Stories tagged with shopping
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End of Suan Lum Night Bazaar
The popular Suan Lum Night Bazaar has been officially ordered to close by a Bangkok court, according to the Crown Property Bureau.
The hundreds of tenants will now have to move from the popular site near Lumpini Park, which is expected to be cleared to make way for the building of a yet another mall and hotel complex.
Those tenants who refuse to leave the night market may face seizure, arrest or even imprisonment, according to several Thai-language newspapers.
There are around 3,000 shops, restaurants and bars in the Suan Lum complex, as well as the hugely popular Joe Louis Puppet Theatre.
The Crown Property Bureau signed a long-term lease with mall developer Central Pattana on a large part of the site in 2007.
At the time it was said that Central proposed to build Thailand's tallest building, as well as a hotel and shopping mall on the former military academy site.
The Property company P Con Development took out a short-term lease on the site in the year 2000 and subsequently opened the Suan Lum Night Bazaar in 2001.
Newspapers reported that the Southern Bangkok Civil Court ruled on January 30 that the lease to P Con lease had expired and that it must now leave the site.
P Con refused to leave after the lease had expired in 2004 as well as ignoring lease extensions so that traders could be given time to close up and move on.
Despite the legal dispute the bazaar has remained open every night, however, and stall owners continue to pay rent to P Con.
Suan Lum Night Bazaar is located next to Lumpini Park site and is also a busy tourist attraction.
Tourist attractions in Bangkok
Posted by: Andrew on 05 Mar 2008, 12:20 -
Thailand Christmas in full swing
When in Thailand over this holiday season it might be difficult to imagine you’re in a Buddhist country with all the Christmas decorations everywhere, but Thais actually love Christmas.
Although less than 1 percent of people in Thailand are Christians, the country as a whole has taken wholeheartedly to this festival, with sparkling tinsel, Christmas trees and carols or Christmas music heard everywhere a tourist might venture.
“The commercial aspect of Christmas has gripped Thailand for years, they love an excuse for a party and celebration�, says one long-standing local expat resident. “I think many foreigners come here to escape it all, but they can’t, it really drives them mad�.
All the shopping malls, hotels, restaurants and even bars in Bangkok and tourist areas have entered into the spirit of Christmas with decorations, trees, music and specials commonly associated with Christmas. Some are even offering mulled wine in the tropical climate, others all have Christmas dinners planned for the 25th.
But Thais themselves don’t actually exchange gifts, and despite all the commercialism of shopping, the actual turnover is small. According to the retail financial services firm GE Money, Thais and Japanese are among the least spenders on Christmas among seven Asian countries surveyed.
However, with the Thais love of any fun celebration, Christmas has become a big hit, and they certainly love dressing up as Santa, listening to the good cheer music and having fun decorating their stores. In areas with big tourist numbers or large expat populations the department stores and malls do experience a larger turnover and that’s important to them.
With Christmas being the height of the tourist season it’s also a nice welcome to Christian tourists, who make up the bulk of the numbers. And even if the ‘cotton wool’ fake snow is a little out of place in the tropical sun, visitors can enjoy the Christmas atmosphere among temples and Buddhas.
Thailand, with its cheap shopping, is also an ideal place to buy Christmas gifts, even decorations, and the Thai are fabulous gift wrappers!
Posted by: Andrew on 21 Dec 2007, 08:35 -
Villa opens Pattaya store
Expatriates and travelers to Pattaya will now be able to enjoy an extensive selection of foreign food at the new Villa market which recently opened in the Avenue Complex on Pattaya Second Road.
The Grand Opening took place last Saturday and was attended by members of the expatriate community as well as a large number of local leaders in the Thai business world. Villa’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Khun Surapong, oversaw all of the opening festivities. As well, the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Khun Pisit, was in attendance.
The Grand Opening event allowed those present to taste food at stalls throughout the store.
Although Villa has been operating in Thailand since 1974, the Pattaya store is the company’s first branch outside Bangkok.
The supermarket chain stocks both locally produced items as well as imported goods. They are known for their ability and willingness to accept requests for orders of specific food items.
Posted by: Jen on 12 Oct 2007, 19:32 -
Shopping Malls in Bangkok Go Green
Shopping in the luxuriously air conditioned shopping malls in Thailand’s capital has just become more environmentally friendly after the Mall Group recently began a new campaign to go greener. Eight department stores affiliated with the group are switching from packaging up goods in plastic bags to giving out biodegradable bags.
Shoppers at The Mall’s Gourmet Market outlets can take home their goodies in free biodegradable plastic bags or purchase re-usable canvas tote bags. The canvas bags come in a variety of sizes and cost 70 to 399 baht depending on the bag’s capacity. Free canvas bags are available for those who spend more than 500 baht in the store.
The plastic bags being given out at the Mall will disintegrate within a year and a half of being thrown away due to a combination of organic and plastic used in their manufacture.
The Mall Group estimates that 150 million plastic bags a year are dispersed by the stores in their eight location, including the Siam Paragon and the Emporium.
"The biodegradable bags cost 5 to 10 per cent more than regular plastic bags," said Chamnarn Maythaprachakul, The Mall's senior vice president for marketing. "We will absorb that."
By taking on some of the initial cost and promoting the environmental cause in some of the most posh shopping areas of the city, the Mall Group is hoping that other department stores and supermarkets will catch onto the trend.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) has already jumped on board, giving out 30,000 canvas bags to shoppers recently in order to encourage alternatives to plastic bags. The city’s bag campaign is one small step in a larger scheme to cut back carbon emissions in the nation’s capital.
"The lifestyle of Bangkok's high society and upper middle class has to change, and the way they change can have an influence of the other sectors of society," said Tara Buakamsri, a climate and energy campaigner for Greenpeace in Thailand. "So the plastic bag campaign is a good start.�
Posted by: Jen on 25 Sep 2007, 18:08