The Mall Group is targeting sales of Bt11 billion in the first quarter and Bt43 billion for the full year, or 8 per cent growth over last year, despite the economic slowdown and continuing political uncertainty.

It will integrate the marketing promotions and activities of its three major shopping complexes - The Mall department store chain, The Emporium and Siam Paragon - in every major shopping season, instead of conducting them separately.

Group general manager Natsamon Vongkittipat said yesterday that spending in all three shopping malls had gradually recovered to almost the same level as it was before the New Year's Eve bomb blasts.

She said Chinese New Year was the key to achieving sales of Bt11 billion in the first quarter.

The budget for advertising and marketing is Bt300 million.

Key factors that will push the group's sales to a record Bt43 billion this year are the fact that its three shopping malls cover all target groups, the appeal of Siam Paragon, and the high profile of all three shopping malls, she said.

The Mall is expected to generate Bt24.5 billion is sales, representing 8 per cent growth year on year.

Sales at Siam Paragon are expected to rise 10 per cent to Bt11 billion while The Emporium is expected to see sales rise 8 per cent to Bt7.5 billion.

Natsamon said all of The Mall Group's marketing activities and promotional campaigns during major festivals will be, from now on, integrated.

This will create a marketing network for the group's eight malls and significantly boost its sales and those of its strategic business alliances, she said.

She said the company tried the strategy during its New Year shopping season and found it highly successful.

This year, the Group is applying the new strategy for the first time in the lead-up to the Chinese New Year with two campaigns: The Mall Happy Chinese New Year and The Emporium-Paragon Dragon Sale.

The campaigns will run from Thursday to February 22 at a cost of Bt50 million.

The group expects sales of Bt1.8 billion during the period: B1 billion from The Mall, Bt500 million from Siam Paragon and Bt300 million from The Emporium.

Natsamon pointed to research by the Kasikorn Research Centre that estimated consumer spending during the festival at more than Bt14.7 billion, of which Bt5.4 billion will be spent on giving red envelopes, Bt4.3 billion on sacrifice spending for ancestors and gods, Bt3 billion for travelling and Bt2 billion on activities such as dining and shopping.

Last year, The Mall Group recorded Bt40 billion in sales, or about 40-per-cent growth over 2005.

The surging growth rate was driven mainly by the opening of Siam Paragon, though sales at The Mall and The Emporium also improved. 

Nitida Asawanipont

The Nation