CentralWorld explained

CentralWorld (th|เซ็นทรัลเวิลด์, styled as centralwOrld), is a shopping plaza and complex in the Siam area of Bangkok, in Thailand.^[1] It is the ninth-largest shopping center in the world. The complex, which includes a hotel and office tower, is owned by Central Pattana. In 2006, after three years of design and renovation, CentralWorld was expanded to of shopping mall and of remaining complex, topping nearby rival Siam Paragon in terms of size.

History

Original name

The mall opened in 1989 as the World Trade Center. Central Group acquired the property in 2002 from the Wang Phetchabun group and changed the name to Central World Plaza. In 2007, it was renamed CentralWorld. It is on leased Crown Property Bureau land. In its acquisition, the Central Group's property development arm, Central Pattana, secured a new 30-year lease on the site.^[2]

Renovations

Anticipating the opening of the luxury Siam Paragon, CPN started massive renovations and expansion on the site in 2002. The original mall structure was, and the expansion plans boosted that to . Though work was not yet complete, CPN held an official opening of the renovated complex on 21 July 2006; it was expected to be fully operational by October 2006. By May 2007, the mall was fully opened, but some parts of the upper floors remained vacant. Major exterior construction was ongoing on the hotel in the northwest corner of the mall and the extension floors to the ZEN department store in the southeast corner.

The renovated complex aimed to attract 150,000 customers per day, spending more than 7 billion baht annually. It marketed itself as a middle-class shopping center, as opposed to the upper-class Siam Paragon.^{[3] [4]}

Offices at CentralWorld

Renovations included completing an unfinished office tower, work on which had been halted in 2003, with only 39 of the planned 63 floors completed. Construction resumed in 2003, expanding the tower to a 45-story, 204m (669feet) design, with the completed tower opening in December 2004.^[5]

2010 fire damage

CentralWorld was temporarily closed on 19 May 2010 due to severe arson damage, which occurred as troops dislodged protesters from the area during the 2010 political protests. The adjoining Zen section suffered massive damage from rioters.^{[6] [7]}

The Isetan portion was reopened soon after. Following repairs, a large part of CentralWorld was reopened on 28 September that year, with the Zen section reopening on 6 January 2012.

Mall renovations 2016–2018

Renovations included enhanced circulation and simplified navigation, the addition of an escalator in zone A, enhanced linkage to the BTS Skytrain, and opening of the second Apple Store in Thailand.

2019 fire and ZEN renamed to Central

During the evening rush hour on 10 April 2019, a fire that apparently started elsewhere spread to the eighth floor via air vent pipes, and the mall was ordered evacuated. At least two people, both employees, were reported to have died after jumping from the building.^{[8] [9] [10] [11]}

That December, after three decades, ZEN was renamed to Central after a major revamp costing 1 billion baht.^[12]

Isetan closure and subsequent renovation

On 14 March 2020, Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings and CPN jointly announced the closure of Isetan Bangkok at CentralWorld as of 31 August 2020, due to the contract expiration.^{[13] [14]}

Location

CentralWorld is located in the Pathum Wan District, at the Ratchaprasong intersection, in one of Bangkok's busiest shopping and tourism districts.

Facilities

CentralWorld Square

Outdoor activity square covering an area of . In 2020, the Apple Store opened here.

CentralWorld Avenue

Six-lane road that circles the complex, linking Rama I Road and Ratchadamri Road.

Centara Grand at CentralWorld

See main article: Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre.

Anchors

Main anchors

• Central Department Store – previously known as Zen, it is the largest branch of the eponymous chain, at 50,000 square metres and seven stories.
• SF World Cinema – upscale cinema complex located on the seventh floor, it has a total of 15 screens and 800 seats. The venue hosted the 2007 and 2008 Bangkok International Film Festival.

