen World department store, a magnet for fashionistas.

The mall’s eye-catching facade fronts the 8,000sqm CentralWorld Square – another superlative as Bangkok’s biggest downtown outdoor space – complete with 400 dancing fountains. With six zones – Atrium, Beacon, Central Court, Dazzle, Eden and Forum – spread over seven floors there’s something for just about everyone. And more than the diversity, it’s the care taken to ensure that the products on offer are cool, contemporary and, above all, affordable that sets the CentralWorld apart from its luxury-focused peers.

While the emphasis is on international cool from the likes of Ted Baker, MNG and Zara, hot Thai brands such as Fly Now 3, Harnn + Tharn spa products, and Jim Thompson inject a local flavour. The Atrium’s ground floor presents smaller booths from local custom brands. There are places to get away from it all too, like the recently opened create8 cafe and bookstore on level 3, which provides a contemporary design space with sofas and good food.

Zen’s trendsetting range has brought the ever-popular Japanese Muji brand to town, among other things. But its quirkiest outlet is Dog Day Care, the only dog spa in a department store in Asia.

Of course, there’s no better way to start or end the day than by indulging in Thailand’s favourite pastime – eating. CentralWorld is home to 90-plus restaurants and food outlets, most of them found at Heaven on level 7 and Balcony on level 3, along with Central Food Hall and the chic FoodLoft in Zen. By itself, the near-endless selection of local and international dishes earns the mall its worldly credentials.

by GREG LOWE

CentralWorld, Ratchaprasong intersection (accessible via elevated Skywalks from both Chid Lom and Siam BTS Skytrain stations),

PHUKET

Mega malls aren’t limited to mega cities. Opened last year, Jungceylon Shopping Complex in Phuket, Thailand’s resort island paradise, boats 75,00sqm of retail space and welcomes about 10,000 shoppers per day.

Anchor stores Robinson department store and Carrefour hypermarket are joined by another 200 retail shops selling everything from designer fashions and toys to electronic goods. There’s also the SGX Cineplex, and a diverse and growing line-up of food outlets.

Jungceylon, 181 Rat-U-Thit 200 Pee Road, Patong(near the intersection of of Rat-U-Thint and BangLa Roads), tel: +66(0) 76 600 111, www.jungceylon.com

MANILA

Walt Disney has no links whatsoever to the SM Mall of Asia, popularly known as MOA, but thanks to the Disneyworld-like giant dome fronting this mega shopping centre – the world’s fourth largest at 410,000sqm – it could very easily be mistaken for a branch of the amusement park empire.

On the shores of Manila Bay, MOA comprises four linked complexes: the Main Mall with food court and retail shops, the Super SM Hypermarket, the SM Department Store, and the Entertainment Building, home to the world’s biggest IMAX 3D screen.

With more than 700 tenants and at least 1,000 food outlets, there’s not much you can’t get here. Besides anchors SM Department Store, SM Appliance Centre, Ace Hardware, Toy Kingdom, Our Home, and Surplus Shop, there are other big-name imported brands like Zara, Mango, Marks and Spencer, and even offbeat retailers like Sanuk, maker of comfy shoes designed by surfers.

Many mall patrons don’t even head to MOA to shop. Instead, they go to be entertained – catching a movie or congregating around the Olympic-size skating rink to watch skaters.

Astoundingly, the mall welcomes a daily average of half-a-million visitors – equal to the population of some large cities – with numbers reaching one million on weekends and for special events. The mall also plays host to Philippine Fashion Week, music festivals and big-ticket concerts.

Still ahead is the christening of a 20,000-seat stadium in 2010, along with several new hotels and a ferry service in Manila Bay. From the second-floor row of restaurants known as The Verandah, diners can admire the stunning sunsets over the bay while enjoying Filipino favourites, Angus Steaks and just about everything in between.

To complement nature’s own spectacle, on Friday and Saturday nights, the evening sky is set ablaze with fireworks, as if the mall wasn’t enough to wow visitors.

