People do a lot of things in malls
Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
It's like there is no getting enough of them. There are a couple of them five minutes away from where we're standing now and another one seven minutes away, a friend said when I asked about the idea of banning the building of any more malls, particularly in the "swamped" capital of Jakarta.
No, my friend was not complaining.
He said it was just fascinating to see the abundance of options, even if only to taste the different atmospheres in branches of Starbucks, McDonald's, Sport Station or the 21 cinema in each mall.
"Gee, I probably only shop, like for clothes or shoes, once in four or five months. Malls are for relaxation, hanging out with fun folks like you, playing games or simply watching out for discounts on sneakers or sport shirts," he told me.
Indeed, such needs have apparently became primary and mall developers are more than ready to anticipate this by planning more malls.
"I've just started the construction of Central Park, sited next to Mall Taman Anggrek, and Mall of Indonesia in Kelapa Gading," said Veri Y. Setiady, director of property developer PT Primatama Nusa Indah.
He argued that -- in comparison with other metropolitan cities in Southeast Asia, such as Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Manila -- there was still ample room for more malls in Jakarta with its surging number of residents.
"There are over 100 hypermarkets in just the city of Bangkok. As a developer, we always conduct research in other markets, and believe me, a city like Jakarta remains available for more malls, especially if it is promoted as a shopping destination," said Veri.
"If all malls we have now are still swamped (with people), it means that the demand, either from visitors or tenants, is still heavy.
"Local and foreign retailers are storming in, and they need space. The number of residents is also fast moving up with their extensive needs. So they meet here in malls," said Veri, whose projects include Plaza Semanggi and Senayan City.
In the future, most new malls would probably target middle- class people due to their dominance in the population structure.
"This class of people account to some 60 percent of the population. I mean, how many people can regularly buy the stuff in Plaza Indonesia, Plaza Indonesia, or Pondok Indah Mall? So, providing things that meet their standard and capacity will be the theme," said Veri.
Rather than shopping for just basic needs, people indeed have different lifestyles than, say, five years ago.
Malls are nowadays equipped with restaurants, cinemas, supermarkets, fitness centers, concert rooms, runways for fashion shows, and other new features designed to keep visitors coming and stop them from leaving.
"The target market is no longer just the young or the mothers, but the whole family. So when they come visiting, everyone can get what they want and like, or something that the whole family can enjoy altogether," said Veri.
So even if they're not shopping, he added, they can relax in the games arcade, restaurants, or watch music or fashion shows.
"The more features on offer, the more attractive your mall is," he said.
Veri's account was shared by Martias Jojo, the marketing executive of Poins Square, a newly launched super mall in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, which is located only 30-minutes away from the plush and still crowded Pondok Indah Mall.
Martias said people were always curious by the presence of a new mall.
People are even flocking malls that are located next to one another, he said.
"People do a lot of things in malls. They seal business deals, browse, meet, play, and many other things. It's still a place for everyone, even when your pockets are empty," he said.
Parking lots are already constantly packed at Poins Square, said Martias, saying it proved that there was an overwhelming need within society for new malls.
"... especially during weekends because I think that people no longer feel that they have to go outside the city to relax. They can just go to malls and find many things to help them relax," he said.