# South China Mall, a man-made miracle



## spongeg (May 1, 2006)

> Dongguan (China): Christmas is just around the corner and the malls in the US are jampacked with shoppers.
> 
> 
> However, it's a different story in China, which is home to some of the biggest malls in the world.
> ...


http://www.ibnlive.com/news/south-china-mall-a-manmade-miracle/29062-2.html

i saw a report on the news here about it - they were like its the only mall in the world that has no stores :nuts: the reporter was walking all over showing the empty stores

u can see the report here: http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/29062/south-china-mall-a-manmade-miracle.html


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## Sen (Nov 13, 2004)

suburban mall is not suitable for chinese cities, no one is going to drive 20 km outside the city to shop, most would just do shopping in the area where they live.

they are trying to copy american style of development but china is different from america, most people rely on public transportation to get around instead of owning a car.

i must say this is a good news, sooner the people realize it's a mistake the better.


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## null (Dec 11, 2002)

i hope he's being sarcastic


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## I-275westcoastfl (Feb 15, 2005)

Sen said:


> suburban mall is not suitable for chinese cities, no one is going to drive 20 km outside the city to shop, most would just do shopping in the area where they live.
> 
> they are trying to copy american style of development but china is different from america, most people rely on public transportation to get around instead of owning a car.
> 
> i must say this is a good news, sooner the people realize it's a mistake the better.


you do know america was once like that too? Public transport used to be in every city and town that had a decent population


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## FREKI (Sep 27, 2005)

AT 3 times the size of Mall of America having it packed with stores from day one is a bit extreme... but I don't see why China shouldn't be able to surstain a few of these in the future...


Whether it's the way to go or not is another deal...


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## Wonderwall (May 19, 2005)

"Miracle" isn't the word I'd use to describe a mall—ever.

Chinese car ownership is surging—despite that there's no way China's roads will be able to accomodate so many. Marketers have done well telling people that cars are a good status symbol (rather than a means of transportation), and I don't doubt that they'll find a way to sell a suburban-mall lifestyle. Canada's most chinese city (Richmond) is awash in malls.


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## tablemtn (May 2, 2006)

I don't think cars are the main obstacle to this mall (or any other mall, for that matter) succeeding in China. If people want to come to the mall, they'll find ways. Think of the Philippines, for example. The percentage of people there who own cars is not that high compared to western countries. But gigantic malls - such as the Manila area's Mall of Asia and SM Megamall - do very good business. People get there on public transportation, on motorbikes, with friends, and on shared bus-taxis called jeepneys. 

China's retail environment is very interesting right now. I think the problem with these giant new malls is that they focus on high-end luxury retail, and not the mass retail that the average Chinese person can more easily afford. China does have a substantial market for luxury goods, but it is still limited, and 6 million square feet in Dongguan might be a bit much, especially considering that nearby Hong Kong already has a very large and mature luxury retailing scene. 

However, if the mall managers downshift the focus a little bit, into more affordable stores and services, with a luxury niche mixed in, I think they will see vacancies drop, and will see customers flock to thier stores. They might not want to do this, because something like the South China Mall is a big "status" project. It is meant to impress just as much as it is meant to make money. They want to fill it up with high-end stores. But there's nothing wrong with reducing rents and letting in some less-expensive retailers to get the project going.

The megamalls in the Philippines provide a good example here, too - they are a mix of higher-end boutiques and less-expensive mass-market stores. People from different economic backgrounds (except for the very poor) mix together.


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## cyberjaya (Mar 21, 2006)

Wonderwall said:


> "Miracle" isn't the word I'd use to describe a mall—ever.
> 
> Chinese car ownership is surging—despite that there's no way China's roads will be able to accomodate so many. Marketers have done well telling people that cars are a good status symbol (rather than a means of transportation), and I don't doubt that they'll find a way to sell a suburban-mall lifestyle. Canada's most chinese city (Richmond) is awash in malls.


The car amount and road are not the problem for Chinese mega-malls. (world second largest auto market and expressways). But it may takes years to make people change their shopping habbit and raise their expenditures.

you can get a better picture of the South China mall from the following video:
http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/29062/...e-miracle.html


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