Key tenants

• Apple Store – Apple's second store in Thailand
• SuperSports – large sporting equipment store
• PowerBuy x B2S Think Space – flagship branch of the Thailand-based bookstore and electronics store chain
• Tops Food Hall – premium-level supermarket
• SB Design Square – flagship store of S.B. Furniture
• Toys R Us – Thai flagship location of the American toy store

• TK Park (Thailand Knowledge Park) – complex that includes a library, internet centres, a 4D movie theatre, and other media facilities. It is owned and operated by the government of Thailand.
• Genius Planet – children's playground, arcade, and various learning centres
• Uniqlo – first Uniqlo store in Thailand
• H&M – clothing store
• The Rink Iceskate – indoor ice skating rink located in the Forum zone on the second floor
• The ZONE by Fitness First – fitness centre
• Kinokuniya – first Kinokuniya store in Thailand
• Nitori – first Nitori store in Thailand

Former tenants

• King Power – Thai duty-free store that used to operate on the sixth floor of Zone A. It closed in June 2006 to make way for the expansion of the ZEN department store (now Central Department Store).
• Major Cineplex – former cineplex boasting six screens and 24 bowling lanes. It closed after SF World Cinema opened, in January 2008.
• Centerpoint at CentralWorld – complex of shops, restaurants, game zones, and entertainment venues on level 7. It closed in August 2012 to make way for the Edutainment Zone.
• Isetan – only branch of the Japanese department store chain in Thailand. It has six stories, with items ranging from apparel to domestic goods. It closed in August 2020.

See also

• List of shopping malls in Bangkok
• List of shopping malls in Thailand
• List of largest shopping malls in Thailand
• List of the world's largest shopping malls

References

• Book: . Annual Report 2011. 21 March 2012. Central Pattana. 30 March 2012.
• Book: . Form 56-1 2011. th. 5 April 2012. Central Pattana. 23 May 2012.

Notes and References

1. http://www.bangkok.com/shopping-mall/centralworld.html Asia Web, CentralWorld
2. Jitpleecheep, Sukanya. "Plenty of new offerings in store", Bangkok Post Year-End 2002 Economic Review (retrieved 21 July 2006).
3. Nguyen, Lan Anh (21 July 2006). "Unfinished CentralWorld to hold grand opening", ThaiDay (print edition).
4. Thai News Agency (21 July 2006). Thailand's largest shopping complex CentralWorld opens July 21, MCOT (retrieved 22 July 2003).
5. Web site: Seangsong . Pas . Bangkok Highrises – Central World Tower . https://web.archive.org/web/20091027060803/http://geocities.com/topsyturvy_6051/cwt.html . 27 October 2009 . 15 October 2025 . geocities.com.
6. Web site: 19 May 2010 . CentralWorld on verge of collapse . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100521143720/http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/178462/centralworld-to-collapse . 21 May 2010 . Bangkok Post.
7. Web site: 21 May 2010 . CentralWorld costs Zen fire at B1.3bn . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100524144313/http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/178720/centralworld-repair-to-take-over-6-months . 24 May 2010.
8. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47883708 "CentralWorld: Deadly blaze at Bangkok shopping complex"
9. https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1659704/fire-kills-3-at-centralworld-in-bangkok "Fire kills 2 at CentralWorld in Bangkok"
10. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-fire/fire-at-bangkok-shopping-mall-kills-at-least-two-injures-16-idUSKCN1RM1JL "Fire at Bangkok shopping mall kills at least two, injures 16"
11. Jintamas Saksornchai, "2 Mall Staff Likely Jumped to Death While Aiding Fire Rescue: Official", Khaosod English, 11 April 2019.
12. News: Central earmarks B10bn for revamp. Bangkok Post. 29 November 2019 . 4 December 2019 . Jitpleecheep . Pitsinee .
13. https://www.prahchachat.net/marketing/news-432211{{Dead link|date=December 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
14. News: Isetan to exit Thailand after 28 years. Bangkok Post. 14 March 2020 . 16 March 2020.