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.