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Tag: ICONSIAM

  • Thailand’s Siam Piwat scoops honours at the World Retail Congress

    Thailand’s Siam Piwat scoops honours at the World Retail Congress

    Thai shopping centre operator receives accolades at World Retail Congress.

    Thai retail developer Siam Piwat has scooped two retail industry awards at the World Retail Congress recently held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

    Siam Piwat is the owner and operator of several successful Thai retail developments, including Siam Paragon, Siam Center, and Siam Discovery, as well as the joint venture partner of IconSiam – the US$1.7 billion riverside landmark destination that opened in Bangkok last November.

    Siam Piwat Group CEO Chadatip Chutrakul was inducted into the World Retail Hall of Fame by the World Retail Congress as one of the four new members selected in 2019.

    The inductees were selected because their “ideas have shaped retailing through the businesses and brands they have created, or by their skills in running the retail industry’s giants, demonstrated clear vision, courage and determination to make their dreams a reality”.

    The World Retail Hall of Fame was established in 2007 to honour the retail industry’s most innovative and influential representatives.

    The World Retail Congress also awarded IconSiam, in which Siam Piwat Group is a joint venture partner, the top prize of Store Design of the Year 2019 as part of the annual World Retail Awards.

    The Grand Jury of the World Retail Awards said IconSiam is “breathtaking in its scope and scale and takes retail design into the future”.

    “Throughout 60 years, Siam Piwat has been a thought leader creating new prototypes and bringing new formats that have advanced the retail development sector in Thailand,” said Chutrakul. IconSiam shows that bricks and mortar still have a crucial part to play in successful retailing, and they are assets only waiting to be differently leveraged within a new paradigm. That new paradigm involves leveraging a very wide group of stakeholders by creating shared value for them all.”

    According to Chutrakul, IconSiam, with a gross floor area of 750,000sqm made the creation of shared value into a “business sustainability” strategy to help the success of such a large-scale initiative that requires the collaboration of many different groups.

    “Our achievements were made possible because of the collaboration and co-creation of our tenants and retailers,” she said. “The benefits created by IconSiam also go beyond our tenant partners to many different stakeholders at many different levels of society including artists, craftsmen, performers, small enterprises, the surrounding communities and even the city of Bangkok, too.

    “For small businesses and artisans, we help them flourish and prosper by creating for them opportunities for new linkages, locally and globally; we help artisans, craftsmen or performers have a place on a globally visible stage to enhance the sustainability of their livelihoods, and we act as a platform that makes Thai values and all that is great about Thailand visible to the world.

    “Also, in the SookSiam zone at IconSiam, you can see how it brings together hundreds of small, mom-and-pop operations from Thailand’s 77 provinces – people who have mostly never operated out of their hometowns but are now selling on a global platform.”

    Chutrakul noted that “IconSiam has also had a transformative effect on the Chao Phraya River. We acted as a catalyst for a multi-stakeholder collaboration that embraced riverside communities, hoteliers, river-transport operators, sites of historical and cultural importance, and government agencies, which is already helping to revitalise many districts around IconSiam.”

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  • Taiwan’s extravagant buffet restaurant “Harbour” now open at Iconsiam

    Taiwan’s extravagant buffet restaurant “Harbour” now open at Iconsiam

    Taiwan’s extravagant Harbour buffet restaurant has opened its first Thai restaurant at IconSiam. Charoen Pokphand Foods PLC (CPF) and Taiwan’s HiLai Group have jointly brought the famous international buffet restaurant to Thailand. The franchise has routinely seen diners in China and Taiwan waiting a month for a table. The 2000sqm IconSiam outlet is its 10th restaurant worldwide, pending Harbour’s unveiling in major global cities as part of CPF’s strategy to become “Kitchen of the World”.

    “Harbour has enjoyed overwhelming success in Taiwan and China”, said CPF’s COO-food business and co-president Sukhawat Dansermsuk. “We believe that we will be warmly welcomed by Thai consumers thanks to the restaurant’s strengths coupled with Thais’ eating-out lifestyle. And that’ll be the beginning of CPF’s success in the restaurant business.”

     

    According to Sukhawat, the restaurant was established as a joint venture with HiLai Group with THB130 million (US$4.16 million) in registered capital.

    CP HiLai Harbour CEO Liu Tzu-Ming said the venue is targeting THB240 million ($7.68 million) in first-year revenue and plans to introduce new restaurants at major Thai cities.

    The international buffet restaurant can accommodate 450 diners per round, or about 1000 diners per day.

