If you are due for a shopping spree here is the list of 15 biggest malls in the world where you can buy anything you need. From Gucci handbags to latest model of Aston Martin, these huge shopping centers have it all. The biggest outlet malls in the USA are just a part of it.
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Nothing sums up the essence of consumerism in the modern society like a shopping mall does. Designed to draw customers into all day shopping, malls are a pinnacle of retail strategy. But shopping mall is an ancient concept. Grouping shops and stores together in order to attract more customer was an idea Romans came up with. Famous Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, opened in the 15th century, still exist today. In 17th and 18th century, first purposely built shopping malls opened up their doors in Europe. Gostiny Dvor in St. Petersburg, Marché des Enfants Rouges in Paris and Oxford Covered Market in Oxford are just some of the examples of shopping centers that continue to operate hundreds of years after they were first opened.
The honor of being the first shopping mall in the United States goes to the Arcade in Providence, Rhode Island, opened in 1828. Soon other towns and cities followed suit and by the end of World War 2, shopping malls were everywhere. The concept was reimagined in 1950 to include all the characteristics of a suburban mall we know today.
As the time went on, other countries saw the benefits of the shopping mall concept and they began springing all over the world. Soon the United States lost its supremacy. The biggest mall in America, King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania is 29th in the world by size, followed by the Mall of America in 30th position. Countries like China, the Philippines, Iran, and Malaysia took over, as the title of the biggest mall in the world changed hands rapidly in the last several decades.
Out of 15, 14 malls on our list are located in Asia. The only exception is Albrook Mall in Panama. The Philippines have 3 malls on the list. Thailand, Malaysia, Iran, Bangladesh and China have two each and Turkey has 1. Although the majority of them operates profitable, some seem to be in trouble, like two largest malls in China. They are in danger of becoming what is colloquially known as “dead malls”. This is the term reserved for shopping malls that have failed to attract businesses and shoppers. Sometimes extensive and expensive reconstruction projects may be able to save them.
There are several parameters that can be used when determining which the biggest mall in the world is. We decided to rank them by gross leasable area (GLA). This is the essential number for any mall, that represents how much of its area is actually dedicated to shopping. That is why Dubai Mall, the largest mall in the world by total area (1,124,000 square meters or 12.1 million sq ft), isn’t on the list. Dubai Mall GLA is 350,000 square meters (3.77 million sq ft), which makes it 18th on the list.
15. Bashundhara City
Gross leasable area: 375,000 square meters (4.1 million sq ft)
Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Opened in 2004, Bashundhara City mall has 2325 shops spread over 8 floors. It was the first shopping mall opened in Dhaka. The total cost of construction was estimated at $100 million. The building also doubles as a corporate headquarter for Bashundhara Group. Some 25,000 people visit Bashundhara City daily. In 2009, it was damaged by a fire that caused $29 million in damage.
14. Albrook Mall
Gross leasable area: 380,000 square meters (4.1 million sq ft)
Location: Panama City, Panama
Albrook Mall is the largest shopping mall in both Americas. The mall was opened in 2003 and has 555 stores.
13. Jamuna Future Park
Gross leasable area: 380,000 square meters (4.1 million sq ft)
Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Jamuna Future Park is the largest shopping mall in South Asia. It was opened in 2013, after 11 years of construction. Despite its huge GLA, it has a relatively small number of shops, only 500. The mall has its own power plant and two swimming pools, located on the fifth floor. Future additions include skating rink.
12. Sunway Pyramid
Gross leasable area: 396,000 square meters (4.27 million sq ft)
Location: Subang Jaya, Malaysia
Sunway Pyramid was opened in 1997 and it is one of the oldest shopping malls on our list. It was thoroughly reconstructed and enlarged in a renovation that ended in 2014. The mall now has more than 900 stores on five floors. Huge lion sculpture guarding the entrance is also the logo of Sunway Pyramid.
11. Siam Paragon
Gross leasable area: 400,000 square meters (4.3 million sq ft)
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Opened in 2005, with a construction cost of $450 million, Siam Paragon has several amenities, like the largest aquarium in Asia, a 25,000 square meter multiplex cinema and a 100,000 square meters parking with enough space for 4,000 cars. It is the favorite shopping place of rich Thai, as well as numerous tourists that visit the country.
