Aeon’s first Vietnam shopping centre launch packs them in

Seeing big crowds including many families excitedly waiting outside the mall to be the first to enter the mall at 10 am, Aeon Vietnam Co. CEO Yasuo Nishitoghe said his company planned to develop more community-oriented shopping centres to win the Vietnamese consumer’s heart with Japanese quality and services.

The new facility in Tan Phu district, about 5 kilometres from the airport, includes Aeon Tan Phu Mall with a total floor space of 50,000 square metres together with 1,500 staff, and the GMS business section with 23,000 square metres and 500 staff. One-third of the goods and products at the mall comes from Japan, another one-third are Vietnamese products, and the rest are other imports.

Aeon Mall Vietnam Company CEO Yukio Konishi said the Tan Phu shopping centre include a full range of products with prices for all people from those with average incomes to higher levels.

Nishitoghe said the $100-million facility would make the grand opening on January 11. Then, Aeon would open another mall in neighbouring Binh Duong province in October and the third one in Hanoi’s Long Bien district in 2015.

He added Japan-headquartered Aeon was pursuing its Asia shift strategy, with a focus on expansions in China and Southeast Asia, where it already has a presence in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The corporation’s $135-million Vietnam arm’s core are retail, developing shopping malls, GMS, export and import business.

Six-week light show lights up Aeon mall

A light show programme is beautifying the Aeon Tan Phu Mall at night between January 1 and February 14, 2014, featuring Japanese colours in spring, summer, fall and winter. In addition, about 500,000 LED lights are used to decorate the whole shopping centre.

Japanese technicians deliver eight spectacular shows, 30 minutes each, every night during the six weeks together with Japanese and Vietnamese DJ performing music to make a feast of light and sound.