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Published on October 4, 2007

Zen Department store's sales growth in the first nine months of the year was lower than the targeted 8 per cent, due to the New Year's Eve explosions in Bangkok and the economic slowdown.

However, Zen president Allan Namchaisiri believes sales will reach the target of Bt2 billion for the year as a budget Bt50 million will create more marketing activities at the department store.

At present, 60 per cent of shoppers are tourists and 40 per cent Thai. Consumer spending averages Bt4,000 per bill. The department store averages 7,000 visitors a day during weekdays and 10,000 on weekends.

"We reopened the department store on December 21, 2006 and faced the explosions

in Bangkok on New Year's Eve. Our sales dropped in the first two months of this year but

customer spending started to rise in the second and the third quarters. As a result we believe that our sales at the end of this year will reach the target," Allan said.

Meanwhile, the construction of Zen World on the eighth to 16th floors will be complete in time for a December opening, boosting the number of shoppers.

Allan described Zen World

as a lifestyle services centre,

utilising 30,000 square meters of space. The company has

set aside a construction bud-gets of Bt900 million, which is part of a total Bt2.8-billion investment to renovate Zen Department Store and set up Zen World.

The final construction of the 17th to 20th floors will be complete in the second quarter of next year.

Zen World will combine all new lifestyle services: an event hall on the 8th floor, True Fitness and Spa on the 9th and 10th floors, a beauty spa on the 12th, medical services by BNH Hospital and Body Shape on the 13th, and an education and entertainment area on the 14th and 15th levels.

The Zen offices will be lo-cated on the 16th floor, while

the 17th to 20th floors will be indoor and outdoor dining areas.

When the renovation is complete in the second quarter of 2008, the company expects that shoppers will increase to 15,000 on weekdays and 20,000 on weekends, Allan added.

He said the company plan-ned to have a marketing bud-

get of Bt150 million next year, with a view to annual sales of Bt3 billion.

Somluck Srimalee

 The Nation