Jakarta: 24 – 27 May 2016
An intrepid group of 36 participants – from shopping mall management, market research and retail consultancy – headed for Jakarta, wading into the perpetual traffic snarl that characterizes the city. Most were first timers in this huge sprawling metropolis which has grown astronomically over the past 10 years. Officially, there are almost 80 malls now to cater to the populous city and the group really had an eye-opening experience as we visited 8 shopping malls (and more in our spare time!).
The malls visited ranged from chic malls in the city centre like Grand Indonesia, Lotte Shopping Avenue and Senayan City; and Kota Kasablaka, Pondok Indah Mall and Gandaria City in the nearby suburbs. Spanking new malls were discovered in the satellite city of Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) where AEON Mall has recently made its first foray into Jakarta’s shopping industry ala Japanese-style. We also found an award-winning “mall without walls”, The Breeze, which mostly attracts weekend patrons to its F&B outlets nestled amidst lush landscaped surroundings. It is noted that new shopping malls in Jakarta are now located outside the central business district due to current regulations by the authorities.
All the malls visited were selected for their array of building layouts, design, architecture, merchandise mix and location. Participants all agreed that the trip was a vast learning experience with exposure to the vibrant Indonesian shopping mall scenario and a great sharing platform imparted by our host malls and.
Without doubt, the entourage were very impressed by the overwhelming Indonesian welcome and generous hospitality. A resounding and heartfelt Terima Kasih to the President, Mr Stefanus Ridwan of Associasi Pengelola Pusat Belanja Indonesia (APPBI), our Indonesian counterpart, for their close and much appreciated assistance with the mall visits!