When I first came to Phnom Penh in 2012 the nearest equivalent to a shopping mall was the Sorya Shopping Center (not to be confused with Golden Sorya Mall, which wasn’t a shopping mall either but a now-defunct, distinctly sleazy ‘pub street’). Sorya was more like an indoor market hall but it had Cambodia’s first escalator and that alone qualified it as a futuristic shopping experience by the capital’s standards of the time. Twelve years on and the retail landscape has been transformed as Phnom Penh embraces mall culture with zeal.
The original Aeon Mall in 2014 was Cambodia’s first “real” mall.
Japanese retail giant Aeon led the way in 2014 with the opening of its first Aeon Mall on Sothearos Boulevard. Locals approached it with eager curiosity while expats cheered the arrival of brands like Mango, Daiso, and Lock ‘n’ Lock and the chance to shop in air-conditioned comfort. This medium-sized mall has since been expanded and revamped and remains the most convenient location in central Phnom Penh to meet your shopping needs. Customers can shop international names like H & M, Nine West, Ecco, Superdry, and Decathlon; an increasing number of upmarket brands like Coach, Michael Kors, and Tommy Hilfiger; and a wealth of sports retailers including Adidas, ASICS, Puma, and New Balance. Nojima has an excellent range of phones and home electrical appliances large and small; there are optical services; pharmacies, and beauty stores; and a very popular World Dining food court on the ground floor. Lively Plaza lives up to its name with regular promotions and activities and of course there’s loads of parking for those ginormous SUVs. Continue reading