    View the gallery below for more picture of the restaurant :

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  • ICONSIAM in the newest global attraction in Thailand

    ICONSIAM in the newest global attraction in Thailand

    ICONSIAM, the mega city project of futuristic living and an iconic landmark of Thailand’s eternal prosperity on the Chao Phraya River, held the inauguration ceremony for Thailand’s new global attraction on the Chao Phraya River known as the “ICONIC Multimedia Water Features”, which is one of the Seven Wonders of ICONSIAM. The city project is the result of the collaboration of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), Bangkok River Partners, the Association of Chao Phraya Commerce, the Thai Shipping Association as well as other related agencies and organisations.

    At over 400 metres, it is the longest water dance in Southeast Asia featuring a combination of light, colour, sound and multimedia and set in front of beautiful vistas across the Chao Phraya River. It seeks to glorify and highlight the grandeur of the river for the world to be impressed while attracting local and international visitors to the Chao Phraya River.

    Held at River Park, ICONSIAM, the opening ceremony was attended by the most distinguished people from agencies, organisations, and associations playing an important role in driving tourism in Thailand forward, together with business partners of ICONSIAM as well as many celebrities who joined to witness the momentous occasion.

    Among the well-known celebrities present were the Gubgib-Bie-Pao Pao family, Esther Supreeleela, ‘Ken’ Phupoom Pongpanupak, AF alumni namely Nim, Tee, Baimon, Focus, Mac, Ploysai, Bass, Jackie, Ice, ‘Jeab’ Sopidnapa Chumpanee Dabbaransi, ‘Mona’ Wipawee Korman, ‘Jan’ Siranuj Rojanasatien, Ploy Mahadumrongkul, ‘Kat’ Wantita Lewchalermwong, ‘Ming’ Suwara Sanitwong Na Ayudhya, ‘Yingair’ M.R. Chanladda Yukol, Lina Leenutapong Amornsiri and Jarudej Boonyasit, and many more.

    Mrs. Chadatip Chutrakul, Director of ICONSIAM Co., Ltd., said, “ICONSIAM marks the bringing to life of the concept of ‘Creating Shared Value’ on a scale as never before been seen anywhere in the world.

    The ‘Chao Phraya Master Vision’ was announced 5 years ago, pioneering a historical and national collaboration among multiple different enterprises, the government and private sectors, historic locations, civil society, 5-star hotels and communities along the riverside.

    Since its launch, there have been many collaborations, with the best example being the Amazing Thailand Countdown 2019 and its fireworks display which was viewed by more 1.5 million people.

    ICONSIAM itself welcomed more than 200,000 visitors in a single day for the event. The event brought fame to Thailand and let the world witness the grandeur and beauty of the Chao Phraya River via the world’s leading media such as CNN, BBC, and Reuters. This is a part of the collaborations envisaged in the ‘Chao Phraya Master Vision’ to help make the Chao Phraya River a significant global destination for tourism.”

    ICONSIAM is a city that is the centre of a vast array of wonders in art and culture. It offers the best in shopping and entertainment made possible through the collaboration of business organisations that are both big and small.

    A lot of individuals have come together from different professions. They share a desire to build a venue where all that makes Thais can be presented in the most exquisite way possible. They come together to build a new icon which will become a mega phenomenon that will epitomise ‘Creating Shared Value’, uniting all stakeholders and spreading prosperity to communities, society and the nation. This is embodied in every element within ICONSIAM, and especially the seven wonders.

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  • Jaspal unveils collection joined by Lynnie Z

    Jaspal unveils collection joined by Lynnie Z

    Thai fashion brand Jaspal has opened a new flagship store featuring its limited edition collaboration with London-based artist Lynnie Z. The partnership with Jaspal’s Hi Life collection marks the opening of the brand’s new IconSiam flagship. It is one of a series of partnerships between Jaspal and global artists to ensure that unique styles emerge each season.

    The Hi Life collection for men and women features stars, hearts, lips and faces as motifs with strong colour themes referencing Africa.

    “I was so honoured to be a part of such a wonderful project,” said Z. “Thailand has an outstanding heritage and Thai people love art and fashion, which is the reason why I decided to come on board. Also, I think Jaspal and I share the same artistic soul, and, more importantly, the brand fully understands the story relayed behind my works,” she said.

    “To me, this project was really wonderful, allowing me to create a masterpiece collection with a famous local brand, and communicate my inspiration, passion, and uniqueness through the collection. This is one of the best works I’ve ever created. As for the process in making this collection, for the most part, I came up with ideas and colours from my sketchbook. These are organic and abrupt but they reflect a liveliness that I wanted to communicate through the collection.”

    View the images of the collection below (6 images) :

  • ICONSIAM to launch event to boost Thai’s tourism

    ICONSIAM to launch event to boost Thai’s tourism

    Amazing Thailand Countdown 2019 at ICONSIAM is a truly amazing event of the country with a great collaboration of entities from the public and private sectors and surrounding communities to organize a New Year Celebration in a scale never before seen along the Chao Phraya riverside, the place that has become the NATIONAL ICONIC LANDMARK and ICON of Eternal Prosperity.

