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