By Joy Fang

THE financial district is getting its first mall that will open seven days a week, like usual shopping centres.

The Marina Bay Link Mall, part of the new Marina Bay Financial Centre, will cater to residents in the area, whose numbers are expected to grow once the Marina Bay Residences and Marina Bay Suites are ready by the second quarter of next year and 2012 respectively.

The Sail is the only residential development there that is already occupied. The three residential developments have a
total of 1,760 units.  

The new mall consists of three parts: an underground shopping area, a restaurant plaza, and a total of four floors of
shops and eateries in the centre's three office towers.

Located under an open space next to the towers and connected to the upcoming Downtown MRT station and neighbouring buildings, the underground mall will have about 80 shops.

The two-storey plaza will house five restaurants that offer al fresco dining. The centre's Tower One will also have a restaurant on its 33rd floor.

Towers One and Two will have shops on the ground floors.

Construction of these areas, which measure a total of 8,714 sq m, will be completed by the second quarter of next year. The businesses there will open in the fourth quarter of next year.

Tower Three will house shops and eateries on its first two floors covering an area of 7,636 sq m. These will be completed by the second quarter of 2012.

About half of the mall's lettable space has already been taken up by businesses such as Indian restaurant Mirchi and frozenyogurt chain Red Mango.

Raffles Quay Asset Management, which manages the centre, expects the mall to attract over 50,000 executives and
12,000 residents in the area.

joyfang@sph.com.sg

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