There was a time when Pantip Plaza was the singular destination for tech addicts, gamenerds and DVD hounds. With its many floors offering stall after stall where shoppers could haggle over mainboards to pimp out their rigs with few more cycles per second of performance, it offered a Blade Runner-kool vibe to locals and visitors alike.
Now shoppers are moving on from the legendary IT mall, which has announced a THB500 million effort to rebrand itself.
Under the plan announced by its owners, the mall will step down its focus on technology and dedicate one-third of the space for “food areas, books, bicycles and lifestyle products,” according to the Bangkok Post.
“We need to start our renovation now that Pantip Plaza is suffering with a 20% reduction in both sales volume and the number of visitors,” said Yongyuth Chaichana, managing director of Thippatana Arcade Co. About 10 percent of the mall stands vacant as consumers buy more IT products at newer shopping malls, he added. Rental fees will increase by 10 percent.
The renovation will start in May.
From this Saturday until April 6 the mall will offer big discounts, the Bangkok Post reported.
Photo: Coconuts Bangkok