    Amazing Thailand Countdown 2019 under the theme of “The River of Prosperity” will make the New Year Celebration sensational on Monday, December 31, 2018, from 18:00 hrs. This New Year Celebration is jointly organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand and ICONSIAM in collaboration with The ICONSIAM Superlux Residence Corporation Limited, The ICONSIAM Residences Corporation Limited. In addition, our partners both from the public and private sectors are also actively involved—including Association of Chao Phraya Commerce, Marine Department, Siam Commercial Bank, TRUE Corporation Public Company Limited, Kasikorn Bank, Thai Shipping Association, Bangkok River Partners, and Chao Phraya Riverside Communities.

    According to Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said that “Amazing Thailand Countdown 2019 is a major event that TAT has consistently organized over the years at various destinations throughout the country. The purpose is to promote Thailand as the ultimate destination for Thai and overseas tourists alike. It’s also an effective way to help stimulate the economy and distribute income to people in every region in the country. More importantly, it supplements our effort to make tourism sustainable. This year we’ll organize the event in 5 different regions: Bangkok, NakornPanom, Chiangrai, Rajburi, and Satul.

    In Bangkok, TAT and ICONSIAM plus other partners have mapped out a plan to make the upcoming event a grand New Year Celebration by the Chao Phraya River on December 31, where the venue will be at the River Park of ICONSIAM. This very venue is characterized by diversity comprising, for example, a unique way of life and local culture that would satisfy all tourists alike. Furthermore, local business entrepreneurs and hotels on both sides of the River will take part in this celebration in various forms such as lighting and colouring their premises, and overnight Buddhist praying. Another spectacular event is a fireworks display along the Chao Phraya River which will brighten the water current and create a favourable image of Thailand as an attractive tourist destination for all people throughout the world.

    Tourism is a major income earner for the Thai economy. As such, TAT’s mission is to promote tourism in Thailand and, as a result, engaged in an extensive public relations activities both at home and overseas. It is anticipated that over one million people shall attend the New Year Celebration that will transmit to the world a favourable image of Thailand as a vibrant and dynamic country. Equally important is that substantial spending will keep the money flowing into our economy.”

    Moreover, Narong Chearavanont, Chairman of the Board of The ICONSIAM Superlux Residence Corporation Ltd., added that “we are proud to have organized the “Amazing Thailand Countdown 2019” with TAT and other partners. It is an effective way to present the beautiful image of the Chao Phraya River to the world and ICONSIAM as a riverside destination on the Chao Phraya River. We are honored to have been selected by TAT to organize the event. We are grateful for the active involvement of our partners who are committed to making the New Year Celebration event grand, impressive, and memorable for all tourists.” Here are major highlights of the upcoming Amazing Thailand Countdown 2019.

    A display of fireworks made from Thai sticker rice. These fireworks are an innovation that is      eco-friendly. This fireworks display is based on the concept of “The River of Prosperity.” It demonstrates the history of the Chao Phraya River pertaining to our way of life, tradition, and legends of Siam as a country. This 5-minute fireworks display is composed of 5 Acts.

    Act 1 – “The River of Prosperity” is a fireworks display in silver, gold, and bronze colours held together consecutively. Based on the beliefs of people, the three elements symbolize prosperity. As such, the first second of the New Year is to make the Chao Phraya River bright, beautiful, peaceful and prosperous as it has been over the years.

    Act 2 – “The Siam Treasure” is a fireworks display of multiple shapes and colours that reflect a close interconnection between our tradition, a way of life and the Chao Phraya River. Not only that the River was essential in daily human activities, it was also what people utilized for transportation, a naval route for diplomatic corps coming in to establish diplomatic relations with Siam, a way to transport products and conduct trade since Ayutthaya to present, a way to perform religious rites, and an attractive scenes that capture imagination of overseas tourists and generate income for our country.

    Act 3 – “The Blossom of Joy” is a fireworks display that creates excitement in more ways than one. The display is accompanied by Thai folk songs that reflect our uniqueness as fun-loving, friendly, and smiling people. Any overseas tourist visiting Thailand will become impressed with, for example, reciprocity of Thai people. Such an impression is enough to start a happy New Year by the Chao Phraya River-a bloodline of Thailand.

    Act 4 – “One World” is a fireworks display that highlights the flags of all countries. It also represents their connectivity through tourism, trade, education, cultural exchange based on equality that will flourish from the start of the New Year and in the years to come.

