Plaza Senayan asked to accommodate small traders

JAKARTA (JP): The management of Plaza Senayan must accommodate small-scale traders, Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono said yesterday.

Moerdiono, who heads the agency which manages the Senayan sports complex (BPGS), made this statement during the grand opening of the shopping mall. The soft opening was held last November.

"We have asked the management to provide space for traders," Moerdiono told an audience of some 500 people.

He reminded the audience that the 60,000 square meter plaza, developed by PT Senayan Trikarya Sempana, would come under state ownership after the 40-year concession the developers were granted was up.

Plaza Marketing Manager Philip Ribli said the site for small traders had yet to be completed.

"We are still selecting traders," he said. He said traders would not pay rent, only electricity, water, cleaning charges and security fees.

The agency has 10 percent ownership of Plaza Senayan, the Japanese Kajima Corporation holds a majority stake of 70 percent, while the private company PT Aditya Wirabakti has 20 percent.

Total investment is around US$100 million.

By the end of this year, after a planned department store is constructed, the whole area will total 85,000 square meters.

Apartments and an multi-story office building are also planned on the site.

Minister of Housing Akbar Tandjung, the former minister of youth and sports, was present at the ceremony.

PT Senayan Trikarya Sempana was represented by its president, Masao Hashimoto, while Kajima Corp. was represented by Vice President Kouchi. Herry Wijaya represented PT Aditya Wirabakti.

The vice governor for development affairs, TB. M. Rais represented Governor Surjadi Soedirdja.

Other attendants included former Jakarta governor Wiyogo Atmodarminto and noted economist Soemitro Djojohadikusumo, who was reportedly representing his son, Hasyim Djojohadikusumo, the owner of Aditya Wirabakti.

Since November's soft opening the Plaza has had an average of 25,000 visitors, with the number climbing to 35,000 on weekends. The parking lot can accommodate 3,600 cars, and a 7-screen movie theater has just opened.

"All space allocated for the 230 shops has been filled," Philip said, adding that the rent was US$50 to $150 per square meter a month, while temporary rentals were $200 to $1,000 per day, depending on the site.

In response to whether the number of visitors would start dropping soon due to the superabundance of malls in Jakarta, Philip said the management was optimistic that figure would remain stable.

The strategic location is one of the Plaza's selling points, he said. (anr)