Aeon to open outlet in Cambodia as 1st Japanese retailer

[The Mainichi Daily News]

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Aeon Co. said Wednesday it will open a shopping mall in Phnom Penh around 2014 as the first Japanese retailer to make its foray into Cambodia, in expectation of the Southeast Asian country's economic growth.

Aeon said it has set up a local subsidiary to operate the facility and will start construction in 2012 in the central area of the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.

The mall, which will have an expected floor space of about 100,000 to 150,000 square meters, about the same as Aeon's malls in Japan, will house the Aeon supermarket as well as specialty stores from Cambodia, surrounding countries and Japan, it said.

Aeon has already opened stores in China, Thailand and Malaysia, and is now considering having its affiliated building management firm expand business to Asia, with its debut in Cambodia.