The World’s Largest Mall Offers a Lesson
- added July 14, 2008
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- Chique
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- News and Politics (39395)
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Tell us why this is intereSouth China Mall is the world’s largest shopping mall, according to this article in The National.
At over 7 million square feet, it is double the size of the gargantuan Mall of America in the United States. It has an amusement park including a roller coaster; an indoor rain forest; and Las Vegas-style replicas of famous places, including a Venice canal and the Arc de Triomphe.
But it has one big problem: it’s nearly empty.
South China Mall is designed to have 1,500 stores. Unfortunately, only a handful are currently occupied.
The developers expected 100,000 visitors a day. Instead they get 10,000, if that.
Opened in 2005, it was once hailed in the New York Times for exemplifying China’s new consumer middle-class.
Then something went terribly wrong. What went wrong is that the shoppers never materialized.
Recently a number of articles and blog posts have been written about the deserted South China Mall. Various points have been made about conspicuous consumption and building projects in China.
sting
At over 7 million square feet, it is double the size of the gargantuan Mall of America in the United States. It has an amusement park including a roller coaster; an indoor rain forest; and Las Vegas-style replicas of famous places, including a Venice canal and the Arc de Triomphe.
But it has one big problem: it’s nearly empty.
South China Mall is designed to have 1,500 stores. Unfortunately, only a handful are currently occupied.
The developers expected 100,000 visitors a day. Instead they get 10,000, if that.
Opened in 2005, it was once hailed in the New York Times for exemplifying China’s new consumer middle-class.
Then something went terribly wrong. What went wrong is that the shoppers never materialized.
Recently a number of articles and blog posts have been written about the deserted South China Mall. Various points have been made about conspicuous consumption and building projects in China.
sting
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build it and they will come... and if they don't, whoopsies!
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- bishopobispo
- 2 months ago
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From what I understand, the majority of middle income Chinese prefer to save a minimum of 30% of their earnings rather than spend. I guess they didn't check the statistics before they built this! 7 million square feet no less.
I don't know about your neck of the woods but I'm watching businesses close at an unprescedented rate in central Florida. Nonetheless, the geniuses are in the process of building one of the largest malls in Florida about 1/2 a mile from my home. Go figure.
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