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Aberdeen Centre offers a classy and – um – glassy shopping experience
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Aberdeen Centre offers a classy and – um – glassy shopping experience It almost seems like there should be an admission charge and a long single-file line to get into the Aberdeen Centre. The 380,000 sq.ft. state-of-the-art Asian-themed shopping center in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada has an exterior completely made of glass, curved exterior glass walls, a ceiling dominated by randomly-sized skylights which will bathe everything in natural light and a center glass façade that is composed of varying tints and types of glass. Oh yeah, there’s also programmable special-effects light shows that will project images and videos with audio effect on the floor and domed ceiling in the amphitheatre-style central atrium of the Aberdeen Centre. The Aberdeen Centre, named after Hong Kong’s famous tourist harbor, houses more than 250 stores connected to a five-level parking structure, incorporating Eastern and Western influences with new-age technologies. The new Aberdeen Centre was developed in place of the old Aberdeen Centre, which was recently demolished. The old center, which was developed as an alternative to Chinatown in Vancouver, British Columbia, was a totally new concept in the early 1990s. The mall was designed as a one-stop shopping destination with Asian-themed retail stores, herbal shops, restaurants, cinema and bowling alley, as well as a continuous weekend entertainment. The new mall opened December 12th of last year and cost $130 million. It encompasses over six acres, fronting high-traffic roads, which are currently being upgraded to handle increased traffic. The center is currently 70% leased. When shoppers enter the Aberdeen Centre, they’re greeted with an open-air specialty market enclosed at one end of the first floor. The center offers a mixture of cultures, with a focus on fresh fruit, flowers, seafood, and deli items along with a coffee bar and cake house. Among all this, there are cooking demonstrations, culinary exhibits, a pasta bar, wine shop, fromaggio bar, Asian arts, crafts and herbal medicines. English signage dominates the area, but Chinese identifications are also visible. The second level features fashion, home and kitchen stores offering the latest trends from Asia and North America. On this floor retailers have the freedom to develop their own showcase stores with new ideas and concepts. The high-tech court displays the latest state-of-the-art computer hardware and software as well as all the latest communications and interactive technology. A unique auto court is planned for this floor, selling accessories and displaying new model cars. The third floor, the mall’s top story, is considered the social lifestyle area, where shoppers can dine in one of the many cafes and watch entertainment in the Promo Court. The floor has a green, tropical, garden-like setting combined with the natural light from the domed skylight above. Framed by a view of the mountains to the north, it is perhaps, the most dramatic food court in the lower mainland. There are also plans for children’s fashion stores and a special children’s-themed area on this level. Some of the stores include Daiso, a Japanese variety chain where every item on its two floors costs just $2; Flash Living Design, a Thai-based furniture business whose offerings range from ornately traditional to retro-modern and clean-looking Scandinavian styles and a Korean department store. BMW also has a lifestyle store that sells everything from clothing to watches. By the end of this year, there will be the addition of a 150-room hotel directly connected to the Aberdeen Centre for easy access. For more information, contact Fairchild Developments, Ltd., 4400 Hazelbridge Way, Suite 130, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada V6X 3R8; 604-273-1234, Fax 604-270-9963; Email: leasing@aberdeencentre.com; Web site: www.aberdeencentre.com.
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