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Emporium Shopping Complex is located close to soi 24, Sukhumvit Road, and is easily reached by the BTS skytrain (Phrompong station)
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Emporium is an upmarket Shopping Complex close to soi 24 on Sukhumvit Road. It consists of the Emporium Department Store and various retail outlets of famous brands. Emporium Shopping Complex started operating in 1997.
When entering the shop you will see shops of these brands all around you :
Cartier, Fendi, Salvatore Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Chanel, Versacee, Kenzo. Now you are in Bangkok, but this is all the real stuff.
When entering, the retail stores are surrounding an atrium, 5 floors high. A corridor connects on the right hand connects to another area of retail shops. The Emporium Department Store itself is located behind the retail stores.
A weak point is that there is apparently no reception desk at the entrance. Neither are there any small maps available that may guide you through the rather big shopping center.
Besides the multiple fashion outlets (and a lot of people visiting Emporium seem to actually be wearing the stuff), there are other interesting shops.
A CD Warehouse is on the third floor, offering recently released CDs. We noticed that most music CDs on sale are actually burned in Thailand itself.
Also on the third floor (around the main atrium) is a large Kinokuniya bookstore, offering only (and a lot of them) English-language books. For Japanese language books (and other languages) you will have to go to Kinokuniya bookstores at Isetan (Central World Plaza) or Siam Paragon. An Asia Books store is also located on the third floor.
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The Kinokuniya bookstore on the third floor, offering a wide selection of English-language books. |
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Also on the third floor (to the right through the connecting corridor) you will find large Sony and Panasonic outlets. Closeby is a large Sports Mall, where you will find lot of golfing equipment.
Jim Thompson (high quality silk) is located on the 4th floor.
Let's not forget the Emporium Department Store itself, offering even more brand names. The store itself is well laid out, with ample walking space. A big section of the 5th floor is taken by Power Mall. Here you will find all kinds of televisions with plasma or LCD screens, besides other home appliances.
Towards the back of the 5th floor (above Emporium Department Store) there is a supermarket and a food court. The supermarket is somewhat unluckily located on a top floor, but offers a wide selection of groceries at upmarket prices. Closeby you can also buy a variety of freshly made Thai desserts. The bakery at Gourmet Market is not up to standard. You better cross the road to Villa Market for bagels, and more tasty breads and rolls.
Emporium Wine Cellar is to be found adjacent to the supermarket. It is also a place where you can find pipe tobacco and cigars (though they can not be displayed anymore in Thailand). A food court called Park Foodhall offers better (and pricier) than average fast food. Starbucks is also located on the 5th floor.
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Inside Emporium Shopping Complex |
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The 6th floor of the Emporium Shopping Complex houses the Emporium SFX Cinema with about 6 movie theatres, offering recently released Hollywood films. There is also a large Garden Lounge, where you can have a coffee or soda.
The movie theatres are very comfortable, and one should know it is really rather cheap to watch movies in Bangkok. Last time I checked, the going rate was 120 baht for a ticket. Exiting the movie theaters at a time when the main store is already closed, is somewhat of a nuisance though. One is guided by elevator to the parking basement, and then it is a 'dark' walk to reach Sukhumvit Road. Emporium closes at 10 P.M., but some shops actually close earlier.
Emporium stands on its own. It is not located close to other major shopping complexes. But when looking for the most famous fashion brands, you will find them all here. While not located between Siam Square and Central Chitlom, where most of the other fancy shopping complexes are located, it can easily be reached from there by the BTS skytrain in about 10 minutes. The skytrain station is directly connected to Emporium. Clearly the Emporium Shopping Complex seems to be the most upmarket shopping complex in Bangkok and Thailand. The recently opened and even bigger Siam Paragon complex may become the flagship store for shopping in Bangkok, time will tell.
Emporium Suites, offering luxuriously appointed accommodation, is connected to the Emporium Shopping Complex.
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The searchbox will let you view rates for Emporium Suites from different providers. |
Other Major Shopping Centers : Siam Paragon | Central World (Plaza)
Some basic shopping advice
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