Central Department Store, part of Central Retail, is undergoing a major renovation of Central Chidlom with a budget of 4 billion baht, transforming it into a luxury department store under the concept “The Store of Bangkok.” The luxury beauty and fashion zone will open this April, with the full reveal set for Q4 of this year.

Central Department Store, part of Central Retail, is investing 4 billion baht to transform Central Chidlom under the concept “The Store of Bangkok,” moving towards becoming a luxury department store that aims to provide a “One-Stop-Shopping” experience where customers can enjoy a wide variety of brands across all categories in one place. This transformation features a perfect blend of world-class design and architecture, global luxury brands, and exclusive services, positioning it as a source of inspiration for everyone and redefining the true luxury department store experience in the heart of Bangkok.

Nattira Boonsri, CEO of Central Department Store Group, part of Central Retail, stated, “Central Chidlom is extremely important to the Central Department Store Group as it has been our flagship store since 1974. Not only does it have a strategic location in the city center that caters to high-spending customers, but it is also the first department store in Thailand to adopt the “One-Stop-Shopping” format, evolving through the ages and standing alongside customers and the Thai retail industry for over five decades. Today marks another significant step as Central Chidlom moves towards becoming a luxury department store with a design and space that aims to provide a new experience, carefully curated brands and products, and world-class service. We no longer view Central Chidlom merely as a department store; it is now The Store of Bangkok, the shopping destination for both Thai and international customers.”

The new definition of Central Chidlom, “The Store of Bangkok,” reflects the vision of Central Department Store Group to be “an inspiration for every moment of life” (The Store of Endless Inspiration for Every Moment of Your Life), combined with three core concepts for the renovation of Central Chidlom to truly become a luxury department store:

The Store of Design and Concept: The design and architecture are crafted by leading Thai architects in collaboration with world-class consultants, merging contemporary architectural ideas that meet the lifestyle of Thai people, rich in details and international standards, while using locally produced materials. The renovation aims to elevate Central Chidlom in various dimensions, including:

  • Enhanced Experience: Expanding the central area of the department store to create a spacious and luxurious atmosphere, offering a shopping experience that serves as a destination for products across all categories, catering to every lifestyle.
  • Elevated Architecture: The design of the building's façade, which is a hallmark of Central Chidlom, will be modernized using frosted white glass that can glow and change color at night, making Central Chidlom a bright, vibrant, and iconic landmark of Bangkok.
  • Improved Accessibility: Adding a connection from the Sky Train (Sky Bridge) on the first floor that leads directly to the luxury section, along with expanding the existing Sky Train connection on the second floor for easier access to Central Chidlom.

The Store of Curated Destinations: The uniqueness of Central Chidlom lies in being a destination that gathers various brands in one place, with carefully selected products categorized by price level and brand positioning to provide a superior experience that meets the needs of Central Chidlom customers, including:

  • World of Luxury: Offering a world-class luxury shopping experience with:
    • Luxe Galerie: Packed with boutiques of high-end global brands such as Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Celine, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Emilio Pucci, Fendi, Gucci, Kenzo, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Missoni, Miu Miu, Prada, Roger Vivier, Saint Laurent, and Versace.
    • Shoes Avenue: A space for luxury shoe collections where customers can choose and try on shoes from various luxury brands, covering all styles in one area, including Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Christian Louboutin, Coperni, Cult Gaia, Dolce & Gabbana, GCDS, Gucci, Isabel Marant, Jimmy Choo, Marni, Prada, Proenza Schouler, Roger Vivier, Sergio Rossi, Sophia Webster, Tod's, Tom Ford, Tory Burch, and Vivienne Westwood, with brands making their debut in Thailand such as Giuseppe Zanotti, Mach & Mach, Rene Caovilla, and The Attico.
  • World of Beauty: The newly luxurious and largest Beauty Galerie in Thailand, covering over 6,000 square meters, featuring products from over 150 global beauty brands, along with boutiques from world-renowned beauty brands such as Chanel, Dior, La Mer, and Gucci, offering a special concept to provide an elevated beauty experience, including exclusive brands available only at Central Chidlom, such as Augustinus Bader and Officine Universelle Buly. There will also be special areas for organic beauty products and niche beauty products, allowing customers to easily browse and shop for products that meet their needs.
  • World of Youth: Expanding the customer base of the younger generation by creating a destination that gathers fashion and street fashion products that meet the needs of young people. Central Chidlom is the first and only department store with a Sneaker Boulevard, featuring over 800 pairs of sneakers, including the latest collections, special editions, and rare models from various famous brands for sneaker lovers.
  • Best Curated Food Destination: Curating restaurants and cafes that cater to customers of all lifestyles and generations, with more than three times the number of restaurants and cafes, totaling over 60 establishments, to meet the lifestyle of customers who seek to hang out and spend time with loved ones, making Central Chidlom a second home and a more complete destination.
  • Best-in-Class Service: Enhanced services such as upgraded lounges, personal shopping assistants, and digital parking services.

The Store of Communities: Central Chidlom also aims to be a source of inspiration to create a strong community, focusing on:

  • Customer Focus: Central Chidlom customers are divided into three main groups: (1) Customers with medium to high purchasing power who appreciate unique and carefully selected products; (2) Young people full of inspiration and creativity who enjoy fashion, art, and modern innovations; and (3) Tourists and expatriates living or working in Thailand.
  • Launching CENFINITY: To enhance loyalty programs for Top Customers of Central Department Store, Robinson, and Central Embassy, as well as Top Customers of The1 members, designed to be more personalized and specific to meet the lifestyle and preferences of important customers.
  • Creating a New Identity for Central Chidlom: Including a new logo, font, inspired by the new design of Central Chidlom, and a special new color, “Central Chidlom Rose Pink,” inspired by flowers, which is the signature event color of the store. This new color will be exclusive to Central Chidlom, giving it a fresh, vibrant, creative, yet warm and friendly image, distinctly setting it apart from other Central branches.
  • Establishing a Destination for Community Inspiration: Presenting creative events across various dimensions, including art, music, and food, collaborating with partners in Thailand and globally to create vibrancy and attract traffic throughout the year. Additionally, Central Department Store emphasizes sustainable business practices and environmental care in various aspects, such as reducing plastic bag usage and promoting the use of recycled and eco-friendly materials in store decor.

Central Chidlom is ready to unveil its new image under the concept “The Store of Bangkok,” welcoming Thai and international customers from around the world with luxury beauty and fashion zones this April, and preparing for the full reveal of the new Central Chidlom in December of this year. In addition to this major renovation, Central Department Store also plans to gradually renovate several branches nationwide to align with its business strategy this year.

The spending from premium customers and the younger generation continues to grow, with a target that by 2025, after the new Central Chidlom is fully operational, customer traffic will increase by 20% and sales will grow by 30%.

“Central Chidlom is always evolving and adapting to changes. This time is even more special because it is not just a renovation to update the image that customers see, but we are moving towards becoming The Store of Bangkok, a luxury department store that offers a world-class “One-Stop-Shopping” experience and remains the number one department store in the hearts of our important customers forever,” Nattira concluded.