Central Scrutinizer Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 PATTAYA: Big opening of Asias largest beachside shoppingmall Posted by Seven This is a big event. Really big. And not a word about it on the Nation Webpage. We are talking about a 4 - 5 billion baht project. We are talking about bringing Singapore and the Siam Paragon to Thailand and Pattaya. Well, it is true. We now have our own Siam Paragon in Pattaya. It is not called the Paragon though, it is called the Central Beach Festival Mall and it is a shoppingmall you can only imagine in your dreams. You really can compare it to the Paragon in Bangkok. It is huge, ok, not as big as the Paragon but comparable. It is the largest beachside shopping mall in Asia. It opened today at exactly 11.39. I guess some fortune teller have chosen the exact moment. 39 minutes past 11 o'clock. First I went to see the sub-zero floor. There was a nice bakery. Then I saw the food-plaza. I could not believe my own eyes, all the menus are written in the thai language. Even if you want to order a pizza at Speccio you will need to be able read thai. NOT GOOD. VERY VERY NOT GOOD. Pattaya is a tourist destination, please write in english also. This place is really beautiful. Even the small shops are beautifully decorated. This is NOT like what we are used to seeing at Mah Boon Krong (MBK) or The Platinum Mall, the investors have really spent a fortune to decorate ALL the shops. High standards, very modern, very luxurious. I like it! Just love it. That leads to the next question: Does Pattaya have enough customers to support such a huge complex? Only the future will tell. I doubt all the shops will survive. I would say that they have made an investment for the future. Many of the shops and restaurants from the Siam Paragon are also present in the Central Beach Shopping mall. On the fifth floor you will find all the restaurants. I looked through the windows at the Japanese restaurant called ZEN and I made an observation. The shop was filled up with costumers but it was not filled up with the usual clientele. They looked like Bangkokian investors in business suits. I guess they were here to check on their investment. I will tell you this, today I saw a lot of Thai people from out of town. Wealthy people from out of town. I saw a lot of Japanese restaurants, just like there are a lot of Japanese restaurants in the Paragon. I did not find an MK though, I must have missed it. I think FUJI will open later. Of course Sizzler is there and the Pizza restaurants also. All the popular banks are present, the nice lady from Bangkok Bank explained to me that their branch will open on the 27th of January. We have Grung Thai, Kasikorn, Grungsri, Tanakarn thai panit, all the big players. The sea view from the 5th floor is stunning. Go there and enjoy. You will feel good. You will be proud of this place. Who are the customers then? The Chinese budget travellers? No, definitely not. The farangs hanging out in the bars or the Go-Go's? Again a big no! The customers are the upper class Thais and tourists with a big wallet. Probably the Russians will like this place. And finally the rich Bangkokgians will have a place where they can shop untill they drop. We must not forget the cinema on the 6th floor. 1st class tickets are Baht 600 per person, you get what I call the Gold Chair, then there are tickets at baht 500, Baht 150 and 120. Enjoy the fun. I know I will. http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/truethai/2009/01/23/entry-1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limbo Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 A similar store is in Phuket and it attracts plenty of customers afaik. A good thing for PTY, for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 Who gives a fuck. (copyright Mekong) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samak Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 location? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.. Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 Who gives a fuck. (copyright Mekong) Exactly. Just another overpriced shopping mall. Is the writer nuts thinking that this will bring people from Bangkok just to shop? It has the same shit as half a dozen malls here in BKK. Cheers, SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekong Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 location? Beach Road / Second Road between Soi's 9 and 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekong Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 A similar store is in Phuket and it attracts plenty of customers afaik. A good thing for PTY, for sure. I don't think that it will be a success, there are already too many malls in pattaya, Big C, Mikes Shopping Mall, Royal Garden Plaza and the Avenue to name just a few. The Avenue that was opened in 2007 still has many vacant lots in there. As the writer of the letter stated, who is going to shop there, certainly not the Chinese budget travellers, very few of the farangs who's reason to go to Pattaya is not the malls. I doubt the russians since they are a cheap lot which just leaves the Thai's. I very much doubt that Bangkokians would make the choice to drive all the way to Pattaya to go shopping when everything and more is already available in Bangkok. Its been a few years since I was in Phuket but I am sure that even now there is less malls there than there are in Pattaya, on top of which Phuket does seem to attract a higher percentage of "Quality Tourists" (Copyright TAT) with a higher spending power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lusty Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 I'll stay in bloody England if I want look round shopping malls! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelseafan Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 Well said that man....Bravo This is going to be a total flop. The world is in recession, luxury goods are the first to be cut from most peoples shopping lists in such times. I will check the place out in a few weeks but I bet its going to be relatively empty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekong Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 Lusty, I suspect that your opinion is shared by a large majority of foreign tourists to Thailand. There are a few "Shopping Tourists" such as my shopaholic sisters and their husbands who would fall into the catagory of "Middle Class Fifty Somethings". They spend a few days in BKK buying a couple of items at places like Paragon or Siam as well as the obligtory haul around JJ Market and also having dresses / suits tailored for them. After that it is down to the beaches such as Cha Am or Krabi for 10 days or so. I don't think that Pattaya has the number of foreign tourists with the spending habits to to make this venture viable and there a a lot less well of Thai's / Expats on the ESB than there are in BKK since the catchment area probably only covers Sri Racha down, I would expect residents of Bang Saen, Chonburi, Samut Prakan, Chachoengsao etc to travel into Bangkok rather than Pattaya. CF, I think you will find that the place will be realtively busy, but only with people window shopping, taking advantage of the Air Con, being seen in the up market mall etc, I expect the number of people making purchases to be quite low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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