Gloria Hotel Group (華泰大飯店集團) is scheduled to formally launch its new shopping mall, Gloria Outlets (華泰名品城), on Dec. 18, hoping to attract up to 8 million visitors in the first year.
“In the first year, we expect 7 to 8 million visitors to bring NT$5 billion [US$153.6 million] in sales,” Gloria Hotel vice chairman and chief executive officer John Chen (陳炯福) said at a press briefing. “We should be able to recover the NT$1 billion in investment and building costs in the next five to six years.”
Situated next to the high-speed railway station in Taoyuan’s Qingpu District (青埔), the shopping center is a 19-minute train ride from Taipei. The company claims it is the nation’s first authentic US-style outlet mall, with a spacious village-like design dotted with courtyards and individual storefronts for each brand.
“Despite the current economic downturn, we hope to shake up the highly saturated local retail sector by offering a brand new experience for shoppers,” Gloria Outlets executive Jenny Chen (陳貞穎) said. “Unlike department stores, we do not impose guidelines on decor or demand participation in annual and seasonal promotional campaigns, our brands have total control over how their products are presented to consumers.”
Major brand-name tenants range from Armani and Hugo Boss to sportswear labels such as Under Armour and Superdry, the company said.
A result of a partnership with US-based developer and outlet center operator The Outlet! Co, Gloria Outlets is to feature 260 stores, restaurants and cafes when its fourth and final development phase is completed in 2019.
A new commercial complex built by Cathay Life Insurance Co (國泰人壽), which includes a luxury hotel, office complex and cinemas, will also be completed in 2019, Gloria Hotel Group said.
The company said that the project has created 2,000 jobs, with the figure expected to rise.
Currently, E-DA Outlet Mall (義大世界購物廣場) in Kaohsiung is the most widely known outlet center in Taiwan.
Mitsui Fudosan Retail Management Co is also scheduled to launch a mall in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口) next year.
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