VivoCity Nanhai Retail Mall Lands First Tenants

A Brand New Shopping Destination from Singapore Settling in Southern China

VivoCity Nanhai Marketing Launch Ceremony kicks off

From left to right:

Mr Stephen Lao, General Manager, Nanhai Business City
Mr Ho Seng Chee, Group Chief, Corporate Services, Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd
Ms Shirley Wang, VP, South China Region of Chiatai Group & VP, Business Development of Lotus
Mr Loh Shyh, Chief Executive Officer, China, Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd
Mr Bryan Wong, Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer, Lark International Holdings Limited
Mr Jason Zhang, Centre Manager, Nanhai Business City

Nanhai, China – Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd (“Mapletree” or “the Company”) today announced the first batch of anchor tenants for its first VivoCity mall in South China, VivoCity Nanhai. At the signing ceremony, UA Cinemas and LOTUS Hypermarket officiated their leases at VivoCity Nanhai. Together, the cineplex and hypermarket will take up 25% of VivoCity’s retail space which spans approximately 19,000 square metres (“sqm”) over the four-storey retail mall.

Mr. Loh Shyh, Mapletree’s Chief Executive Officer for China said, “We are delighted that we have secured strong brands like UA Cinemas and LOTUS Hypermarket as the first anchor tenants of VivoCity Nanhai. Meanwhile we also strongly expect and welcome more exciting brands to be part of the project, no matter new friends or current partners, such as H&M, Breadtalk, Starbucks and McDonalds. With Mapletree’s experience and expertise in developing the VivoCity brand name, VivoCity Nanhai will be an excellent choice for retailers to expand their brands in Foshan. We are looking at a wide variety of local and international retailers to form a top-class tenant mix that will introduce a unique and dynamic retail and lifestyle experience into Foshan.”

UA Cinemas at VivoCity Nanhai will be the first five-star cinema in this bustling city of Foshan, with 11 movie halls, 1 VIP hall and a seating capacity for 1,600, covering 6,000 sqm. Commenting on locating its cineplex at VivoCity Nanhai, Mr. Bryan Wong, Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer of Lark International Holdings Limited (Mother company of UA Cinema Circuit Limited) said, “We are committed to providing the most avant-garde and unique visual experience to our customers, and therefore we seek partners like Mapletree who can offer us top of the line facility for our cineplexes.” UA Cinemas is well-known for providing new and diversified movie experiences to its patrons. It was the first to show American movies in Hong Kong SAR and to introduce the IMAX experience to HK, Shenzhen and Wuhan respectively.

With the aim to create a pleasant shopping experience for families at a clean and comfortable environment, supplied with good quality merchandise, CP Lotus has chosen to grow their operations at VivoCity Nanhai. Ms Shirley Wang, VP, South China Region of Chiatai Group & VP, Business Development of Lotus, said, “CP Lotus has managed to build itself into a family destination across many cities in China. We view this as an opportunity to further connect with the families of Nanhai. VivoCity Nanhai is a family-oriented mall, which makes it a good fit with CP Lotus’s positioning.” A subsidiary of Charoen Pokphand Group, CP Lotus Super Center entered China in 1997 with its first store in Shanghai. It has grown into one of the largest foreign invested hypermarkets with 75 stores and 7 distribution centres throughout 30 cities in China.

Showcasing VivoCity Nanhai to Retailers

More than 300 potential tenants from local and international companies attended a spectacular marketing launch for VivoCity Nanhai. Besides the anchors, firm interests in the mall were shown by H&M, a leading fashion brand from Sweden, Tao Heung, a well received local food chain and Molly Fantasy, a Malaysia entertainment line, etc. VivoCity Nanhai is set to bring an attractive diversity to the target young adults, families and consumers in Foshan.

“With a third of the retail space for food and beverage, VivoCity Nanhai will cater to the unique demands of local consumers,” explained Mr. Stephen Lao, General Manager of Nanhai Business City. He added, “Based on our research, it is estimated that Foshan residents are willing to set aside more than 33% of their monthly spending on dining. Meanwhile, visitors from neighboring Guangzhou would allocate 35% of their total spending on meals during their stays in Foshan.”

Scheduled to open by the fourth quarter of 2013, VivoCity Nanhai will span a gross floor area of 115,000 sqm, featuring approximately 230 shops, with 19,000 sqm designated for a cineplex and a hypermarket. Another key differentiator of VivoCity Nanhai would be the 30% of its lettable area dedicated to food and beverage businesses to provide its patrons with an exciting multitude of gastronomic experiences.

Strategically located within Qiandenghu financial centre and Foshan downtown areas, VivoCity Nanhai has an immediate catchment area of around 95,000 residents in Pingzhou. Furthermore being easily accessible via major transportation networks including GuangFo Metro and Nanhai light rail to both the communities in Foshan and Guangzhou, the mall will reach out to an additional 1.79 million people in the vicinity.

Reaching out to the greater community in Foshan

Mapletree’s businesses in China are growing rapidly. In Foshan and besides the Nanhai Business City development in which VivoCity is located, the Group will soon develop an office and business park development in nearby SanShan New City. In tandem with its growing presence, the Group is partnering the Charity Society of Nanhai District and has pledged RMB 5 million to establish a Nanhai Mapletree Charity Fund. Proceeds from community outreach will go towards assisting the poor within the Nanhai district of Foshan City. With RMB 1 million every year for five years, the contribution will help the financially needy in Nanhai cope with their healthcare and educational needs.

Mr Loh added, “Mapletree is not only developing a multi-experiential shopping mall in Foshan, but also aspire to make a positive impact to the local community by providing aid and a better standard of living to the underprivileged.”