Du Centre opens 17-level mall

Du Centre Co (德現公司) officials opened a 118,500m2 shopping center, Taichung Central Mall (德安購物中心), yesterday morning with expressions of confidence that the NT$2.3 billion investment would be profitable despite the current economic downturn.

As hundreds of shoppers looked on, Du Centre officials and guests -- including KMT Vice Chairman Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), Taichung City Council Speaker Chang Liao Kuei-chuan (張廖貴專) and Tainan City Mayor Chang Tsan-hung (張燦鍙) -- cut the ribbon on central Taiwan's first large-scale shopping center, a 17-level complex located on Fushing Road, section 4, behind the Taichung Railway Station.

The center includes anchor businesses such as World Gym Fitness Center, a two-floor SEGA Arena/Club Sega amusement arcade and an Aztec Technology Corp Internet cafe.

The World Gym is the first Asian franchise for the California-based company outside of Japan while the Internet cafe is being touted as the largest in Asia and second-largest in the world, with 600 terminals and over 3,300m2 of space.

Despite yesterday's opening of about 300 boutiques, shops, restaurants and cafes, Du Centre officials repeatedly emphasized that the shopping center was about 60 percent open, with more smaller establishments and two additional anchor tenents -- a Warner Village cinema complex and Geant hypermarket -- to be completed over the next two months.

Du Centre Vice President Huang Chun-fa (黃春發) said that he strongly believes that the new shopping center would be a success despite current economic conditions and the fact that it was located in an older, less-developed part of Taichung.

Huang added that the shopping center could co-exist with other large existing and planned commercial properties, including Shinkong Mitsukoshi and Chung Yo department stores and Tiger City shopping center, which each dominate other commercial areas in the city.

The new shopping center, designed by American retail architecture firm FRCH, includes over 800 parking spaces on three basement levels and a B1-level food court.

Jonathan Chan (詹益森), general manager of Warner Village Cinemas Co, said that he hoped to open his company's 10-theater, 2,800-seat complex in mid-November, in order to coincide with the opening of the new Harry Potter movie, pending Warner's success in obtaining business and cinema licenses from the city.

In late December, Warner Village is also planning to open a second Taichung complex at Tiger City Mall with eight theaters and about 3,000 seats, Chan said.

Taipei-based Du Centre is connected to the Durban Group, a majority shareholder, which also operates a Durban Department Store and the Sincere Department Store in Taipei, in addition to other construction, banking and security ventures.