    Act 5 – “Thailand” is a fireworks display of the tricolours of the Thai flag along the Chao Phraya River. The tricolours of red, white and blue collectively represent our national identity as an independent country shielded by our solidarity and unity.

    The upcoming display of 5-Act fireworks will take place along the Chao Phraya River from                    5 different locations. The brightness of the fireworks can be seen within the vicinity of 1,400 meters, which is the longest and grandest display of fireworks ever on the Chao Phraya River.    The vicinity encompasses Peninsula Hotel, Millennium Hilton Hotel, Shangri-La Hotel, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, and Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel. It is expected that over one million people will watch this display of fireworks within the 2-km vicinity.

    Furthermore, there will be a “Khon” performance (a type of Thai drama) at the event in honour of it being recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage. The Khon performance will be a New Year present for visitors.  It will be magnificent owing to the great number of performers, composition, details relating to Thai classical dance, warrior costumes and weapons. All of these protocols are truly our cultural treasures that are worth watching.

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  • Takashimaya opens in Bangkok megamall

    Takashimaya opens in Bangkok megamall

    Japanese department store operator Takashimaya has opened inside a brand new shopping mall in Thailand, opting for the capital city of Bangkok to bring the Japanese way of luxury retailing to the nation. Scaling seven floors, the newly named and opened Siam Takashimaya will form just a small part of the $1.7 billion megamall, which also houses the entertainment development project, Iconsiam.

    The Iconsiam is a sprawling 525,000-square-metre complex developed by Siam Piwat and Charoen Pokphand Group, which includes two residential towers over 50 floors high, a movie theatre, a concert auditorium and a variety of retail options, outside of Takashimaya.

    The mall location looks to serve as draw card for the Japanese retailer, whose expansion into Thailand comes at a time when Japanese physical retail is shrinking back home and consumer tastes are moving toward online shopping.

    The shift means Takashimaya  — and other Japanese department stores like it – are entering nearby Asian economies where tourism is high, and retail is burgeoning, in order to survive.

    “Southeast Asia and China are growing economically, so in order to increase our sales we have to go to these types of markets,” said Hironobu Hanai, a Takashimaya representative.

    “That is one of the reasons why we are opening a store in Thailand.”

    Takashimaya has already witnessed great success with its Singapore store opening some 25 years ago, and it is hoping to replicate the same in Thailand – bringing the best of Japan to rich Thais.

    To date, the Singapore store accounts for around 20% of the group’s operating profit, at 6.1 billion yen ($54 million).

    The department store’s complete offerings include a large proportion of Made in Japan, with 30% of the 530 brands, on sale at the new Siam Takashimaya, originating in Japan.

    An entire floor is dedicated to Japanese food, including a supermarket selling luxury products and premium restaurants.

    Another floor of Siam Takashimaya is devoted to beauty products and perfume along, as well as cosmetic services, in addition to floors for women’s and menswear.

    Finally, the last floor sells kid’s products and homewares and will host more restaurants.

    Siam Takashimaya expects to turn its first profit in the year ending February 2020.

  • Long queues in Apple Bangkok store opening day

    Long queues in Apple Bangkok store opening day

    The first official Apple Bangkok store is now trading, located in the heart of the new US$1.6 billion IconSiam project. Queues formed overnight as Thai Apple fans vied to be among the store’s first customers and the company says “thousands” of shoppers visited the store in the first day of trading on Saturday.

    Inside Retail understands Apple’s designers, London-based Foster + Partners, worked with the architecture team from IconSiam to make the store stand out from the centre’s curved river-facing facade. The result is a clean, open square profile fronting a large outdoor courtyard, giving the store a ‘high-street feel’ despite being inside a larger mall structure.

    The interior features living trees and floor to ceiling glass facing both into the mall and out of it.

    For opening weekend, the store hosted local band Polycat performing live and the company also gave its iconic Apple logo a Thai-style makeover to celebrate its debut in the country.

    A second Apple store is believed to be under construction in the basement of the CentralWorld shopping centre in downtown Bangkok. See how long the queue in the gallery below (4 images) :

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  • Hermes sales growth boosted by Asia

    Hermes sales growth boosted by Asia

    Hermes sales surged 11 per cent in the quarter to September, with all geographical regions performing well. Asia – excluding Japan – led the way, with sales up 14 per cent. The company reported a “significant increase” in Mainland China with new stores in Xi’an (which opened in September) and Changsha (in May) along with the Landmark Prince’s store in Hong Kong in January helping underpin growth.

    A new commercial website hermes.cn, launched on October 17 and a massive duplex flagship opens tomorrow at Bangkok’s new IconSiam development. In Japan, sales rose 7 per cent.

    Group-wide revenue reached  €4.316 billion at the end of September, with sales through company-owned stores up 11 per cent as well, confirming the trend evident during the first half of the year.

