Central Patana Shopping Centre in Bangkok.
Central Patana
Central Pattana, controlled by the Chirathivat family, is Thailand's wealthiest clan and will spend 120 billion baht ($3.6 billion over the next five years to build new office buildings and shopping malls as the country tries to enhance its status as a tourist hub.
The company plans to develop new commercial districts in the northern part of the country and 30 comprehensive real estate projects from now until 2029.
“Central Pattana aims to elevate Bangkok and Thailand to a larger global standard and plans to invest in the development of large-scale projects as well as other new projects across the country,” said President and CEO Wallaya Chirathivat in a statement.
Central Pattana is Thailand's largest shopping mall, Central World, and a move that could further boost tourism as the country will allow casinos, a major driver of the economy. The government is also seeking to bring large international events such as Formula One into the country.
Among the company's large projects are the center of the new commercial business district in Phhaholyothin in northern Bangkok. The shopping mall will open in the second half of 2026 and will have 460,000 square meters of retail space and can accommodate more than 200 global brands.
Central Group is also interested in British retailer Selfridges – led by Tos Chirathivat, grandson of the group's founder Tiang Chirathivat. When Forbes Asia published Thailand’s 50 richest list in July 2024, the family had a net worth of $9.9 billion, ranking fourth.
