The world’s largest shopping centre is the New South China Mall, located in Dongguan, Guangdong, China. Spanning over 6 million square feet, this shopping and entertainment complex is an impressive feat of architecture and engineering. It features over 800 stores, 11 food courts, a roller coaster, and a replica of the Great Wall of China.
The mall was opened in 2005 and was designed to be the largest shopping centre in the world, surpassing the Mall of America in Minnesota in terms of size. However, due to a number of factors, the mall has been largely unsuccessful in its mission to become the largest shopping centre in the world.
Despite its impressive size, the New South China Mall is often called the “Ghost Mall” as it is largely empty and has had difficulty attracting retailers and shoppers. It is estimated that the mall is only around 10-20% occupied, with many of the stores empty and few people ever visiting the mall.
The primary cause of the mall’s failure is due to its location. The mall is located in a rural part of China, away from the major cities, and lacks the necessary infrastructure to attract shoppers. Additionally, the mall was built too quickly and with insufficient planning, leading to further difficulties in attracting retailers and shoppers.
The New South China Mall is an impressive feat of architecture and engineering, however, it has failed to become the world’s largest shopping centre due to its remote location and poor planning. Despite its failure, the mall still stands as a testament to the ambition and scale of Chinese engineering.
