Marcel Proust has rightly said, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes”, and this was certainly validated to me on my recent trip to Chile and Argentina.
Having been invited as a guest speaker at RECON 2013 – the International Council of Shopping Centres’ Latin American chapter, I spent a week visiting Santiago and Buenos Aires, and what almost immediately became apparent is the rationale behind planning F&B precincts and destinations in Latin America – it is all about community and socializing!
The actual conference focused specifically on the enormous current and future growth in shopping malls in Latin America and what will shape this growth as people’s needs and expectations from a ‘standard’ Mall move well beyond a shopping centre and focus more on Town Centre – where retail, food, entertainment, socialising, education, community services, and everyday services hub defines the space. Shopping centres in Latin America are a ‘public realm’ of sorts that have the ability to provide a safe and energising mall environment for all the family, all day, every day. From a developer’s viewpoint, ‘spending mall time equates to spending money’ and this has been proven in the many cases of new multifaceted malls springing up across the South American continent. Countries such as Brazil and Mexico are setting the standard in creating shopping mall environments, something many mall developers can only dream of in developed countries.
During the conference, my study tour and independent visit of major malls and development in both Chile and Argentina, Latin America’s love for shopping malls, dinning out, entertainment and retail shopping technology was evident across all cities and suburbs. The rising middle class has created an endless demand for food and beverage services along with retail and they seek world-class hospitality and entertainment experiences.

Shopping malls across both Chile and Argentina have a strong history. Ranging from the classical beauty found in Buenos Aires at the Galerias Pacifico and Patio Bullrich to the modern architecture of Recoleta Mall and Paseo Alcorta. In addition to traditional shopping malls, Buenos Aires has vibrant and reputable shopping, dining, dancing and socialising precincts within established suburbs of Palermo and Recoleta. The modern, larger suburban malls of Dot Baries Shopping and Unicentre reflect all the good and not so good elements of larger suburban malls, which have been planned to maximise retail diversity. In my opinion however, these two malls have failed to address aspects of the social and entertainment needs of the greater community, which they serve.
Santiago was definitely an eye opener for me. The city boasts many large and popular shopping malls, all offering a strong sense of community as they challenge the status quo of shopping malls – they offer diverse F&B options from food courts, to dining precincts and smart cafe offers. Malls here are seen as a safe place, somewhere the whole family, young and old can park securely, socialise, dine, be entertained and be part of the local community – a spirit that was evident everywhere I went. In fact most consumers can get almost anything at the ‘local mall’, including a new car! The ‘Auto Plaza’ has proven to be a winner in the bigger shopping malls, where men are lured to the mall, not just to be with the family, but to view what is new in the world of cars and auto accessories – a coup to encouraging male foot fall to a traditional shopping centre!

Kind Regards
Francis Loughran – Managing Director