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Shopping Centers Today -> May 2004
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GHERMEZIANS: MALLS AREN’T JUST FOR SHOPPING
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| Photo: Ian Jackson/Epic Photography |
| Nader Ghermezian (left) with his nephew, Don, at West Edmonton Mall. |
The mammoth mixed-use complex attracts 42 million visitors annually, more than Disneyland and Walt Disney World combined, says Nader Ghermezian, a co-owner of the mall. He and his brothers Eskander, Raphael and Bahman started Triple Five after immigrating to Canada from Iran.
The Ghermezians opened the first phase of the mall in 1981 with 200 stores. Though the size of the retail portion at that time was no bigger than the usual super-regional mall, the center nevertheless stood apart by offering entertainment that included a skating rink for the National Hockey League’s Edmonton Oilers.
But from the beginning, the family had much more in mind for the center, as evidenced by the fact that at the outset it acquired all the land it would need to keep expanding, points out Don Ghermezian, 30, president of West Edmonton Mall Property and son of Eskander. “The family always had a grand vision,” he said.
The second phase, which expanded the center by some 1.1 million square feet, followed hard upon the first, and by 1984 sales were more than double the average for Canadian malls. The third phase, which opened in 1985 and added about 2.9 million square feet, made the center the world’s largest, at 5.2 million square feet. The fourth phase, in 1998, added about 100,000 square feet.
“We wanted to build something that would attract every member of the family,” Nader said.
About half the mall’s visitors are tourists drawn to shopping, dining and attractions that include Galaxyland Amusement Park, a seven-acre water park, 110 restaurants, 12 anchor stores, 26 movie theaters, an IMAX theater and a casino. Then there is the gigantic indoor beach complete with palm trees and man-made waves.
The parking lot, with spaces for 20,000 vehicles, is reputedly the world’s largest.
“We’re in the Guinness Book of World Records four or five times,” said Nader. “We like to call it the Eighth Wonder of the World.” A Canadian legislator once said that the five submarines in one of West Edmonton Mall’s attractions outnumbered the subs in the country’s navy, he says.
Now the Ghermezians plan a 6,000-seat multiuse facility that could serve as a convention center, house the hockey team and include as many as 600 condominiums.
— EM
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