A guide to shopping malls in Phnom Penh
(Malls in Phnom Penh are growing larger every new launch. Photo: Chip Mong 271 Mega Mall. Courtesy of Chip Mong Group)
If you still think Cambodia is just about Angkor Wat, pagodas, and hawker stands, you’re sorely mistaken! The country’s capital, Phnom Penh, is home to several retail malls that house both international brands and local up-and-comers which serve Khmers, expatriates, and tourists with everything they need. In this guide, we’ll take a quick look at the most popular shopping malls in Phnom Penh.
Popular shopping malls in Phnom Penh
Chip Mong Noro Mall
(Chip Mong Noro Mall sits along Preah Norodom Boulevard whose retail offerings are complemented by BKK1’s many commercial establishments / Supplied)
Operating hours: 9 AM – 10 PM
Location: #199 Preah Norodom Blvd (41), Phnom Penh
The Chip Mong Noro Mall is one of the more compact malls on this list. But what it lacks in size, it makes up for in its enviable location. Located in BKK1, right along Preah Norodom Boulevard, Chip Mong Noro Mall offers a complete grocery, restaurants, select retail stores, and still manages to include a parking area and movie house with multiple theatres. The mall was officially opened in December of 2019.
You have to give credit to where credit is due as Chip Mong Noro Mall’s design takes advantage of the many offerings already available in its surroundings by making itself to get into and out of. BKK1 is a popular commercial area home to schools, office villas, embassies, restaurants, and other retail stores – making its surroundings an extension of its offerings.
Notable shops in Chip Mong Noro Mall:
- Starbucks
- TOUS les JOURS
- S&P Thai Restaurant
- Louisiana Fried Chicken
- Dim Sum Emperors
- Santa Fe
Chip Mong Noro Mall has all the essentials of what most people need when shopping. So, if you live around the BKK1 area and want to avoid the bigger but more crowded options, then visiting Chip Mong Noro Mall could be a great choice.
AEON Mall 1
(AEON Mall 1 is the first international mall chain to enter Cambodia. Photo courtesy of TheLostPinay WordPress)
Operating hours: 9 AM – 10 PM
Location: 132 Samdach Sothearos Blvd (3), Phnom Penh
If you’ve spent enough time in Japan, then you’re probably familiar with AEON. The Japanese giant first entered the fledgling Cambodian shopping mall scene in June of 2014. The mall has since become a household name among inhabitants of the capital, resulting in reportedly several thousand visitors per day (peaking around the weekends and holidays).
Notable shops in AEON Mall 1:
- Superdry
- Starbucks
- The Body Shop
- Swensen’s Ice Cream
- Pedro
- Potato Corner
- Nojima Electronics Store
- Pandora
- Lotteria
- Akemiuchi
AEON Mall 1 hosts fast-food chains, restaurants, a large supermarket, appliance stores, retail outlets, and a movie house with multiple theatres. It was the biggest purpose-built shopping mall at the time of its opening and remains to this day as a testament to Phnom Penh’s growing taste for more modern goods and services.
AEON Mall 2
(AEON Mall 2 in Sen Sok is the biggest shopping mall in Phnom Penh today (as of 2020). Photo courtesy of SenSokTown.com)
Operating hours: 9 AM – 10 PM
Location: St No. 1003 Village Bayab Commune, Phnom Penh
No list of modern malls in Phnom Penh can go without AEON Mall 2. Opened in 2018, it stands as the capital city’s biggest purpose-built retail mall (as of 2020). It is situated within Sen Sok, a district in the northwest of Phnom Penh’s city centre known for its fast-pace of urbanisation.
Notable shops in AEON Mall 2:
- Versace
- Black Canyon
- Starbucks
- Krispy Kreme
- Stone Cold Creamery
- Carl’s Jr
- Kinokuniya Bookstore
- Nojima Electronics Store
- Pandora
- Ajisen Ramen
- Akemiuchi
AEON Mall 2’s offerings do not differ much from AEON Mall 1 with famous retail outlets, restaurants, a large supermarket, and an even bigger movie house. If you’ve visited AEON Mall 1 and still want more choices in one convenient place, drop by AEON Mall 2 for quite literally twice the offerings under more modern aesthetics. Visiting the two malls makes you think about how much difference 4 years make!
Olympia Mall
(Olympia Mall is a landmark development in 7 Makara flanked by the Olympic Stadium, a range of condominiums, and local markets. Photo courtesy by Booking.com)
Operating hours: 9 AM – 10 PM
Location: Monireth Blvd (217), Sangkat Veal Vong, Khan 7 Makara, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Olympia Mall is reminiscent of the kind of retail space becoming more popular in industrialising countries as it includes a residential area within its grounds. This is complemented by its location in the busy 7 Makara district, an area with high foot traffic surrounded by apartments, condominiums, hotels, embassies, and local markets. The foot traffic also includes actual car traffic as it sits right along Monireth Boulevard, a major road cutting through Phnom Penh from the southwest to the northeast right into Daun Penh.
Notable shops in Olympia Mall:
- Ice Watch
- Nautica
- Herschel
- Lacoste
- Miniso
- Helen Keller
- Bering
- Pandora
- Revlon
- Jansport
Olympia Mall has all the basics you would expect from any mall: fast food, dining restaurants, retail choices, and a movie house. In late 2019, Olympia Mall’s developer has announced a further expansion of the mall as part of a “second phase” development. If you’re living in the 7 Makara district, Olympia Mall is your definite go-to for big retail options in Phnom Penh.
