The 15 Largest Shopping Malls In The World

[ravip]

5. Central World

Bangkok, Thailand

[phuturatica]

Well that's lovely.

[PattayaParent]

Fashion Island not on the list anymore?

When it was first built I think it was the largest in Asia?

[h90]

not really something to be proud about.

[DP25]

Measured by floor area Central World is actually the third largest building on earth, after the Dubai Airport and that huge clock hotel in Mecca. Only the 5th largest mall though as they don't have as much retail space as some others, even though the building overall is bigger.

[GreenSnapper]

I like CW. It's the best in Thailand and sometimes not as noisy as the other ones.

[JemJem]

Ahhhh, when I hear/read about Central World, I always think of the 1990's (its name was World Trade Center then) and the beer garden/festival set up in front of it every year between November and February. It was great atmosphere. I am sure some of you remember/know of it.

Since many years ago, I have been going to Thailand very infrequently but I think they haven't had the beer garden thing there for many years now. Am I right ?

Edited July 17, 2012 by JemJem

[LucidLucifer]

Fashion Island not on the list anymore?

When it was first built I think it was the largest in Asia?

Surely not. I'm no expert but it has always struck me as rather on the small side comapred to the likes of Central World and Future Park etc.

Edit: just did a google search, it is big 350,000 sq.m. I'm a little surprised.

Edited July 17, 2012 by LucidLucifer

[bonobo]

Interesting. In the Philippines, the Mall of Asia is advertised as the biggest in SE Asia and second for all of Asia. Yet it isn't even the biggest in Manila.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

The top 4 all look pretty sad and run down.. Nasty big sites in China or the Philippines. CW may actually be the largest 'nice & modern' mall in the world in that case.

And yet, any rural strip mall with a Target and some other common stores in Bum-frack-Nowhere in the USA is loads better for shopping.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Ahhhh, when I hear/read about Central World, I always think of the 1990's (its name was World Trade Center then)

Yeah, wasn't it Zen-something then? I remember the Ice skating upstairs, but not much else.

[PattayaParent]

Fashion Island not on the list anymore?

When it was first built I think it was the largest in Asia?

Surely not. I'm no expert but it has always struck me as rather on the small side comapred to the likes of Central World and Future Park etc.

Edit: just did a google search, it is big 350,000 sq.m. I'm a little surprised.

It was built before Central World and Future Park though.

[PattayaParent]

Ahhhh, when I hear/read about Central World, I always think of the 1990's (its name was World Trade Center then) and the beer garden/festival set up in front of it every year between November and February. It was great atmosphere. I am sure some of you remember/know of it.

Since many years ago, I have been going to Thailand very infrequently but I think they haven't had the beer garden thing there for many years now. Am I right ?

They still have it at certain times of the year. I'm usually there in March and October and it is on one of those times.

[PattayaParent]

Ahhhh, when I hear/read about Central World, I always think of the 1990's (its name was World Trade Center then)

Yeah, wasn't it Zen-something then? I remember the Ice skating upstairs, but not much else.

ZEN was the prominent anchor store and is still there but in a different location now.

The ice skating was on the ground floor at a link between 2 of the buildings. Now it is down one end outside of Zen.

[DP25]

Ahhhh, when I hear/read about Central World, I always think of the 1990's (its name was World Trade Center then) and the beer garden/festival set up in front of it every year between November and February. It was great atmosphere. I am sure some of you remember/know of it.

Since many years ago, I have been going to Thailand very infrequently but I think they haven't had the beer garden thing there for many years now. Am I right ?

They still have it every year during the same time period. Not sure how it was back in the 90s, but it's really big now and gets big crowds of people. Multiple beer gardens, each with seating for hundreds of people and a large stage for the nightly bands. They often have really big name Thai bands play there

[David006]

Can't be bothered to check square footage but West Edmonton Mall and Mall of America in Minneapolis are quite big and equally boring...those poor dolphins in the middle of the prairies in Edmonton Alta Canada....!!!

[aneliane]

not really something to be proud about.

+1

Shopping Malls are what causes these nightmare traffic jams every weekend, they destroy, the local economy, and encourage people to buy more cars

[mauGR1]

not really something to be proud about.

