Is there a future for Carrefour in Udon ?

[Khun Paul]

It is estimated that albeit there are fluctuations but at one time up to 9000 forteigners lived in Udon Thani province, but that may not mean 9000 westerners, but FOREIGNERS.

Since the Financial Crisis a lot have left and some are really struggling, I do not for one moment think that any planning was carried out and in fact we are not the reason for any expansion of any stores and from the Chinese Thai perpestive that expansion was sorely needed, as we all know there is a very large Chinese Thai population here.

Tesco expanded due to current old site becoming unavailable for rent or so we are led to believe, but that has not been confirmed nor denied, and I cannot find out the real reason from my sources, cos if they know they ain't telling.

Likewise the new development of a factory Outlet mall for named brands next to Kubota, with the reasonably priced clothing market next to Global it beggars belief why open an obviously more expensive shopping mall for clothes. The weather here does horrible things to clothes so unless I buy a suit which i have made I always choose the cheaper option if IT fits which for me and many others would be hard to find sometimes.

maybe udon will expand towards the airport side, which it will if and this is a BIG IF, they dual carriageway the last remaining piece of the ring road .

So for the moment unless that happens in the near future which i can see no sign of, then we have an over capacity of supermarkets.

Saying one thing about Carrefour and tesco, if one has a probelm with an item purchased at either they are very helpful and try to ensure , it is changed or even refunded, I have never asked that question in Neegsoon, I do not think they wouyld follow thatr but adopt the normal Thai attitude, we just sell it, problem contact manufacturer.

Mod Note: 5 duplicate posts removed...

[Tilokarat]

Khun Paul, could you please repeat that post one more time? I still don't get it after reading it six times. 55555

[rick]

Texpat's figures are wrong i think.

Udon Province - 1,467,158

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udon_Thani_Province

Mueang udon thani - 397,049

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphoe_Mueang_Udon_Thani

Mak Khaeng หมากแข้ง - 141,209

[parrot]

Regarding Neesoon's refund policy: Although I've never had to return a food item or toilet tissue for refund, I'm confident that Khun Golf, the manager of the new Neesoon store, would gladly refund any item brought back.
A few days ago, when I mentioned that his store was out of 1/2kg boxes of corn flakes, he offered to send one of his workers to the downtown store to get me a box.

[KHONDAHM]

As everyone except a certain myopic person who consistently posts wrong information have picked up, my last post stated "foreigners" which includes anyone who is not a Thai national. Facts are that China is experiencing and will continue to experience a critical shortage of wives due to the consequences of their 1 child policy (and such things as girls having been aborted in favor of boys). As the economy worsens in other parts of the more developed world, retiring foreigners are finding it too expensive to retire in their native country. The consequences have been and will continue to be more of them moving to Thailand where they can actually live comfortably on an otherwise meager pension, savings, and/or welfare program.

There is no doubt that the research that the Big Boys have knows much more than anyone on this board knows about what the plans are for Udon, and it would be naive to suggest that there are no plans given the rather huge amounts being invested by Smart Money. Billions of baht aren't being invested in Udon to service the current customer base. It is being invested in Udon to service the planned customer base. That is just common sense.

Just my song baht. Cheers!

[Texpat]

The Thais have suddenly caught on to long-term planning? In Issan no less? And it's Smart money with a big "S"?

For an expected influx of retirees? To snatch up all the girls?

Do you forecast a violent proxy war between Chinese men seeking wives and western men seeking wives/girlfriends to play out in Nutty Park or maybe Nong Prajak?

This might be worth sticking around for...

[parrot]

"It is being invested in Udon to service the planned customer base. "

I'm no expert on how businessmen conduct business in Udon, but you've got to wonder:

On Soi Phompakhai (the airport shortcut) someone built two 2-story homes back in 1997. They were about 90% complete. They sat vacant for 12 years. Last year they were town down, the site leveled, and now there's no activity.

PK 5 (I think) on the Nongkai Highway.....2 big homes, also more than 50% complete....look like showcase homes for the sub-division. Nothing's happened on those two homes in probably 5 years.

On the ringroad near Homepro, the big building in front of Savemart (okay, has ANYONE ever gone to that store). It was built just after the crash of '97. It sat vacant for 5 or so years. It was remodeled, then sat vacant for another 5 years. Last year or two, it's been done over and last I saw, it was still vacant.

There's a big building across from the CAT office, up toward the clock circle. Completely built in '97. It's been shuttered shut since.

There's a subdivision of single story homes on the opposite side of Maliwan subdivision, probably less than a km or so down the road toward KK highway. Most of the homes have never been occupied, despite being built more than 5 years ago. Last I was in the area, many of the homes have been pilfered of doors, windows, interior items.

Fa-Luang Resort, just off Kilo 16 on the highway to Loei. Beautiful resort, campsite, restaurant, 10 or so pond-side bungalows, conference hall, and 70 rooms (hotel-style). I pass by frequently....never see more than a car or two there. The resort at about kilo 16 on the way to Nongkai isn't much better in terms of business....it's a beautiful place and makes some money sponsoring government conferences, but it's not making money as a resort.

St Mall has a store just past Big C. The few times I've been in or passed it, there've been few customers. They're building a second store near Harry's.

At the ringroad turnoff to the airport...next to the ducksoup shop, there's a big building with a big parking lot that has what looks like a 3x3' elevated sign advertising some sort of coffee/refreshment. We pass it many times per week.....never seen a car in the parking lot.

When we moved here in 1996, Udon had the Udon Hotel, Charoensri Grand, Napalai, BanChiang, Charoen and a smattering of small Chinese/older hotels around the city. All those still exist, plus the Toonkoon, Karin, President, Yim Siam, Airport Inn, and a gazillion places like The City, Top Mansion, Baan Worachan, Lotus Condotel, AEK apartments, Four Peaks, along with another gazillion resorts like BB, Thomas, Bamboo, Happy, Englishman's Retreat, Sunshine, Udon Residence, not to mention the monstrosity of a hotel that's been going up across from Big C for the past ??5?? years.

Go to the multi-story car park across near the fountain circle (across from the Ford Dealer). Just built a few years ago.....it has a entrance-exit-ramp that's way too steep......the car park is largely empty.

I'm not sure of the floor numbers, but go to Paolo and walk up the staircase to the top of the building. Count the number of unoccupied floors....completely unoccupied. You can do the same for AEK. You can do the same for the OTOP Monstrosity built just before you get to Nongkai.

I could go on.......and on......and on.

I would like to think that international businesses like Lotus, Carrefour, McD do their homework before setting up shop here. Certainly, their businesses seem to do better than the typical non-international business. The flood of building that's gone on in the past decade and a half certainly leads one to believe that something's coming to town (Santa?). But judging by the dearth of customers in so many of those stores, one has to wonder how/if anyone's making any money.
I'm not knocking Udon.....I love it here.....but I'd prefer to leave my 800k rot in a near-zero interest account than consider investing in a business proposition here.

[rick]

Well, something is up with all the building activity. if it was just more bars, then you could blame it on optimistic farangs. But these recent developments are by people with money; you do not get that sort of money by being completely dumb. Is it Thais behind it? or the Chinese Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere rolling into action? The railway extension, the potash deposits? They want the facilities there when they move the workers in.

As for turf wars for the girls, maybe not that extreme, plenty to go round at present. But definitely more western retirees, and why not younger middle-aged chinese men looking for a wife? makes sense. Japanese farmers cannot get wives (well, not ones to help on the farm), they go to the Phillipines for theirs. When they have disposable income, they will find a way.