TK Avenue
(TK Avenue is a must-visit if you’re looking for a mall with open pathways between shops / Realestate.com.kh)
Operating hours: 9 AM – 9 PM
Location: Corner Street of 315 & 516 Phnom Penh, 12151
TK Avenue takes after malls adopting a more “open space” aesthetic. Like its name, it’s set up like an avenue where clusters of shops are separated by pathways for people instead of cars. Its layout fits quite well in Toul Kork, a recently developed district filled with residential and many other commercial properties.
Notable shops in TK Avenue:
- Shisiedo
- Adidas
- Havaianas
- The Saem
- Crocs
- T-Shop
- Xiaomi
- The Alley
- Auntie Anne’s
- Goldland Ice Cream
Most mall offerings that probably come at the top of your head is available in TK Avenue. Coffee shops, bars, fast food chains, dining restaurants, supermarkets, and even a movie theatre. Compared to purpose-built shopping buildings, TK Avenue has a more relaxed atmosphere thanks to its open-air design, greeneries here-and-there, and areas where visitors can simply sit and enjoy their surroundings.
Eden Garden Mall
(Eden Garden Mall seems indeed like the garden of Eden in Phnom Penh’s expanding concrete jungle. Photo courtesy of EdenGarden KH)
Opening hours: 24 hours
Location: City Center Boulevard Phnom Penh, 12201
Eden Garden Mall is following the trend of commercial developers adopting an open-air design in their mall design. Eden Garden Mall features plenty of greeneries that complement its pathways and restaurant-dominated selection of shops. A supermarket is also present that provides for the upcoming residential projects around the area.
Notable shops in Eden Garden:
- Yellow Cab Pizza
- Mumuso
- S&P Restaurant
- Starbucks
- Dim Sum Emperors
- Hops Craft Beer
- Lobster Bay Seafood Restaurant
- Two Cows Restaurant
- Legend Cinema
Its location in the northern portion of Daun Penh is an area mainly populated by a new development of boreys and condominium buildings. Other commercial properties are also present which are starting to attract residents looking for alternative options from the conventional shopping options usually found inside buildings. The still-open surroundings of Eden Garden Mall afford visitors a fresh breeze of air regardless of the time of day. If you’re looking for a chill place to hang out without being too far from the city centre, then Eden Garden is a place you definitely need to check out.
Midtown Mall
(Midtown Mall sits along a major road surrounded by big boreys and international schools. Photo courtesy of TripAdvisor)
Opening hours: 8 AM – 9.30 PM
Location: City Center Boulevard Phnom Penh, 12201
Midtown Mall sets itself apart from other malls as a purpose-built shopping center putting an emphasis on greeneries within the building. Its design allows for natural light to flood sections of the mall – with its mix of wooden and metal aesthetics adding a premium atmosphere to it.
Notable shops in Midtown Mall:
- Brown Coffee
- The Asian Kitchen
- Handcrafted Beverage
- 53 Central Coffee & Pho
- Sake Restaurant
- Legend Cinema
- Sake Restaurant
As Midtown Mall’s immediate market is primarily suburban areas (primarily consisting of big boreys and schools), the mall’s offerings include a large supermarket, fast food chains, dining restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, and a movie theatre. Its strategic corner location along a major road makes it very accessible to visitors, even those coming from areas outside the southernmost portion of Khan Sen Sok. If you’re living around this area, Midtown Mall can be worth checking out.
Malls opening later in 2020 and beyond
The great reception of retail malls has shown investors that the Cambodian market is ready for more development in this sector – something that is being answered in kind by developers. Here are a few of the upcoming shopping malls opening in Phnom Penh this 2020 and beyond.
Chip Mong 271 Mega Mall
(Chip Mong 271 Megamall is one of the biggest malls in Phnom Penh and is expected to bring new life in the growing district of Meanchey. Image courtesy of Chip Mong Group)
Chip Mong Group is certainly gearing up to be the leading mall chain in Cambodia with the amount of retail and land development projects they have lined up. Their biggest mall project (yet), Chip Mong 271 Mega Mall, broke ground mid of 2019 in Khan Meanchey. It is reported to have 160,000 sqm of floor space to rival the biggest malls in Cambodia. Chip Mong 271 Mega Mall is expected to open in mid-2021.
Phnom Penh Mega Mall
(The much-awaited Phnom Penh Megamall is close to completion and is set to open in late-2020. Photo courtesy of Skyscraper City)
After much delay, the One Mall is finally seeing completion along National Assembly Road. This 3-storey mall was developed by Ming Sheung International Investment Co Ltd and will soon open its doors by Q2/Q3 of 2020.
AEON Mall 3
(AEON Mall 3 is expected to be the biggest mall in Cambodia once its announced opening in 2023. Photo courtesy of Cambodia Properties)
AEON was the first international mall chain to recognize Cambodia’s potential as a new investment market and they’ve certainly reaped the rewards. They are now building a 3rd AEON Mall and is set to be the biggest mall in Phnom Penh at 174,000 sqm. AEON Mall 3 was recently approved to begin construction in Khan Meanchey and is set to open sometime in 2023.
YT Mall
(The upcoming YT Mall will feature an indoor zoo – something that will set it apart from the increasingly competitive retail space in Phnom Penh. Photo courtesy of YT Group)
The YT Mall is an upcoming mall in Steung Meanchey commune developed by Yuetai International Group (YT). The YT Mall’s design is reported to include an indoor zoo – something that’s definitely going to be popular with the kids. The YT Mall is expected to open later in 2020.
Knowing where to shop in Phnom Penh can anyone residents’ life easier and a lot more fun. This is made even better by the fact that plenty of shopping malls are still coming to the city, making it the hottest consumer haven in the region to-date!
Article by:https://www.realestate.com.kh/guides/guide-to-shopping-malls-in-phnom-penh/