When it first opened for business in 2000, the mall was simply known as Citygate. Following a major shift in market position, the mall renamed itself Citygate Outlets in August 2006 and became Hong Kong’s first—and only—outlet mall. Outlets in the mall currently offer year-round discounts of 30-70% on all merchandise.
Full description:
Location
Citygate Outlets is in Tung Chung, above Tung Chung MTR Station, which is the terminus of the Tung Chung Line. The mall is also next door to Tung Chung bus terminus, and is directly connected to the Novotel Citygate Hong Kong hotel. Hong Kong International Airport is 10 minutes away by bus.
Configuration
Citygate Outlets has almost half a million square feet of retail space: 75 shops and 14 restaurants, a 6-screen multiplex cinema, a 3-suite spa centre, and Asia’s largest outdoor kinetic fountain. The Citygate complex also includes 160,000 square feet (15,000 m2) of office space, as well as subterranean parking for over 1,100 cars. The 440-room Novotel Citygate Hong Kong hotel is also connected to the mall.
Design features
Citygate Outlets has made extensive use of glass and natural light. The mall features two sky-lit atriums, located at the northern and southern ends of the complex. These two atriums are connected to one another by walkways. The mall comprises five storeys, two of which are basement levels. There is a large restaurant-in-restaurant called foodrepublic on the mall’s topmost level. Unusually for Hong Kong, Citygate Outlets includes a large open-air piazza called The Square. Asia’s largest outdoor kinetic fountain is located here, and the space is often used for artistic performances, open-air exhibitions and special events.
Positioning
Citygate Outlets has 63 outlets, including over 70 well-known international brand names. Anchor tenants include Club 21, ESPRIT and I.T It’s a place where visitors can search for off-season goods at large discounts they won’t find elsewhere in Hong Kong. Store interiors are spacious and bright, and fitting rooms are widely available. As with popular outlet mall in western countries, Citygate Outlets places heavy emphasis on being a family destination where visitors can enjoy dining and other leisure activities in a setting that’s close to nature. In 2007, Citygate Outlets won a Silver in the International Council of Shopping Centre MAXI Awards (Category Integration section). It was the first time that a mall in Asia won an ICSC MAXI Award.
Site challenges
Construction commenced in 1995, and was completed in 1999. The entire complex is built on reclaimed land. The combined retail-office complex is a key feature of Tung Chung New Town, which was designed and built as a complement to the construction of Chek Lap Kok International Airport, also on reclaimed land. Remnants of the original village of Tung Chung can still be seen some ten minutes’ walk from the mall.
