With over 100 new malls built or planned between 2013 and 2017, Mexico is seeing an explosion of shopping opportunities for its communities. Attracting shoppers in this competitive marketplace has led to a new way of viewing the shopping experience, leading malls to install engaging new retail amenities and services that cater to busy families.

“Mexico City is so densely populated that you can’t get into your car and drive to different locations to get your errands done,” says Norma Rojas, Soft Play International Sales Agent. “Malls are now being built around the mixed use concept, including everything from residences to fitness centers and even hospitals in one place. The mall has become the center of it all, like a small city.”

Patio Universidad, located in Mexico City and owned by FibraUNO, has taken the lead on targeting the ever-important family population by offering two integrated retail amenities: a play area connected to a raised, curved stage area where parents can get coffee, sit and watch their children between shopping runs.

“Other malls don’t even have chairs,” says Rojas. “You have to walk, walk, walk. You have to shop. Patio Universidad has created a place for families to gather, sit and enjoy some conversation while they get their shopping done.”

Increasingly, shopping centers know they must improve their retail amenities to serve CDMX families and to become the destination of choice for Mexican families. For their unique shopping center play area, Patio Universidad considered many play equipment vendors but chose Soft Play for the company’s innovative designs, soft play elements and its safety record.

Not only is Soft Play’s soft play equipment considered among the safest in the play industry, but the play elements are also certified antibacterial. Further, all Soft Play play areas are ADA compliant and inspected by a Soft Play safety specialist.

Rojas worked with the mall to help them pick a theme – aquatic – and play elements that perfectly suited their space.

“The mall owners wanted a family gathering right in the center of the mall. They treat their families as guests, not customers,” says Fernando de Corcuera, Patio Universidad’s General Manager. “For them it’s not about bringing people in to buy things; they invite people and treat them as guests. They want to be sure that every minute of their experience – from when they enter the parking lot to when they leave – is welcoming.”

And the play area, which opened in February 2016, has achieved all of the mall’s goals for attracting families with retail amenities. Restaurants and retailers report increased traffic while families can be found at all hours enjoying yogurt and coffee, watching their children play.

For families, it’s so important that the owners purposely built the playground in the center of the mall,” says Rojas. “Families can drink coffee and eat their yogurt, but they don’t lose track of their kids. Also, from where they are sitting, they can look around at the shopping they will do next. They can visualize the whole mall and decide where they want to go next.”

Rojas adds, “More and more mall owners realize that entertainment offered as a service is a good thing. In the past, malls only offered movies, but you can’t take small children to the movies. They’ve realized it’s important to offer entertainment like playgrounds as a courtesy of the mall. Otherwise, it’s very hard to get your shopping done.”

About FibraUNO

With over 20 years of experience in the Mexican real estate market, FibraUNO is a group of Mexican persons and entities, including trusts created by individuals and companies, that is vertically integrated and dedicated to the acquisition, development, rental and operation of various types of commercial real estate projects in Mexico, including industrial, retail, office and mixed-use projects.