Shopping malls

Shopping malls

I would like to add my congratulations concerning the Sunday
features; they seem to be well-researched and present fair
appraisals.

Paul Guerin made some valid points on the proliferation of
shopping malls in Jakarta, taking a stance against the property
consultants (The Jakarta Post, Nov. 26, 1995)

My experience is more with marketing, market research and
feasibility study agencies. After a long career in marketing,
public relations and publishing in the areas of industry,
consumer retail groups, social welfare and a national newspaper,
within the U.K. and five emerging countries (including
Indonesia), I continue to fight hard in the defense of ethical
business methods. High ideals, maybe, but in their pursuance I of
course learned the realities of the communication business, where
half-truths and fractional truths abound.

Since I am currently involved in a project to establish
specialist sales centers, I want to make same additional comments
relevant to the subject on the Post's Sunday edition of Nov. 19,
1995.

On completion of the translation into English of a feasibility
study report, I weighed up the findings, which included a large
proportion of the tabulated statistics, ending with the
recommendation that "the project was feasible". In my view there
was a serious lack of the solid marketing intelligence, and, in
effect, the report constituted little more than a standard
business plan, such as might be submitted to a finance house.

What has to be borne in mind is that this report will form the
basis on which a world-wide reputable Yayasan (foundation) will
make its decision to invest a large a amount of capital.

A foreign investor who is interested not just in "passing-
trade business", but who intends to build a strong customer-
loyalty base, will need to consider the pro's and con's the many
direct and indirect factors, before committing themselves.

Along with Bill Guerin, I too await a response to his letter,
with great interest.

JACK WARD

Central Java