10. SM Mall of Asia
Gross leasable area: 406,962 square meters (4.38 million sq feet)
Location: Pasay, Philippines
SM Mall of Asia was opened in 2006. At the time, it was the biggest mall in The Philippines, the title it later lost to SM City North EDSA. With the development of SM Megamall, it fell to the third place. SM Mall of Asia caters to 200,000 visitors daily. Among other services, it features a tram that transports visitors throughout the mall.
9. Istanbul Cevahir Mall
Gross leasable area: 420,000 square meters (4.5 million sq ft)
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul is one of the oldest trading centers in history. It is only befitting that the city has one of the biggest malls in the world and the biggest one in Europe. Cevahir Mall was opened in 2005 and the construction cost were estimated at $250 million. The legendary Grand Bazaar has a decent rival in SM Cevahir Mall.
8. Central World
Gross leasable area: 429,500 square meters (4.6 million sq ft)
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Number eight on our list of biggest malls in the world is Central World. It has been renovated twice. First, in 2005, when it as enlarged to today’s area. The second time was after demonstrations in 2010 caused significant damage to the complex. It took several months of work before Central World was ready to receive visitors again. Although it still hasn’t reached its projected goal of 150,000 shoppers daily, it is getting increasingly popular with Bangkok middle class.
7. Persian Gulf Complex
Gross leasable area: 450,000 square meters (4.8 million sq feet)
Location: Shiraz, Iran
Located in Shiraz, one of the largest cities in Iran, Persian Gulf Complex is the biggest mall in the world in terms of a number of shops. It has more than 2500 stores spread over 450,000 square meters. The mall was opened in 2012.
6. 1 Utama
Gross leasable area: 455,000 square meters (5.0 million sq ft)
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
1 Utama is the biggest shopping mall in Malaysia. It averages between 60,000 and 90,000 visitors daily. On weekends, the number spikes to 120,000. According to their management, the occupancy rate is 98%, which is excellent for a mall of this size.
5. Isfahan City Center
Gross leasable area: 465,000 square meters (5.0 million sq ft)
Location: Isfahan, Iran
The largest shopping mall in Iran, Isfahan City Center was opened in two phases. The first one was opened in 2010 and the second one in 2014. Besides the mall, the complex features a museum, a 5-star hotel and multiplex cinema with 7 screens. The mall has more than 750 stores.
4. SM City North EDSA
Gross leasable area: 482,878 square meters (5,197,660 sq ft)
Location: Quezon City, Philippines
SM City North EDSA is the oldest shopping mall in our list. In 2015, it will celebrate its 30th anniversary. Since its opening in 1985 it has undergone several reconstruction and is now the second largest mall in the Philippines. It has more than 1100 shops, 400 of which are restaurants. With more than 5,000 solar panels installed, it is the biggest solar powered mall in Southeast Asia.
3. SM Megamall
Gross leasable area: 506,435 square meters (5,451,220 sq ft)
Location: Mandaluyong, Philippines
The original SM Megamall was opened in 1989. After several reconstructions and enlargements, today it is the biggest mall in the Philippines. Its latest improvement dates from 2014 when the Mega Fashion Hall was added. SM Megamall boasts more than 1200 stores. In 2013, it was a scene of a Hollywood-style robbery when the Martilyo Gang hit a jewelry store inside the mall.
2. Golden Resources Mall
Gross leasable area: 557,419 square meters (6.0 million sq ft)
Location: Beijing, China
Nicknamed “Great Mall of China”, Golden Resources Mall was designed from the beginning as the largest shopping mall in the world. However, it held that distinction for just one year. Located in a northwestern part of China’s capital, the mall has failed to attract foreigners living in Beijing. Due to the high prices, Chinese also disliked shopping here and the mall is far from its full capacity.
1. New South China Mall
Gross leasable area: 659,612 square meters (7,100,000 sq ft)
Location: Dongguan, China
The biggest mall in the world is New South China Mall, located in Dongguan. Opened in 2005, the mall initially failed to attract shop owners and many of its 2350 stores were empty, with occupancy rates as low as 10%. It was labeled dead mall and considered a failure. However, in 2014 a renovation program started aiming to restore New South China Mall. It remains to be seen how successful it will be.
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