WorldBridge Arena, a shopping and entertainment complex built by the WorldBridge Group in Phnom Penh, will open to the public in November, with half of the retail space on offer already booked.

Simon Griffiths, managing director of Urban Asset Solutions, a company that has provided consulting and management services to WA Arena, said the complex was built with a $10 million investment, and consists of 13 main buildings.

It will have a market with a wide selection of products, from fashion and gadgets to handicrafts and beauty products.

“WB Arena brings together the most popular global brands as well as the most popular home-grown restaurants and cafés.

“Customers can choose from a wide selection of cuisines from Chinese, Khmer, Western, Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai all the way to ice-cream parlours, coffee shops and bakery cafes,” Mr Griffiths said.

“We also have an additional entertainment concert, live show theatre, spa and massage,” he added.

Mr Griffiths said that more than 50 percent of the commercial space available at the complex has already been booked.

Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, welcomed the new development. She said the new entertainment complex shows the potential of the private sector to create innovative commercial spaces to meet local and international demand.

“This is a new destination for tourists in the Kingdom. I hope it will help boost the number of tourists to the capital,” Mrs Sivlin said.

Jiranun Wongmongkol, chairman of RCG Retail (Cambodia), the company that brought Inthanin Coffee to Cambodia, told Khmer Times that an Inthanin café will open in the complex in December this year.

“We hope that the new outlet will be a success. There is not many cafes in this side of town, and is not far from the centre of Phnom Penh and Takhmao city,” she said.

WA Arena extends over 1.3 hectares of land and is located between the Tonle Bassac River and national road 2 in Chak Angre Krom.