Ribbon cutting ceremony of Parkson Cantavil, the ninth outlet in Viet Nam and sixth in HCM City of Malaysian department store chain Parkson. — VNS photo Hoang Ha

HCM CITY (Biz Hub)— Malaysian department store chain Parkson opened its ninth outlet in Viet Nam and sixth in HCM City in the Cantavil building in District 2 on Friday.

"The five-floor mall is expected to be the ideal destination for residents in the east of the city," John Lam, deputy general director of Parkson Vietnam Co., Ltd, said.

Around 1.3 million people live in Districts 2, 9, Binh Thanh, and Thu Duc.

The first four floors have shops and the fifth has a food court and bowling alley.

Lam said 95 per cent of the space has been leased out and the rest would be taken by February.

Tham Tuck Choy, CEO of Parkson Viet Nam, hoped the lucky number for Asians', nine, would rub off on Parkson Cantavil and local residents.

Besides HCM City, Parkson has outlets in Ha Noi and Hai Phong, he said, revealing it plans to open two to three outlets every year and go to Da Nang, Can Tho, Nha Trang, and Bien Hoa.

Parkson's business has been flat this year, he said, adding however that it is a positive sign in such an economy. — VNS