Karawaci's Lippo Supermal attracts many
Karawaci's Lippo Supermal attracts many
By K. Basrie
TANGERANG (JP): Crowds and traffic now await visitors to
Karawaci, a suburb of Tangerang 20 kilometers west of Jakarta.
Hundreds of thousands from the capital and its surrounding
towns, including Bandung in West Java, regularly flock to the
Lippo Supermal in this suburb on weekends.
During the week the number of visitors is usually around
20,000 per day.
For instance, the traffic this weekend was heavy, though
operators of the 22,000-square-meter shopping mall now claim to
have a handle on the problem, with hundreds of security guards
and local police deployed to help manage the traffic.
Traffic reached near-record levels last Sunday, Dec. 3, when
mall operators recorded 300,000 visitors. It was the first Sunday
for Mega M, the largest outlet of PT Matahari Putra Prima, which
occupies over two-thirds of Lippo Supermal.
Regardless, many visitors make the effort.
"It's a very imaginative idea to persuade people to do their
shopping such a distance from home," said businessman Ibrahim
from Bogor.
"To us it means we're shopping and going out for recreation at
the same time," he added.
A number of women told The Jakarta Post at the site that the
shopping area, which has a wide range of brand name retail stores
and an indoor entertainment center, is a welcome addition.
"For years we used to shop every weekend at the same place,"
said housewife Yuyun. "It was boring."
Now, said her friend Lily, an accountant, "we can find a lot
of new items and a different shopping atmosphere."
James T. Riady is the deputy chairman of Lippo Group, which,
together with foreign investors from Singapore and Holland, has
put Rp 250 billion (US$120 million) into the project.
"What we're doing is to support President Soeharto's idea to
attract people to go out of big cities during weekends," James
told the Post. at the mall.
The five-day week decreed by the President last year is
expected to boost spending by civil servants as well as the rural
economy.
According to James, Lippo Supermal will employ more than
10,000 people, most of whom are local residents.
Lippo Supermal will decrease the concentration of shopping
areas in Jakarta, said James, who was with his wife and children.
In the meantime, the most visited sites here are the three-
story Mega M, the indoor Kerry Leisure recreation center, the
food stalls and the Saturday evening fireworks.
The mall's eating places, however, are still trying to
overcome the shortage of seats.
The 18,000-square-meter Mega M offers more than 150,000 items
and has more than 50 cashier desks.
The Rp 40-billion retail store, which was opened 10 days ago,
seems to have proven its campaign for having the cheapest prices
for high-quality goods.
Some clothes, for instance, are between Rp 5,000 to Rp 15,000
cheaper than those found at other stores in town.
A kilogram of imported grapes is two times lower than grapes
at other retail stores.
The Kerry Leisure center provides a wide range of facilities,
including a small roller coaster. Most of the facilities also
offer coupons, which can be exchanged later for gifts.
"This is much better than Ancol dreamland," said Faeny, a
university student.
A five-minute fireworks display designed by a French artist
starts at 7 p.m. every Saturday. The attraction, which costs
around Rp 100 million per demonstration, will be staged over the
next year.
Final touches are still being placed on Lippo Supermal, which
will eventually house more than 270 stores.