    “Hermes realised a very strong growth over the first nine months of the year, in all regions,” said executive chairman Axel Dumas. “We keep our optimism for the future, but we are also thankful for the past.”

    By product category, Hermes’ ready-to-wear division achieved growth of 15 per cent, aided by the successful launch of the women’s Spring-Summer 2019 collection, presented at the Hippodrome Paris Longchamp. Demand was also high for fashion accessories and shoes.

    Growth in leather goods and saddlery reached 9 per cent, while the silk and textiles business grew by 4 per cent. Perfume sales rose by 9 per cent, watches by 8 per cent and other business lines, encompassing jewellery, Art of Living and Hermes Table Arts, by 23 per cent.

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  • Bangkok’s IconSiam launches tonight

    Bangkok’s IconSiam launches tonight

    Six years in design and construction, Bangkok’s US$1.6 billion IconSiam development will finally be officially launched tonight before opening its doors to the public tomorrow morning. With 500 stores, more than 100 restaurants and 14 cinema screens, a luxury apartment tower and a Mandarin Oriental hotel, the ambitious development is probably the most significant addition to Asia’s retail landscape in decades.

    Tonight, 10,000 businesspeople, retailers, media and guests have been invited to an opening ceremony which kicks off a weekend of festivities costing US$30 million. A fleet of 1500 drones organised by Intel will take to the sky above the Chao Phraya River and a “famous US singer” whose identity is being kept a closely guarded secret, will perform on stage somewhere along the 400-metre riverfront promenade of the building.

    Tickets to the invitation-only event, which also features a raft of Asian entertainers, fireworks, light and water shows, have been trading online for 10,000 THB (US$300), despite never being sold in the first place.

    Tomorrow, thousands of Thais are expected to visit the 750,000sqm venue, with stores offering rewards for early customers – like H&M issuing a 20,000 THB voucher to its first – and Apple is expected to draw long queues for its first official retail outlet in Thailand.

    About 80 per cent of the stores at IconSiam will be open for business tomorrow, the balance opening in ensuing weeks as fitouts are completed and approved by offshore head offices. But the project is still not complete. Several stories above the retail and dining area remain under construction, scheduled to open in July. They will house a world-class 6500sqm River Museum, a 3000-seat concert hall and other community facilities.

    Defining IconSiam is not easy.

    “It’s not a mall. It’s not a mixed use project,” IconSiam MD Supoj Chaiwatsirikul said last night. “It’s a destination.”

    The story of how IconSiam investors acquired the 8.8 hectare riverfront site gives an insight into how the project evolved into much more than a shopping centre. The owners of the land had been approached many times over the years, including by cashed up foreign developers. But they wouldn’t sell – until Siam Piwat CEO Chadatip Chutrakul talked to them, promising to create something that could showcase Thai culture and history to the world and be something all Thais could be proud of.

    Since then, IconSiam’s operational team have worked with Thais literally the length and breadth of the country to involve them in the project. Artworks and sculptures have been selected from 100 artists, mostly Thai, to appear throughout the complex, a 1.6 hectare space called SookSiam (“a city of Thai happiness”) will feature products and cultural heritage of the nation’s four regions, showcasing their handicrafts, performing arts, food, beverages “and local wisdom” in a single destination promised as “immersive, emotional and entertaining”.

    “IconSiam inaugurates a globally innovative model for destination development that moves the project away from being a mall or a mixed-use complex to being an inspiring destination,” explains Chutrakul.

    “It’s a place to regenerate and refresh, to be inspired and seek new ideas, and a place to discover the best of Thailand and the best on offer from around the world.”

    Unprecedented coordination has taken place with city and government authorities to enhance the transport system surrounding the site. A new skytrain track – aptly called the Gold Line – is under construction linking two other rail routes and which ultimately will make it a 20-minute railway journey from downtown Bangkok to the river. The company has built its own wharf in front of the building and worked to enhance a network of 73 river piers making it easier to reach the venue. Some 45,000 Thais travel along the river using public transport every day and they are starting to find that more convenient than ever.

    Work is continuing with landowners and hotel properties along the waterfront to create a public walkway, opening up the riverfront to the people for the first time in centuries.

    SiamPiwat’s Siam Paragon shopping centre which, when neighbouring properties Siam Center and Siam Discovery are added, create the city’s largest single shopping destination, attracts about 250,000 visitors on a typical weekend day. The company expects IconSiam to draw as many as 400,000 once the project is fully operational. About 60 per cent of those will be Thais, the balance tourists, although it is obvious from the size and scale of the luxury duplexes facing the river – bearing brand names including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Cartier and Hermes – that the ratio will be quite different zone-by-zone: This part of the project is very clearly designed to appeal to the growing legions of Chinese tourists heading to Thailand.

