The Heritage Walk, a multi-storey mall and entertainment centre being erected on a 1-hectare site in Siem Reap city, is set to become the provincial capital’s biggest shopping complex when it opens its doors early next year.

Chheang Sopheak, board of director of Emerald Plus Property Management Service, the local company that will manage the complex, said yesterday that construction work on the mall building is already 80 percent complete and a soft opening will be held in February ahead of a grand opening scheduled for April 2018.

“When it is finished and put into operation the Heritage Walk will be the biggest shopping complex in Siem Reap,” he said.

The Heritage Walk is located on 1-hectare of land at the corner of National Road 6 and Oum Chhay Street in Siem Reap’s Svay Dongkoum commune. When complete, the complex will provide 40,000 square metres of covered and open-air retail space, accommodating about 100 shops including restaurants, coffee shops and a cinema.

Sopheak said the Heritage Walk will be geared towards both domestic and foreign tourists visiting Siem Reap and the country’s biggest tourist attraction, Angkor Wat. He said its opening would give visitors more shopping and leisure options, which until now have been largely limited to visiting ancient temples by day and Pub Street by night.

“We want to diversify hangout places in the city and we hope this will attract tourists to stay longer in the city,” he said.

Srong Narith, manager of Key Real Estate in Siem Reap, said the conceptual design of the Heritage Walk will stand out from existing retail complexes in the city, but it could face stiff competition in the struggling retail sector.

Siem Reap already has several small malls, including Lucky Mall and Angkor Trade Centre, with several more shopping complexes and container markets expected to open early next year.

“The demand is small while the supply is growing fast,” Narith said. “I am worried that there will be oversupply in the future when all operators finish construction and launch their [retail projects] at the same time.”