Carrefour to open at Jungceylon

PATONG: French hypermarket chain Carrefour will open its first branch in Phuket as part of the December 1 soft opening of Jungceylon, putting to rest the speculation that the now-deposed Thaksin government’s efforts to rein in the expansion of large retailers would effect the project.

The opening was confirmed during an October 6 press conference at Jungceylon by Prawit Janyasittikul, Deputy CEO of Phuket Square Co Ltd, which is developing the megaproject in the heart of Pattong.

“Construction of Jungceylon is now about 85% complete. It’s a total of 75,000 square meters, of which about 70,000 are already reserved. We have just signed with Indochine in Singapore to open an international pub and restaurant of about 3,200 square meters. It will be the first Indochine branch to open in Thailand,” he said.

A 400-room hotel will open in the complex about the middle of next year, but it was not disclosed whether it will be independently managed or branded as part of an international chain.

Jungceylon will be divided into five zones:

• Silang Boulevard: a general shopping area decorated in “tropical style” with international fast food restaurants, sports stores, fashion stores and a spa.

• The Port: an outdoor area with a large pool featuring a Chinese junk, catwalk and stage. Shows featuring music and water fountains will be held there nightly, at 7:30 pm and 9 pm.

• Sino Phuket: an entertainment area with pubs, bars and international restaurants, open until 2 am. This zone will not be open on December 1.

• Phuket Square: a department store area, including a Robinson department store, Carrefour and an SFX cineplex with five movie theaters.

• Thailand Plaza: a market-style area featuring Thai arts and crafts for sale from all parts of the Kingdom.

Jungceylon Chief Marketing Officer Tassanee Thepprasertwangsa said, “We have set aside a budget of more than 100 million baht for local advertising on radio, television and in the print media in the first year, starting this November.”