    Another key retail drawcard of IconSiam will be the country’s first Takashimaya department store spread over several levels and including a comprehensive food and grocery offer as well as fashion and accessories.

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  • DKSH adds 3 brands in path to double Thai luxury

    DKSH adds 3 brands in path to double Thai luxury

    Market expansion service provider DKSH Thailand has announced plans to double the scale of its Thai luxury and lifestyle business within two years. The firm has picked up three international brands this year, with another Italian lifestyle brand to be added to its portfolio next year.

    Included in the expansion is a THB30 million (US$913,800) investment in a new 200sqm flagship Bally store in Thailand, opening at Iconsiam on Friday (November 9).

    DKSH regional VP of luxury and lifestyle business Franck Giacobini said luxury and lifestyle is picking up again and sales are strong.

    “DKSH’s luxury and lifestyle business in Thailand will strengthen in the next few years because the country has a young population with high spending power.”

    He added that DKSH will allocate a huge investment to the Thai market, considering the country’s high-end retail complexes and strong tourism.

    President of DKSH Thailand Douglas Humphrey added: “DKSH has been in Thailand for over a century. Our consumer product business in Thailand is the biggest market for the DKSH network globally. We will continue to invest here in terms of people, capability and supply chain in the coming years.”

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  • Apple is opening its first flagship store in Bangkok soon

    Apple is opening its first flagship store in Bangkok soon

    Various Thai media outlets are reporting that not one but two Apple Bangkok stores are under construction. The US tech giant is notorious about not commenting on its store plans anywhere in the world, even when branding appears on barriers covering its construction sites. However, the first Apple Bangkok store is scheduled to open at IconSiam, the massive retail and entertainment destination being built on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, which will officially begin trading on November 9.

    Thai business magazine Positioning Magmeanwhile, is reporting a second Apple Bangkok store is being developed outside the giant CentralWorld shopping centre in the heart of the city.

    This will be constructed underground, in similar style to the Apple store near New York’s Central Park, with a glass canopy above the courtyard through which customers can enter, before descending down a curved staircase.

    The Icon Siam store will bear more of a resemblance to the Apple store on Singapore’s Orchard Road, featuring a two-story high glass frontage and most likely overlooking the river.

    Both stores were probably designed by Foster + Partners which has a long pipeline of unique Apple store designs around the globe. Its most recent work was Apple Macau.

    Apple now operates about 500 of its own stores in 24 countries.

  • IconSiam Bangkok due to open November 9

    IconSiam Bangkok due to open November 9

    Bangkok’s massive IconSiam development will open on November 9, its developers have confirmed.

    The US$1.67 billion complex being constructed on a 400-metre-long stretch of the Chao Phraya River will feature 14 flagship stores of internationally renowned brands, many of them taking space in the ultra-luxury 25,000sqm glass pavilion called IconLuxe, located next to the river and featuring the longest pillarless glass facade in the world.

    The development will be home to two shopping centres, whose tenants will include 188 brands and store concepts from around the world making their debut in Thailand, including duplex maisons for luxury brands.

    IconSiam CEO Supoj Chaiwatsirikul says IconSiam will represent “a completely new business model for destination development” in Thailand.

    “We are committed to making IconSiam a new national landmark and an exciting global destination. We have therefore placed particular emphasis on becoming the location of choice for the flagship stores of the world’s finest brands as well as introducing many firsts and innovations at the various outlets.”

    The development will comprise a 750,000sqm mega-destination featuring not only two shopping precincts, but theme parks, a museum, hotel and apartment towers.

    “IconSiam will excite visitors with a rich diversity of offerings, including art and culture, in addition to extraordinary dining and shopping possibilities,” said Chaiwatsirikul. “The project is co-designed and co-activated in collaboration with enterprises of all sizes and with people from all walks of life, and the benefits of the project are shared among all parties.

    “We have made every participant in IconSiam – whether they be outlets selling products, or designers and artists showcasing their creations, or even neighborhood communities helping in our operations – an inseparable part of our business model and they play a part in shaping our development.”

    Flagships line up

    Flagship stores at IconSiam will include the largest Adidas Original store in Asia, H&M-owned fashion label Cos, an Aland lifestyle concept store from Korea, and local accessories brand Naraya. H&M will open a three-level store.

    UK retailer JD Sports will open its first Thai store at the development and Nike’s store will be the first in Asia with a Kicks Lounge.

    The retail development is anchored by Thailand’s first Takashimaya department store from Japan which plans to introduce 170 brands into the market for the first time.

