CPL builds biggest supermart in PNG

Source: The National, Friday, February 22, 2013

By MALUM NALU

THE CPL group, Papua New Guinea’s largest retailing network, plans to open the biggest supermarket set-up by far in the country between November and December this year, a company spokesman said yesterday.
He said this after taking The National on a tour of the project site at the former Port Moresby Transport yard, just next to CPL’s Waigani Central Stop N Shop supermarket.

Project signboard yesterday.-Picture by MALUM NALU

“This is being constructed under Steamships Properties, now known as Pacific Properties,” the spokesman said.
“Nevertheless, only the fit-out costs is in excess of an estimated K20 million which CPL Group is responsible for.
“It is anticipated that the store will be a new experience to Papua New Guineans as it will be of international standard.
“The new Central Waigani will house all the retail brands of CPL Group.
“It will also have a multiplex cinema.”
CPL Group chairman Mahesh Patel announced last March that it was looking at running the “biggest and best supermarket” in Port Moresby and PNG.
“We’re going to build the biggest and best supermarket in the country,” he said.
“It’s a multi-million dollar project that will take about 20 months to complete.”
 “Steamships own the land, they build, and we lease it.
“We will sign a 15-year lease.”
Patel said the new supermarket would be twice as big as CPL’s flagship Stop N Shop at Waigani Central, which has an area of 2,500sqm.
He said it should not be compared to Vision City, which was a mega mall, as this would be a stand-alone supermarket.
“This thing (new supermarket) will be 5,000sqm,” he said.
“It will be twice the size (of Waigani Central supermarket).
 “There will be a few specialty stores.”
“We’re looking at a number of new initiatives.”