Weeks after opening of Sapphire Shopping Mall… Shops are empty although it’s weekend… Few customers are looking for shopping while other malls like Cevahir are at full capacity… I think something is wrong here.

Sapphire is a failure of segmentation that comes after Kentpark Ankara. If you have limited place for rent you should be careful in choosing which brand should be in. Kentpark is the worst since it have Harvey Nichols and Decathlon at the same floor! A luxury boutique and a discount sports market cannot be placed at the same floor.

In Sapphire, their claim is that they have a concept that connects East and West with luxury brands. In fact they have both special stores like YKM concept store, and accessories shops that are not branded… If your target customers prefer premium brands, you cannot place non-branded shops in your mall. If your target is mass, you cannot place premium brands… On the other hand, Sapphire is trying to pull people with its observation desk that has a great view of Istanbul. Unfortunately, they are not successful in converting those people to customers.

By the way, Demirören has similar segmentation problem, I think. While Gizia have very expensive products, Deichmann is a discount store at same floor again. However, Demirören’s atmosphere is different. It’s not a standard shopping mall, it’s like a bazaar.

Not all shopping malls are off-segmentation. I like Kanyon and Istinye Park as premium and Cevahir as mass. If you think location sells, you could be mistaken. Although, Cevahir, Metrocity, Kanyon and Sapphire locate on same subway line, customers won’t prefer Sapphire since it not has a well defined segmentation. You can have the highest building in the city but you cannot achieve to pull customers and create interest in their mind.