Kasala Retail Park (Finnish: Kauppakeskus Kasala) is a shopping mall in the Kasala suburb of Kelvia, Arola, near Kelvia Kasala International Airport, owned and operated by Simon Property Group. The retail park opened on 20th October 1998, becoming one of the largest and busiest shopping centers in Arola.
History[]
The area where the mall lies today used to be occupied by Eastern Air Lines’ head office in Arola, until its 1991 liquidation. The building sat dormant for 2 years when British investors negotiated the Arolan government to build a retail park in Kasala. After the project was approved, the former Eastern building was demolished and construction commenced on the Kasala Retail Park in mid 1994.
Upon completion in 1997, Kasala Retail Park was originally expected to open on 13th June 1997, but it had failed structural safety inspections. The mall finally opened on 20th October 1998 at a cost of $4.65 million Arolan dollars, with 210 stores at opening. Tenants at opening included Sainsbury’s and Arola's largest IKEA.
In May 2007, the investors of Kasala Retail Park sold the mall to Simon Property Group, renaming the mall to Kasala Premium Outlets the following year. This name would later be reverted in 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic.
An expansion of Kasala Retail Park opened on 2nd October 2010 one week ahead of Line T1's extension to KKI Airport, doubling the number of stores.
Most of the original Kasala Retail Park building was renovated in 2018-19.
On 30th May 2022, Lotte Cinema announced its closure in Kasala Retail Park on 1st June, and will be replaced by local cinema chain Platinum Cinemas on 3rd February 2023.
Tenants[]
Main article: List of stores at Kasala Retail Park
Kasala Retail Park is home to many retailers that have not opened in Arola before, hence the mall attracts most of Kelvia's population.
Tenants include Shake Shack, H&M, Uniqlo, 4Fingers, Barnes & Noble, the only Amazon Go in Arola and the largest IKEA location in Arola. A seven-screen Platinum Cinemas is located at the other end of the retail park.
The third floor of the original building is occupied by a food hall which houses Five Guys, KFC, Pepper Lunch, Pinkberry and Panda Express.
Travel and transport[]
Light rail[]
Kasala Retail Park is served by Kasala stop on Line T1 of the Kelvia light rail system, which opened on 9th October 2010. The elevated light rail station is accessible by a skyway connected to the expansion of Kasala Retail Park.
Road[]
Kasala Retail Park is located off Arolan Freeway 15, allowing easier connections into downtown Kelvia. The retail park has a total of over 9,000 spaces, including three multi-storey parking garages.
Bus[]
The mall is served by bus routes 22, 128 and A1 of Kelvia Urban Transit. Express shuttle buses to downtown Kelvia used to serve the retail park as well, but the buses were discontinued upon the opening of the light rail station in the mall.
Accidents and incidents[]
- During a structural safety inspection in early 1997, cracks were spotted on some pillars at the food court on the third floor. This postponed the opening of the mall.
- On 26th October 2007, a glass pane in the IKEA Restaurant & Cafe shattered, injuring 3 people.
- On 3rd March 2020, a large stampede occurred at the entrance of the original Kasala Retail Park building, caused by panic buying before the COVID-19 lockdowns in Arola. A total of 188 deaths, including 16 security officers who were killed while trying to enforce safe distancing, were reported at the mall.