Udon Thani Outlet Mall Photos

Outlet Mall plans B500m Udon Thani mall

http://outletmallthailand.com/newproject.html

* Published: 19/01/2010 at 12:00 AM
* Bangkok Post

Outlet Mall Co, a subsidiary of the Pena House Group, will spend 500 million baht to develop a premium factory outlet in Udon Thani this year.

Managing director Pichej Pongpitakmetha said the outlet is being built on a 12-rai plot on the bypass road between Index Living Mall and Home Pro, the hardware and home decoration chains.

The contemporary-style project, Premium Outlet Udonthani, will open in the third quarter this year with 5,000 square metres of space and 120 tenants offering products such as clothing, shoes, golf equipment and housewares.

''We decided to open our outlet in Udon Thani because it is an important city with 1.6 million inhabitants and is in the country's seventh-largest province in terms of population,'' he said.

Udon Thani is located near Khon Kaen, Sakon Nakhon, Kalasin, Loei, Nong Khai and Nong Bua Lam Phu and attracts 2 million tourists per year.

The average income in Udon Thani is about 45,000 baht per year, with two-third of people mainly employed in industry rather than agriculture.

Mr Pichej expects 2,000 to 2,500 visitors at Premium Outlet Udonthani in weekdays and 6,000 to 7,500 per day at weekends. The company expects the mall to break even in six or seven years. The company also plans a mall in Bang Pa-in, Ayutthaya, from 2011 to 2012.

Outlet Mall's sales last year were 1.8 billion baht, up by about 12% from 2008. Growth beat a normal trend of 8-10% despite the downturn as Thais travelled locally more. Spending per head also rose to between 3,000 and 5,000 baht, up from 2,000 to 3,000 baht earlier.

Pena House Group, the manufacturer and importer of fashion brands, has diversified in the last five years after competition intensified in the textile market.

Outlet Mall currently has factory outlets in Pattaya, Cha-am, Khao Yai, Krabi and Phuket.


Columnist Bangkok Post:

Writer: Pitsinee Jitpleecheep
Position: Business Reporter