Top-class retail and leisure outlets target a new generation of shoppers WHEN LANGHAM Place Mall opens next month, it will provide a shopping and leisure experience that will keep youthful shoppers in Mongkok close to home. Many people now shop in Mongkok before heading to Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay for leisure, according to Yvette Ng Nga-yuen, marketing manager of Great Eagle Holdings, the mall's owner-developer. 'Langham Place Mall will change this. Our presence gives shoppers more choice and a good place to hang around before and after shopping,' she said. Great Eagle wants to provide a comfortable environment throughout the 15 levels. The mall will have more than 300 shops - about half are fashion-related, 25 per cent are food and beverage outlets and 25 per cent offer accessories and cosmetics. About 70 per cent of the committed retail tenants have not previously opened stores in Kowloon. Seibu will open a 20,000 square foot store, its first on the Kowloon side, as an anchor tenant at the mall. Fashion chain I.T. group will operate two stores, while Muji will also have a store. UA Cinemas will operate a six-house cinema with more than 1,200 seats. The mall is targeting young shoppers, especially those in their late teens to mid 30s, as well as older shoppers who are young at heart. 'Most shopping centres in Hong Kong are targeting customers across the board with a wide range of sales items catering for needs of all ages,' Ms Ng said. 'Our centre focuses on the young customers who tend to shop in Mongkok and who have strong spending power.' Ms Ng said young consumers were especially interested in trendy, lifestyle items, audio-visual products, fashion and international brands at affordable prices. Armani Exchange and Red Dragon are among the popular brands to open shops at the mall. Young consumers will also find other favourite fashion brands such as Bread&Butter, Dada, Laundry and Hoso Place. The long list of food and dining operators includes Suzuki Cafe, Uncle Gene's, Euro Go Go, Chee Kee, Cousin Cousin Cafe and Honeymoon Dessert. More than 85 per cent of space at Langham Place Mall has been leased out and most shops are expected to open next month. The top two floors - level 12 and 13 - will mainly be devoted to restaurants and bars. Ground-floor shops are rented out for about $200 per square foot. Shops in the middle floors are leased for about $100 per square foot and those on the upper levels at more than $40 per square foot. Great Eagle expects 80,000 to 100,000 shoppers to visit the mall every weekday and the numbers to rise to between 120,000 and 150,000 during weekends. To create a long-lasting attraction with special features, the group appointed Jerde Partnership to come up with a striking design, with the facade and inner walls covered with huge rocks. Two long escalators provide convenient access for customers to reach the higher floors. From level four, an escalator runs directly to the eighth floor and from there another escalator runs directly to level 12. As well as a nine-storey atrium, the mall's ceiling will have computerised images projected on to it to set the mood - an attraction called Digital Sky.