Kandy City Centre is Kandy’s only big commercial mall. The mall looks pretty neat on the inside, better than Colombo’s Majestic City or Crescat anyway, and it’s got a lot of branded stores.
The entrance of the mall from Dalada Veediya is interesting given that you’d never guess it was a posh mall if you were passing by. It’s disguised as a wide cottage-like building on this side, blending in with Kandy city’s old architecture. Walk in and you’re met with these three elephants, randomly standing guard next to the metal detector, before you enter the ground floor of the mall.
A picture from the mall’s websiteIt’s the other end of the mall down Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe Mawatha that’s got a lot of attention though, from which you get a clear view of the pyramid glass structure of the mall and its outdoor seating space. We unfortunately didn’t get to check this end out ourselves.
Inside
The inside of the mall is pretty typical in that it’s all white tiles and glass displays. There’s a wide range of stuff to pick from where clothes are concerned. Here’s a breakdown of the mall as it is now.
- Ground Floor: Electronics, Jewellery
- Basement: Baskin Robbins ice cream, Camera equipment
- 1st Floor: Clothes
- 2nd Floor: Burger King
As you walk into the ground floor there’s a hall on your right that’s often booked for special sales or promotions, and further inside – LG, Abans, Nokia, Softlogic, FutureWorld, a few jewellery stores, Vision Care, DSI and Bata. Prices are pretty much the same as at the outlets in Colombo. If you take the stairs down to the basement, you just get A Pictures for camera equipment, and a Baskin Robbins ice cream stall (Rs. 300 a scoop).
The selection of clothing stores on the first floor is impressively large. You get Avirate, ODEL, Triumph, Kelly Felder, Ranjanas, Glitz, Mothercare, International Watches and Hameedias among others, and outlets of Stone & String and The Parfumerie. Branded clothes are easy to get here whether it’s Giordano, Levi’s or Signature. Judging by the brands, it’s a good place for shoes and watches too.
The price range here is varied, with dresses and formal wear at around Rs. 2500 upwards and then more reasonable bargains for some casual wear and stuff like ethnic wear at Ranjanas or Glitz. The second floor feels pretty empty – it’s a large floor all by itself, with only a Burger King diner at the end (Rs. 590 for a burger).
Conclusion
Kandy City Centre is a cool space considering the novelty of its glass pyramid ceiling and what not, and also the fact that it’s the empire city’s only big mall and seems bigger than the ones in Colombo. It’s a good place to shop, although it obviously caters to a slightly upscale market. So if you want to go shopping for electronics or clothes in Kandy with plenty of options in one place, this is a good place to visit.
