Central Suratthani

Central Suratthani is a large shopping and lifestyle center in Surat Thani Province, Thailand. It was previously known as CentralPlaza Suratthani and is associated with Central Pattana, the property-development arm of Thailand’s Central Group. The complex was inaugurated on 11 October 2012 and represented Central Pattana’s first CentralPlaza project in Southern Thailand. The development was built on a site of approximately 62 rai, or about 10 hectares. Its initial retail program occupied roughly 40 rai and was planned as a substantial regional destination rather than a small local shopping center. The project included a lifestyle-oriented mall with retail, dining, entertainment, fitness, event, and convention functions. Its principal anchors and facilities have included Robinson Department Store, Tops, SF Cinema with seven screens, B2S, Supersports, Power Buy, Officemate, Food Park, Suratthani Hall, and Jetts Fitness. The complex also became associated with Escent Ville Suratthani, a nearby or related residential-development component. Central Suratthani was designed to serve several overlapping customer groups. Its primary catchment was described as approximately one million residents living within a 90-kilometre radius of the center. The development also targeted visitors to Surat Thani Province and consumers from surrounding southern provinces, including Nakhon Si Thammarat, Ranong, Krabi, Chumphon, and Phang Nga. This regional orientation reflects Surat Thani’s role as an important transportation and tourism gateway in southern Thailand. The center was conceived as more than a conventional retail building. Its tenant mix combined department-store and supermarket anchors with specialist retail, consumer electronics, books and stationery, sporting goods, office products, cinema entertainment, food services, a fitness club, and flexible event or convention space. Suratthani Hall broadened the complex’s role by providing a venue for gatherings and functions. Central Pattana also discussed the possibility of developing a hotel on adjacent land in the future to support visitors attending events at the convention center, although the available reference material does not establish that such a hotel was completed. The project’s scale made it one of Central Pattana’s important regional investments at the time of opening. Contemporary plans described the center as a 120,000-square-metre lifestyle project and anticipated substantial employment and tenant activity. Those projections are historical expectations rather than verified current operating results. The available sources do not provide sufficiently current information about ownership changes, present tenant occupancy, revenue, or later redevelopment phases. The mall’s current branding as Central Suratthani distinguishes it from its original CentralPlaza Surat Thani name while preserving its identity within Central Group’s Thai retail-property network.

Central Suratthani originated as Central Pattana’s entry into the CentralPlaza shopping-center format in Southern Thailand. Before adopting its current name, the project was known as CentralPlaza Suratthani. The development was planned for Surat Thani Province, a strategically important area because the province serves local communities as well as travelers moving toward major southern destinations and islands. The project was developed on a site of approximately 62 rai, equivalent to about 10 hectares. Planning materials described a large lifestyle center with approximately 120,000 square meters of space. The first phase was expected to occupy about 40 rai, while a later phase was discussed as a possible expansion into a hybrid indoor-and-outdoor retail complex. The available reference material does not confirm that the proposed second phase was completed. CentralPlaza Surat Thani was inaugurated on 11 October 2012. Its opening marked Central Pattana’s first CentralPlaza project in the southern region and extended the company’s shopping-center network beyond Thailand’s central and northern markets. The center was planned to combine retail anchors with dining, entertainment, fitness, and event facilities. Its tenant and facility mix included Robinson Department Store, Tops, SF Cinema, B2S, Supersports, Power Buy, Officemate, Food Park, Suratthani Hall, and Jetts Fitness. The center’s intended catchment extended beyond Surat Thani itself. Planning descriptions identified approximately one million residents within 90 kilometres, along with visitors to the province and consumers from neighboring provinces such as Nakhon Si Thammarat, Ranong, Krabi, Chumphon, and Phang Nga. This regional strategy positioned the complex as a destination shopping center and community hub rather than solely a neighborhood retail facility. Contemporary project expectations also emphasized employment, tenant income, and wider economic activity. The development was expected to create between 3,000 and 4,000 jobs and to support significant annual income for its tenants. These figures were projections reported around the project’s development and should not be treated as audited current performance data. The same planning material mentioned a potential hotel on adjoining land to support users of the convention center, but the available sources do not establish whether that proposal proceeded. The center later became known as Central Suratthani. Available reference material provides limited information about subsequent renovations, tenant changes, management personnel, or current operating metrics. Its documented historical importance remains its role as Central Pattana’s first CentralPlaza-format project in Southern Thailand and as a large-scale retail, entertainment, and events destination for Surat Thani and neighboring provinces.

• 2012

  CentralPlaza Surat Thani opens

  [1]Central Suratthanien.wikipedia.org

  The shopping center was inaugurated on 11 October 2012, becoming Central Pattana’s first CentralPlaza project in Southern Thailand.

• 2011

  Development documented in Central Pattana planning materials

  [1]Central Suratthanien.wikipedia.org

  Central Pattana’s annual-report material described the planned Surat Thani shopping-center project and its intended regional role.

• Rebranded as Central Suratthani

  [1]Central Suratthanien.wikipedia.org

  The property is now identified as Central Suratthani, following its earlier identity as CentralPlaza Suratthani. The available source does not specify the rebranding date.

A large regional shopping and lifestyle center serving Surat Thani, nearby southern provinces, local residents, tourists, and event visitors.

• Shopping mall · 2012

  Retail shopping center

  The core offering is a large regional shopping center combining department-store retail, specialist stores, food and beverage outlets, entertainment, fitness, and event facilities. It serves residents of Surat Thani as well as visitors and consumers from surrounding southern provinces.

• Department store · 2012

  Robinson Department Store

  Robinson Department Store functions as a major anchor within the complex, providing broad department-store merchandise and helping establish the center as a regional shopping destination.

• Entertainment · 2012

  SF Cinema

  The complex includes an SF Cinema facility with seven screens, adding mainstream film entertainment to its retail, dining, and leisure offer.

• Events and conventions · 2012

  Suratthani Hall

  Suratthani Hall provides event and convention capacity within the development, expanding the center’s role beyond shopping and supporting functions, gatherings, and other large-scale activities.

• Food and beverage · 2012

  Food Park

  Food Park is the center’s identified food-court or food-service offering, complementing restaurants and other dining outlets in the mall.

• Fitness · 2012

  Jetts Fitness

  Jetts Fitness adds a membership-based health and exercise service to the center’s lifestyle mix.

• 2012

  Launch a regional lifestyle center in Southern ThailandStrategy

  Background

  Central Pattana sought to extend the CentralPlaza format into Southern Thailand and serve Surat Thani together with neighboring provinces and the province’s visitor economy.

  Action taken

  The company opened a large mixed-use retail and lifestyle center with department-store, supermarket, specialist retail, cinema, food, fitness, and event facilities.

  Aftermath

  The opening established CentralPlaza’s first documented presence in Southern Thailand. The available sources do not provide later performance figures or a verified account of subsequent expansion.

  Source

• 2012

  CentralPlaza Surat Thani inaugurated[1]Central Suratthanien.wikipedia.org

  Other · Product launch

  CentralPlaza Surat Thani opened on 11 October 2012 as Central Pattana’s first CentralPlaza development in Southern Thailand.

1. 1Central Suratthanien.wikipedia.org