Visiting the Sunlink malls
Where most of a buying day actually gets spent, and how to walk it without losing the afternoon.
If the top end centres are where buyers calibrate, the Sunlink malls are where a lot of them actually work. They sit in the middle of the market, they are large, and between them they carry enough range that most mixed orders can be put together without leaving.
Two sides, two characters
The north side generally sits higher in the market. Living room, bedroom and office are all represented, the presentation is newer, and there is more design and more finish choice. It is the natural second stop after an hour at the top of the range, because the step down is a step rather than a fall.
The south side is older and keener on price, with particular depth in sofas and beds. It is where a buyer working to a tight landed cost tends to find the numbers work, and it has been trading long enough that many of the tenants have very established production behind them.
Neither is better. They serve different orders, and walking one after the other in the same day is one of the most efficient comparisons available in Lecong.
What it is strong on
- Upholstery at volume. The range of sofa construction and price on offer is genuinely wide.
- Bedroom and case goods. Deep enough to assemble a coherent range rather than a collection of unrelated pieces.
- Mixed orders. The practical advantage of a broad centre is that one consolidation point can cover several categories.
How to work it
Pick a floor plan and stick to it. These buildings are large enough that wandering produces a slow drift rather than a survey, and the categories are not always laid out the way you would expect. Ask at the entrance where your category sits and go straight there.
Photograph with the model code visible. Note the minimum on every piece you like, because it varies more here than at the top of the market. And ask, in each showroom, whether the piece is made by them or bought in. The answer is given readily and it tells you how much room there is to change a fabric, a size or a finish.
Where the value tends to hide
Not in the showrooms at the front. The units nearest the entrances pay for that position, and they are excellent for orientation. The stronger pricing is often further in and further up, in showrooms that rely on repeat trade buyers rather than passing traffic. Those are also, frequently, the ones with the closest relationship to a workshop.
Finding them quickly is mostly local knowledge. A buyer walking alone will get there eventually, usually on the second or third trip. It is one of the clearer examples of why the buyers who bring someone who already knows the building tend to come away with better numbers, and it is why the arrangement pays for itself long before anyone gets to the negotiation.
The rhythm of a good visit
Slower than you think. Two well worked hours in one hall beat five hours of walking across three. The buyers who leave with a usable shortlist are almost always the ones who sat down in a showroom, went through the questions properly, and then moved on with something written down.
Common questions
What is the difference between the north and south sides?
Broadly, the north side sits higher in the market and runs across living room, bedroom and office, while the south side is older, keener on price and heavier on sofas and beds. Buyers commonly walk one after the other precisely because the contrast is useful.
Is this where most buyers end up ordering?
A great many do. It covers the middle of the market broadly enough that most mixed orders can be assembled here, which is why it tends to absorb the largest share of a buying day.
How long does it take to walk?
Half a day for one side if you are focused, and a full day if you intend to do both properly. It is deeper than it appears from the road.