    Details have yet to be released about world-class restaurants and a rooftop bar planned for the complex. Besides those, IconSiam will feature seven food and beverage zones, each with a different atmosphere and concept. Tenants will include Singapore’s Jumbo seafood restaurant and Taiwan’s Harbour restaurant.

    Fitness First will open its largest Thai venue yet.

    Opening festival

    Chaiwatsirikul says IconSiam has budgeted THB1 billion (US$31 million) on an opening and launch festival, including extensive international communications.

    “Because IconSiam will be a showcase for the very best that Thailand has to offer and serve as a platform to propel Thai brands, products, artists, artisans and Thai culture onto the global stage, we are investing heavily to make IconSiam globally visible. We want IconSiam to be a magnet for the country, capable of drawing hundreds of thousands of international and local visitors a day, and to bring honour to Thailand,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the development’s two luxury residential towers remain under construction. The 70-floor, luxury Magnolia Waterfront Residences with 379 residential units is 90 per cent complete, while the 52-floor, super luxury The Residences at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok with 146 units is 80 per cent complete.

    IconSiam is being developed by three Thailand companies: shopping centre operator Siam Piwat, which owns Siam Center, Siam Paragon and Siam Discovery; residential developer Magnolia Quality Development Corporation; and multinational conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group.

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  • Takashimaya Bangkok is opening soon

    Takashimaya Bangkok is opening soon

    The long-awaited Takashimaya Bangkok department store will open in November.

    The Japanese retailer’s seven-story shop will be a key anchor of the IconSiam shopping centre under construction on the banks of the Chao Phraya River.

    IconSiam says the store will have 36,000sqm of space, offering “an authentic Japanese experience with modern, playful and exciting twist”.

    Kenji Horiguchi, MD of Siam Takashimaya (Thailand) says the store will deliver a new experience to customers who like authentic Japanese items.

    “With an extensive selection of quality products to serve people of all ages, the store carries more than 500 brands, 180 of which are well-known Japanese brands and 80 new to Thailand,” he said.

    An entire floor is dedicated to Japanese food, including a supermarket selling high-quality ingredients and premium restaurants.

    “As a highlight of this floor, Hokkaido Dosanko Plaza, a local specialty shop, will excite shoppers with fresh produces, sweets and delicacies,” said Horiguchi. There is also a tourism booth located on this floor for the island of Hokkaido.

    Another floor of Takashimaya Bangkok will be devoted to beauty products and perfume along with beauty-related services. There will be floors for women’s and men’s clothing.

    The last floor provides kid’s products, home products and restaurants.

    “The department store, preserving a Japanese charm, has chic cafes on each floor for shoppers to take a break after the shopping spree,” said Horiguchi.

  • Takashimaya is more losing money than profit

    Takashimaya is more losing money than profit

    Just one of Japanese department store chain Takashimaya’s three overseas stores is currently trading at a profit.

    But the company says it believes it can make them all profitable by 2023, including a fourth store set to open in Bangkok late this year.

    The successful store is on Singapore’s Orchard Road, which opened in 1993 and is reportedly earning more than 3 billion yen (US$27.2 million) annually.

    The chain’s Shanghai store, which opened in 2012, has been hampered by delays in the completion of neighbouring projects which would have drawn higher visitor numbers, along with administration costs running over budget. According to a report published by Nikkei, the store is expected to post its seventh consecutive loss in the 12 months to February next year, but should make money in 2020.

    The Ho Chi Minh City store in Vietnam, which opened in 2016, has “struggled from the start” according to Nikkei, its offer apparently too expensive for middle-class Vietnamese consumers. The company plans to boost sales by “broadening offerings of everyday items for families” which it hopes will lead it into profit in the 2022 year.

    The planned Siam Takashimaya store will be one of the anchors of Siam Piwat’s IconSiam, currently under construction and scheduled to open late this year – possibly in October.

    Takashimaya anticipates the Bangkok store to be profitable in its first year, thanks to rent concessions.

    The company’s president, Shigeru Kimoto, said it plans to continue Southeast Asian expansion, despite the challenges to date because it sees potential in the region.

    “In the long term, we seek to capitalise on Asia’s growth,” he said.

  • SookSiam centrepiece for IconSiam Thailand

    SookSiam centrepiece for IconSiam Thailand

    IconSiam will showcase the best products, services and artistic creations from Thailand’s 77 provinces in a single exciting destination when the massive THB 54 billion (US$1.7 billion) riverside landmark development opens later this year.

    Called SookSiam, the retail space will take up 15,000sqm of the ground floor of the massive shopping destination being built on the banks of the Chao Phraya River.

    The THB 700 million (US$22.4 million) SookSiam is expected to attract 21.9 million visitors, annually, and introduce a new retail concept to Thailand which IconSiam calls “co-creation”.