By MAIDA MINEDA

SM Mall of Asia, Central Business Park, Bay Boulevard, Bay City, Pasay City (accessible via any bus or jeepney heading to Baclaran), tel: +63 (0)2 556 0680, www.smmallofasia.com

GUANGZHOU

It takes a very special shopping complex to compete with the city’s staggering line-up of about 30 mega malls, hundreds of wholesale markets and at least a million retail stores.

Grandview Mall certainly draws the crowds – about half a million shoppers daily – on the strength of some awe-inspiring numbers of its own: nine floors, 420,000 sqm of retail space and about 1,000 retail outlets. These run the gamut from luxury good flagship stores to fashion boutiques to a grocery hypermarket to an electronics superstore to shops you can’t find anywhere else.

While the Friendship Store is the place for brand-name goods, ParkNShop is the go-to venue for local specialities and Longyue Digital Store is the one-stop shop for gadgets. For treasure-hunting, look no further than Kingbox.

Here, retailers operating out of tiny shops – some little more than a window display – have created a bargain hunter’s paradise that includes just about everything under the sun, from earrings to beauty products to tools, music boxes to puzzles to fashions… for your pet.

Peckish? Sample local snacks and enjoy a sweet treat from ice-cream stalls on each floor or indulge in a feast on the 6th and 7th floors, where authentic curry dishes share space with sushi and Cantonese dim sum.

Or try one of the three buffet restaurants: international cuisine at Las Vegas, Latino at Brazilian Barbeque and hotpot at King Ben Taiwan Shabu Shabu. Diversion-wise, indoor theme park Adventure Land is loaded with attractions while Glacier Bay Ice Skating Rink is the ideal place to cool your heels. There’s also Feiyang Cinema, the 88-room Shindax KTV and the M floor, where patrons can enjoy a manicure, pedicure or even get a tattoo.

To escape the crowds, relax in the lush tropical garden set in the centre of the mall, where catwalk shows and live entertainment are staged.

By MAY GUAN

Grandview Mall, 228 Tianhe Road (accessible via subway from TiYuZhongXin Station), tel: +86  
(0)20 3833 1818, www.zhengjia.com.cn/en/index.jsp

KUALA LUMPUR

Rising like a monolith to consumerism, KL’s latest and greatest mall, Pavilion, brings a whole new dimension to the shopping experience here. The huge 130,000sqm complex eschews the stack-‘em-high ethos in favour of spaciousness and natural light.

Although malls with a spectrum of leisure activities are not new to KL, Pavilion ups the ante with outlets that wouldn’t look out of place on the Ginza. Beyond the retail component, to come are luxury residences and business-class and six-star boutique hotels.

For one-stop shoppers, the be-all and end-alls are Parkson and Tangs. Apart from the fabulous fashion at the latter – a made-in-Singapore stalwart – don’t miss the New Heritage section for quirky souvenirs. Not to be outdone, local retail giant Parkson has four floors of international labels mixed with Malaysian designs such as Maizen and All Dressed Up.

The list of flagship stores reads like a who’s who: Coach, Juicy Couture, Hermes, Gucci, Chopard, Mont Blanc and Versace for starters. A real find is men’s wear boutique TENC which carries niche brands like Jil Sander, The Great China Wall and designer denim like J Brand and Earnest Sewn.

On the meal front, Food Republic in the Gourmet Emporium features a mind-boggling array of cuisine. Look out for gourmet bakery and bistro, The Loaf, meticulously overseen by owner/former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

To pamper yourself, try the offbeat Garra Rufa fish spa therapy at Kenko Reflexology and Fish Spa. A session consists of plunging your legs knee deep into a pool full of “doctor fish” which nibble on the dead skin of your tired feet. For a less exotic but no less fabulous treat, get your hair styled at The Belfry. This small but perfectly formed salon is headed by Matt Mack, formerly of the award-winning Toni & Guy Europe.

By JENNIFER CHOO

The Pavilion, 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang (accessible via KL Monorail; transfer from Ampang Rail Line at Hang Tuah or Titiwangsa stations), tel: +60 (0)3 2143 8088, www.pavilion-kl.com