Georgetown: The Giftland OfficeMax Mega Mall at Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, is now expected to have its grand opening before May 2015.
The Water and Holmes Street business will be closed and relocated to the world-class shopping plaza when it opens.
The last deadline was set for before June 2014. Chief Executive Officer Ian Ramdeo disclosed that construction is still in progress. He said additional work that was not initially catered for such as traffic control facilities at the main intersection among other infrastructural conveniences are still being developed.
The delay is also owed to a fluctuation of material prices and missed deadlines of some subcontracted works. The 265,000 square-foot mall is going to be self-sufficient, with its own sewerage treatment plant, water well and a 5.75 megawatt power plant with 100 per cent redundancy. However, due to the complexity of the power plant, shipping logistics such as limited availability of equipment to transport, offload and load, the process has taken much longer than the company initially expected.
Nevertheless, moves are afoot to make sure the mall is opened as soon as possible. The company acquired the land in 2007 and construction began in 2009. According to reports, the mall has an estimated cost of US$30 million and is being financed by Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI), Citizens Bank, Scotiabank Guyana, two private investors, and the standard grant from the Government of Guyana.
Ramdeo stated that the mall will accommodate Giftland and other tenants, creating job opportunities for over 2000 persons, including security and maintenance. Furthermore, he said they are in the process of training staff for the new operations at the mall. He noted that so far everyone employed for the mall is either working at the mall or at the retail sister company Giftland OfficeMax.
Being the first of its kind in Guyana, the mall will be introducing a number of exciting amenities such as free drinking fountains; valet parking; a playground featuring zip lines, rock climbing and bungee jumping, and a 90-station sheltered bus terminal.
“We will also be featuring the 560 feet “Strip” comprising four fine dining restaurants, the sports bar, the Brazilian Grill and Bar, and a British Pub for evening entertainment. The street will be closed for vehicular traffic in the evenings from 6:00 pm allowing us to turn this area into a street entertainment area…This area will also be used to showcase Guyanese Culture and exhibitions, talent and other shows, poetry reading, horticultural, crafts and other areas in need of being highlighted in an open-air atmosphere,” Ramdeo highlighted.
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