Phuket Outlet Plans Three-Star City Hotel

Phuket,s newest large-scale retail outlet sees good times ahead and is already planning to add a three-star city hotel.

When you have 53 rai of space available, all kinds of new concepts become viable.

Premium Outlet Mall operations and marketing director, Pinyaluck Mahaariyachaisin, sees the huge Bypass Road business as being readily accepted.

''People say it's like the Netherlands, with so many differently designed buildings,'' she told Phuketwan.

''Customers prefer our open mall style, with up to 80 percent savings on offer to shoppers every day. This is a big point of difference between us and other malls.''

Once the image of ''outlet'' selling was of factory discards, but not any more.

''We offer finest quality goods at very good prices,'' Khun Pinyaluck said.

Phuket's Outlet Mall is the largest of six in Thailand and will present shoppers with a choice of zones. The themes include Kids Zone, a Sports Stadium Zone, a Golf Zone, a Men And Women Zone.

There's also a Gallery Zone. An International Fast Food Zone and an Entertainment Zone, plus a Tourist Info Zone, are likely additions.

More than 300 brands are expected to develop eventually, with more than 100 already in the project. It's laid out like a village, crisscrossed by pleasant walking streets.

So far since the soft opening on April 11, about 2000 people a day have visited, although this figure drops when it rains because of the need to move between building blocks.

When complete there will be a ''Phuket City Walk'' through the Outlet, with landscaping and lakes.

Premium Outlet has grown out from the centre of Thailand quite deliberately, although they have been looking at Phuket for some time.

''Phuket is attractive to tourists so we welcome the chance to be here,'' Khun Pinyaluck said. ''The Thai Government is also promoting the island.

''About half our customers are expats,'' she adds.

Big events are promised after the grand opening in November.

News from : phuketwan.com