THE TEAM BEHIND the slender 88-storey monolith that is 2IFC has always had lofty ambitions. But the developers of the world's third-highest building want it to be more than just a monument. It is hoped the nexus of shops and restaurants emerging in the labyrinth beneath - and positioned at the heart of several major public-transport hubs - will become the focal point of Central. Perhaps more ambitiously, the goal is for the centre to eclipse Lan Kwai Fong and SoHo as the city's premier eating and drinking area.
So far the signs are promising. The plush, five-screen Palace Cinema opened this month along with a cluster of high-end restaurants, and negotiations are under way to lure super-chic New York-based eatery Nobu. Hong Kong's first six-star hotel, the Four Seasons, is due to open in the complex next year, and the relocation of the Star Ferry from Queen's Pier to the Outlying Islands' Ferry piers near the centre in 2005 will also boost its image.
After completing the 415-metre second tower recently, joint developers Sun Hung Kai and Henderson Land are ready to launch the second phase of the IFC mall beneath, adding dozens more shops and eateries to those in phase one, which opened in 1998. It also boasts a 140,000 sq ft landscaped promenade and three 7,400-sq ft 'glasshouses' that occupy two double-deck floors serviced by lifts separate to the rest of the mall and which offer the option of indoor and outdoor dining with great views across the harbour. There are also long-term plans to host large-scale public events such as a New Year's Eve countdown.
The first shop to open in the second phase was anchor tenant City'super last October. This month sees the opening of Hong Kong Island's largest Agnes B, Burberry and high-end fashion store Joan and David.
There are also first-time outlets for Japanese casual-wear Atsuro Tayama, golfing shop Callaway and Hugo Boss for women. The developers are hoping for 80,000 to 90,000 shoppers a day - recent weekends have seen up to 60,000 - but the mall's size means you could wear out more foot leather getting from store to store, compared with compact rivals such as Pacific Place. To give it a push, the developers are hoping to wow shoppers with a $10-million soft launch on December 1. The highlights include Christmas art by Jim Marvin, who has been responsible for the Christmas decorations at the White House for the past six years, and a British theatre company flown in to perform a specially commissioned show, The Legend Of The Snow Kingdom, which features acrobatics, in the mall's high-ceilinged atrium.
Although 2IFC does not a have a viewing platform, which would have made it a must-visit for tourists, every day the Star Ferry will bring 20,000 tourists and locals through - or at least past - the flagship development from 2005, adding to the estimated 100,000 daily outlying island ferry commuters and those who use the Airport Express, which has its terminal in the basement of the IFC.
But other than being a transport hub and shopping centre, will 2IFC really change the focus of Central?
