Akmerkez
Encyclopedia
| Akmerkez | |
|---|---|
| ---- |
|
| Location | Etiler, Istanbul, Turkey |
| Opening date | December 18, 1993 |
| Developed by | Akkök-Tekfen-İstikbal |
| Land area (m²) | 22,557 |
| Total enclosed area (m²) | 180,000 |
| Gross leasable area (m²) | 36,399 |
| Market (m²) | Tansaş (2,169) |
| Number of stores | 246 |
| Number of FF/Rest/Cafe | 32 |
| Anchor tenants (m²) | Beymen (4,794) Zara (1,550) Mudo (974) Vakko (617) Massimo Dutti (546) |
| Entertainment | 4 halls (502 seats) 2 kids play ground |
| Parking lot capacity | 1,500 |
| Homepage | www.akmerkez.com.tr |
Akmerkez is a shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
located in the Etiler
Etiler
Etiler is a neighbourhood on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey, located in the district of Beşiktaş, close to the business quarters of Levent and Maslak....
quarter of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. It was commissioned on December 18, 1993 by a joint venture of the Akkök, Tekfen and İstikbal companies.
Atrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
. There are 41 escalators, 2 panoramic elevators and 30 elevators providing greater speed and easy access for visitors.
2-2.5 million people visit the shopping center monthly. It provides women's, men's and children's clothing and textiles, stationery, toys, sports shoes, eyewear and gift shops along with restaurants, a hairdresser, a currency exchange office, electronic goods, car maintenance, shoe shine services, a dry cleaner, a tailor, travel agents, orthopedic goods and a supermarket.
Transportation services are provided free of charge for tourists staying in nearby business centers and hotels, allowing for a greater variety of visitors. Visitors spend an average of 3.5 hours in Akmerkez. The world average is 2.5 hours. The cleaning, security and general maintenance is provided by a workforce of 250 people.
Akmerkez extends a special service to its foreign guests with a courtesy card, which entitles them to various discounts of up to 20% in several shops in the shopping mall.
In 1995, Akmerkez was chosen as the best shopping center in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
by the International Council of Shopping Centers
International Council of Shopping Centers
Founded in 1957, the International Council of Shopping Centers is the global trade association of the shopping center industry. Its 60,000 members in the U.S., Canada and more than 80 other countries include shopping center owners, developers, managers, marketing specialists, investors, lenders,...
(ICSC). In the competition, organized by this same council, Akmerkez was recognized as the best shopping center in the world in 1996. It also received the highest accolade given by the ICSC, the "International Design and Development Award". It is the only shopping center in the world to receive both of these awards.
Trivia
- Akmerkez has been featured on Turkish television many times, including the hit TV series Çılgın Bediş.
- At the bottom floor of Akmerkez, there is a fountain that can jet flush the water to the 4th floor without moistening any shoppers.
- The top floor is where all the restaurants and cafes are located. There are only two cafes at the bottom floor one of which is the "Home Store".