+1

Shopping Malls are what causes these nightmare traffic jams every weekend, they destroy, the local economy, and encourage people to buy more cars

+2

They have done already a lot of damage to the social fabric in Europe in the last 2/3 decades, and Asia seems to be following the same path.

[StreetCowboy]

not really something to be proud about.

+1

Shopping Malls are what causes these nightmare traffic jams every weekend, they destroy, the local economy, and encourage people to buy more cars

Do you mean people abandon their car in the jam, and go off and buy another one which is not stuck in congestion?

That explains a lot. I live near a sizeable mall, and sometimes make the mistake of coming back that way at a time when its busy... I'd never thought about just abandoning my car and walking from there. I could walk back late at night to pick it up, on the way back from the pub...

SC

[aneliane]

not really something to be proud about.

+1

Shopping Malls are what causes these nightmare traffic jams every weekend, they destroy, the local economy, and encourage people to buy more cars

Do you mean people abandon their car in the jam, and go off and buy another one which is not stuck in congestion?

That explains a lot. I live near a sizeable mall, and sometimes make the mistake of coming back that way at a time when its busy... I'd never thought about just abandoning my car and walking from there. I could walk back late at night to pick it up, on the way back from the pub...

SC

You mean in Malaysia ? (lost)

[StreetCowboy]

not really something to be proud about.

+1

Shopping Malls are what causes these nightmare traffic jams every weekend, they destroy, the local economy, and encourage people to buy more cars

Do you mean people abandon their car in the jam, and go off and buy another one which is not stuck in congestion?

That explains a lot. I live near a sizeable mall, and sometimes make the mistake of coming back that way at a time when its busy... I'd never thought about just abandoning my car and walking from there. I could walk back late at night to pick it up, on the way back from the pub...

SC

You mean in Malaysia ? (lost)

Sorry - I was querying the comment about shopping malls causing jams and encouraging people to buy more cars, and I was trying to figure out the causal relationship.

I was in the mall at the weekend, and I bought two little toy cars on a whim, but I don't think they will contribute much to congestion. I stocked up on Irn Bru for the rugby, as well, and sure enough, the team I follow won 33-6.

SC

[dantilley]

I always thought Seacon Square was bigger, it certainly looks bigger and feels bigger inside.

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect App

[nocturn]

not really something to be proud about.

+1

Shopping Malls are what causes these nightmare traffic jams every weekend, they destroy, the local economy, and encourage people to buy more cars

+2

They have done already a lot of damage to the social fabric in Europe in the last 2/3 decades, and Asia seems to be following the same path.

i blame them for the breakdown of the family and a general loosening of morals.

[payak]

every time a mall opens i buy a car

[brit1984]

not really something to be proud about.

+1

Shopping Malls are what causes these nightmare traffic jams every weekend, they destroy, the local economy, and encourage people to buy more cars

I am really looking forward to the completion of Emporium 2 and the boost it will provide to the local economy.

Sent from iPhone; please forgive any typos or violations of forum rules

[kkerry]

The top 4 all look pretty sad and run down.. Nasty big sites in China or the Philippines. CW may actually be the largest 'nice & modern' mall in the world in that case.

None of the Philippines malls in that list are run down.

[SimonD]

I'd never buy a car from a mall. The escalators aren't wide enough.

[bonobo]

not really something to be proud about.

+1

Shopping Malls are what causes these nightmare traffic jams every weekend, they destroy, the local economy, and encourage people to buy more cars

That is actually not quite true, as far as the local economies go. Many malls actually increase te local economies. What they do, however, is shift the recipients from smaller locally-owned stores to larger developers. But the actually spending and employment increases.

[StreetCowboy]

I liked Mall of the Emirates, with its ski slope, theatre, MRT station and now... penguins.

really, what more could one ask for?

There was a good Thai food stand in the food court as well.

I suppose one could ask for a beer garden and micro-brewery, like the Miramar Centre in HK used to offer, or a putting green with a bar; I think that was the South Seas Centre, but its a long time ago... (I think it was the Miramar, on Kimberley Road...)

SC

[edwinclapham]

Disgusting places!