For a Peanuts wedding, tie the knot at Snoopy's
With the construction of another Disneyland in Shanghai and the completion of the Universal Studios in Singapore, there is little doubt that Asia is in the midst of a theme park frenzy. So how about getting married in one?
That is what Snoopy's World in Sha Tin's New Town Plaza will be offering as part of its multimillion-dollar renovation of the theme park, which opened in 2000. Couples will be able to tie the knot in a purpose-built chapel in the presence of the Peanuts cast, free of charge.
The park, which will cover 40,000 square feet after renovation is completed in the third quarter of next year, is the only Snoopy theme park in Asia. 'Uniqueness is very important for shopping centres to attract shoppers and tenants,' said Henry Lam Ka-keung, the general leasing manager of Sun Hung Kai Real Estate Agency, which aims to capitalise on the theme park boom in the region to boost traffic in New Town Plaza.
'Malls are almost like a second home to people in Hong Kong, and we need to give them a unique experience when they come,' he said.
The renovation of Snoopy's World is part of a larger campaign promoting the shopping centre in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of the Peanuts character. The HK$13 million campaign will include an exhibition of Snoopy figures previously displayed at the Louvre in Paris and other Peanuts memorabilia on loan from the Charles M. Schulz Museum in California.
It is no coincidence that the campaign coincides with the holiday season, as Sun Hung Kai Properties, the developer of the shopping centre, hopes Snoopy and the Peanuts gang can help increase traffic in New Town Plaza by up to 10 per cent and sales by 12 per cent in December.
Sales are up about 12 per cent year on year but the developer has high expectations for the shopping centre, which is already one of the world's busiest with daily foot traffic of 280,000, reaching 330,000 on weekends. Sun Hung Kai sees enormous potential in New Town Plaza, as a major transport hub for the New Territories, in tapping the spending power of local residents.
'Vivienne Westwood actually chose to open the first store of its Anglomania line in Hong Kong here in New Town Plaza,' Lam said. 'People are realising that the spending power of New Territories residents is not low. Most people in Hong Kong live here, including many expatriates with high spending power.'
New Town Plaza is also hoping to attract more shoppers from the mainland who spend on average HK$4,000 per person there, almost twice as much as local shoppers.