    Chadatip Chutrakul, IconSiam director and Siam Piwat CEO, promises SookSiam will be “an immersive, emotional and entertaining” drawcard to the mall.

    “It is a part of IconSiam’s commitment to bring all that makes Thailand great to the world’s attention. It will help small enterprise owners, artisans, artists, and performers who are local heroes from around the country access a globally visible, omni-channel platform on which to showcase their creations and become integrated into a greater commercial ecosystem. This will help local heroes become national heroes and global heroes,” she says.

    “SookSiam is conceived as a place that will present the cultural heritage of the four main geographic regions of Thailand, capturing their arts, handicrafts, performing arts, and local wisdom. Within SookSiam are outlets of varying types that are built in the style of their respective regions, and which offer regional specialties, whether they be crafts, foods, beverages, or services that are unique to that region.

    “We have layered on top of this a completely new, emotional dimension by letting visitors experience the stories behind everything they see, and we let them know about the people involved with each place, product, and service at SookSiam. It makes the offerings at SookSiam exciting and meaningful, and the destination very much more engaging because of the deeper knowledge that visitors will have about all that is around them,” says Chutrakul.

    Local builders drawn from each region will construct SookSiam and more than 200 artists have been commissioned to decorate it.

    “Their involvement in the creation of the regional zones has been the key to making the entire destination impeccably faithful to the artistic heritage of the localities and in a way that could only be done by a truly local person,” she says.

    Authenticity key

    “What’s never been done before and what makes SookSiam truly unique is its authenticity.

    The outlets at SookSiam are real stores that all also exist in towns and villages around Thailand and which have been transposed into SookSiam. They are small mom-and-pop operations that are famous in their localities but which have never had a chance to present themselves to a wider national or global audience. They are stores with real, extraordinary stories and real, multi-generational legacies that are rooted in their respective local communities,” says Chutrakul.

    “SookSiam is like a window into every province and into every corner of Thailand. People can see, feel, and experience with their every sense the true heart and soul of each locality.”

    She believes the destination will help every Thai and foreign visitor connect with and admire products, recipes and artistic creations that are the result of dedication and accumulated knowledge built up through generations.

    “Because of this, the destination has an emotional dimension that comes from the lives and life stories behind everything present at SookSiam. It is a very moving experience because it honours the heritage of so many great people who have been a living part of our culture and of Thainess, but who have been hidden from view. Nothing like this has ever been done in Thailand before,” she says.

    SookSiam is being produced and curated by Luckana Naviroj, who is known for her expertise in sourcing authentic products and foodstuffs from around Thailand.

    Naviroj said the outlets in SookSiam all have a real counterpart in small towns in Thailand, and that many of them are enterprises that have been operated by several generations of the same family.

    “We travelled the entire country to find these unique shops, artisans, and artists, and invited them into SookSiam, which will serve as an extraordinary platform onto which people – the “local heroes” from around the country – can place their talents and products, and draw global attention as well as expanded sales opportunities, 365 days a year.

    “Thai and foreign visitors to SookSiam will have the opportunity to experience or purchase some genuinely exciting and special offerings which have been hidden away in towns and villages around Thailand,” she says.

    Preserving the nation’s heritage

    Naviroj says helping these small operators will help preserve Thailand’s cultural heritage and the rapidly disappearing Thai way of life.

    “SookSiam offers a platform that will help the next generation turn their legacies into bigger enterprises that can challenge and reward them enough for them to continue in their families’ proud traditions while preserving Thailand’s priceless cultural heritage at the same time.  Without an opportunity to expand their businesses and become part of a greater commercial ecosystem, or for artists and artisans to attract more sponsors, the next generation will, almost certainly, abandon their occupations and turn to new sources of employment leading to the loss, forever, of our cultural heritage and the way of life that has defined what it means to be Thai.”

    Co-creation initiative

    Meanwhile, Chutrakul says SookSiam is the first example of a new retail approach called “co-creation” around which the entire IconSiam development is designed.

    “Everyone involved with IconSiam, whether they be outlets selling products, or designers and artists showcasing their creations, are an inseparable part of our business model and our design and development process. IconSiam is being created in collaboration with thousands of tenants and other partners. SookSiam represents that co-creation concept perfectly because everything special being presented at SookSiam is actually created by someone somewhere else in Thailand. We ‘co-create’ with them by adding our knowledge of consumer preferences and supporting them with innovation as well as retailing and marketing techniques based on our insights into the needs of Thai and foreign visitors. We also assist them in ‘curating’ the selection and presentation of their offerings at SookSiam, all in a way that is consistent with the government’s Thailand 4.0 program to help people add value to their intellectual property and proprietary skills,” she concludes.

    IconSiam will open in the last quarter of this year.