How to open a shopping mall in Hong Kong

1. Find a piece of real estate which you already own in a central location, such as an airport or an underground station

2. If it is an underground station you will need planning permission to build on top of it. You will have to compensate all those who hold low value ransom strips and leases at ground level.

4. Conduct a global search for architects. The best architects are likely to be international and have done big shopping malls before, in the USA or Japan perhaps. The newest shopping mall in Hong Kong, above the Jordan MTR station, called Elements was designed by the architects of Bluewater, built on an old quarry, south of London

5. Work out your concept; develop a brand and a brand identity. Elements wanted a more contemporary, less conventional feel than the other top end mall in Hong Kong, Pacific Place. In Pacific Place, the identity is rigidly controlled. All the shops have to do their fascias in white and chrome. The only latitude they have is over the choice of font. This gives the whole place a uniform white-ness and chrome-ness.

6. In Elements, along with global brands like Gucci (the biggest Gucci store in the world is in Elements), they also persuaded funky and less well known Japanese brands to take out leases, such as the design shop BALS Tokyo. Many of these have no other outlets in Hong Kong. British fashion brands, some of which do have a quirky alternative appeal, at least to foreigners are notoriously parochial and almost impossible to persuade. Hence you rarely see a Paul Smith or a Kilgour or even a Top Shop. Meanwhile Zara (Spanish) and H&M (Swedish), along with all the French and Italian luxury brands are absolutely everywhere in Hong Kong and everywhere else. The only British brands in Elements are Kent&Curwen and Karen Millen. Karen Millen is now owned by Philip Green who was reluctant to expand in Hong Kong and the store in Elements is a franchise. Fewer restrictions were placed on visuals.

7. Build the space, Elements is more than a million square feet, not including a huge open air 'civic space' on the roof.

8. Hire an international art consultant from New York or London to buy and install cutting edge contemporary art, particularly large sculptures, in the public areas of the mall.

8. Make sure there are plenty of nice places to eat with cutting edge fusion cuisine and the best European chocolate and patisserie. That will re-energise your customers for another bout of wandering and spending.

9. Make the loos fabulous and build luxurious baby changing facilities. They should be like a first class airport lounge, not just a fold down plastic table falling off the wall of the loo. There is almost nowhere to go in Hong Kong with a small baby. A mall is perfect, air-conditioned and plenty of places to sit, eat, drink and talk whilst the baby sleeps. Then a nice lounge for baby feeding, changing and chatting to other mothers.

10. Use your launch marketing to get yourself on the front page of the newspaper. Elements had aerial acrobats acting as flying advertisements. That got them the photo slot on the front page of the South China Morning Post.

11. When you open make sure you have loads of handsome, well-dressed, knowledgeable staff everywhere to point people in the right direction.

12. Watch the queues form with quiet pleasure on the opening day.

13. On the opening weekend check that all the restaurants and cafes have queues and stop at a bar incognito and enjoy a glass of champagne and a bowl of noodles (a little known but wonderful combination). Sit on your own, savouring the taste of your own success.

14. Don't go near the place for another two or three years, just check the rentals on-line, while keeping an eye on commercial rents generally.

15. Pay off the debt in three years.

16. Build another one.

Source: Betty Leong over an espresso and a chocolate cake on the opening Saturday in Elements, with my own additional suggestions