Plaza Senayan asked to accommodate small traders

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)