EVA HERZIGOVA OPENS NEW LUXURY SHOPPING DESTINATION IN CENTRAL ASIA
Global fashion brands head to Central Asia to reach new clientele....
SUPERMODEL Eva Herzigova was the guest of honour at an exclusive party in Central Asia tonight (October 19th) as the world’s leading fashion brands head east in search of new customers.
The supermodel joined 1000 fellow VIPs for a glamorous evening to mark the opening of the Esentai Mall, in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where the world’s most luxurious brands are opening stores for the first time.
Saks Fifth Avenue is opening its first store in Asia at the mall and Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Stella McCartney, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Dolce & Gabbana and Loro Piana are all entering the Kazakh market for the first time.
The brands are leading the fashion retail into Central Asia as they look to reach new customers in the rapidly growing economies of the region. Other brands opening at the Esentai Mall include Tommy Hilfiger and Fendi.
Party-goers were entertained by an aerial ballet before enjoying a fashion show and the formal opening by Eva Herzigova and Burak Oymen, the co-founder of Capital Partners, the mall developers.
Almaty is the financial, commercial and cultural capital of Kazakhstan and the financial services hub of Central Asia, with many international banks and businesses present in the city.
The US $450 million Esentai Mall project has been designed by architecture firm SOM, which is also behind the Time Warner Center in New York.
Esentai Mall has 160 stores including a 9,000sqm Saks Fifth Avenue shop, which spans three of the six storeys. In all, the mall has a total gross leasable area of 52,000 sqm and includes a food court and cinema.
Mr Oymen, co-founder of Capital Partners, said: “The opening of the Esentai Mall is a major milestone for Capital Partners, for Almaty and Kazakhstan.
The world’s most sought-after luxury and high street fashion brands are coming to Almaty as they realise the enormous potential of the market as Almaty and Kazakhstan continue to develop so successfully.
“These international brands all understand the commercial opportunities for them in Kazakhstan and have made their decisions to invest on the strength of the business case.
“Their commitment– including the first Saks Fifth Avenue store in Asia and companies like Louis Vuitton and Gucci – is a sign of their belief in the growth and potential in Kazakhstan and the region.
“Tonight has been an incredible evening and I’m delighted that Eva could join us here as our guest of honour. It is a tremendous occasion for everyone concerned with the mall’s development.”
Yves Carcelle, chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton, which has opened a store in the mall, said: “The opening of the Esentai Mall is the perfect occasion for us to open our very first store in Kazakhstan: the Mall is the city’s premier retail estate and luxury development, a symbol of modern Kazakhstan.
“Our store occupies a prominent position at the entrance of this newly constructed Esentai Mall and opened its doors a few days before the Mall itself. We are proud to be the first luxury brand to welcome our clientele in this spectacular place, combining, luxury light and space and that will be the new centre of luxury shopping in Almaty.”
The VIP party also included a champagne and cocktail reception supported by Moet & Chandon and Belvedere Vodka, accompanied by delicacies from renowned international chef, Tom Wolfe. The mall will open to the public on October 20th.
During the evening the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company announced it will create a five star hotel on the top floors of the neighbouring Esentai Tower.
The Esentai Mall is part of Capital Partners’ wider Esentai Park development in Almaty, which aims to attract further business and investment to this thriving city.
The 300,000m2 project will comprise of seven buildings and includes the 36-storey Esentai Tower, the tallest building in Kazakhstan at 168 metres. The Tower is a mixed-use sky scraper comprising of offices, luxury hotel and apartments, and ranks alongside the Time Warner development in New York for size and scale.
Capital Partners has also developed the renowned Shymbulak ski resort on the outskirts of Almaty in the nearby Tien Shan mountains and the Metropolis mall in Moscow, the most successful shopping centre in Russia.
Kazakhstan is the world’s ninth largest country yet has a relatively small population of 16.6 million in comparison. Almaty is the largest city with a population of 1.3 million.
Over the past 15 years its economy has expanded rapidly on the back of oil and gas exploration and Kazakhstan’s development as a financial services hub for the region.
Its per capita GDP has grown ten-fold since the mid-1990s and, according to Forbes business magazine, there are 12,000 millionaires in the country – equivalent to one millionaire for every 1,383 people – and five billionaires living in Almaty.
