[wowpow]

Central Pattana Plc (CPN) the listed property development arm of the Central Group, plans to spend 8.5 billion baht to develop two new shopping complexes on Chaeng Watthana Road and in Pattaya. President Kobchai Chirathivat said construction would start in the second quarter of next year with completion expected by April 2008....<br>
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...Wallaya Chirathivat, CPN's executive vice-president, said inspiration for four-billion-baht Central Plaza Pattaya Beach will come from centres in Italy and Spain. It will also have a 700-unit, five-stars hotel with serviced apartments. A developer and management company for the hotel has yet to be selected. The five-storey site would be the largest regional shopping mall in the Eastern Seaboard.<br>
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''The purchasing power of consumers in Pattaya has been improving further, indicated by the opening of new high-end housing projects and hotels,'' Mr Kobchai said.<br>
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Other Pattaya retail centres are Central Festival Pattaya, Minor Group's Royal Garden Plaza, and Mike, a local department store. Siam Future Development will open another centre in Pattaya soon.Mr Kobchai said the firm would revive a Chon Buri project, that has been on hold since 1997, in 2007 because the opening of Suvarnabhumi airport next year would stimulate the economy in the east. <br>
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Full article <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/24Nov2005_biz42.php">www.bangkokpost.com</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> <p></p><i></i>

[Gone Fishing]

The Bangkok Post seems to have overlooked the two branches of Tesco/Lotus (North and South Pattaya), the large branch of Carrefour (Central Pattaya), the second branch of Big C (South Pattaya) and the shopping complex planned for Second Road (construction not yet started).<br>
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Even on a good day, such as a public holiday, only half the cashiers' desks at any of these are manned; normally it is down to a quarter of them, if that. A lot of people appear to be putting an awful lot of faith in the new airport's being 20 minutes closer to Pattaya than the old one to somehow "<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>stimulate the economy in the east.</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->" <p></p><i></i>

[Boxer]

With only a 43% take up of building projects nationwide one can see a huge 57% vacancy at Big C also. (Source a major Estate agent in Bangkok doing a Thailand survey in Bangkok post last week.) But we in Pattaya can see the vacant units everywhere and know of the projects cancelled despite continued announcements of new ones. Where is the reallity here? <p><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.boxertravels.com">boxertravels.com</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--></p><i></i>

[wowpow]

I am not sure but I imagine that Central take it for granted that their develoments include a Central Department store possibly with one of their Tops supermarkets and Power Buy electronics. This would not be totally in competition with the Supermarkets more similar to Mike's. <p></p><i></i>

[handsomefarang]

Big C South, early afternoon, 4 checkout lanes were open out of I think 30. And there was no waiting at that. This was at the same time Carrefour was closed due to inventory. Yikes ! <p></p><i></i>