ICONSIAM, Thailand’s iconic national landmark on the Chao Phraya River, also referred to as the River of Kings, has recently opened ICS and Lotus’s Privé in Thonburi, with the aim of establishing the tower as a must-visit destination for Bangkokians and visitors. Crowds of shoppers flocked to ICS, opposite ICONSIAM, on January 11 – the day it was launched.
During its initial soft opening, ICS has five floors of the 29-storey tower available to check out. Described as “a mixed-use lifestyle town” it is a joint venture from the well-renowned real estate developers Siam Piwat, Charoen Pokphand Group (CP) and Magnolia (MQDC).
The 4-billion-baht project covers 70,000 square meters on Charoen Nakhon Road, and is set to unveil the remainder of the retail and lifestyle outlets by the end of April. Hilton are finishing construction of a Garden Inn hotel at ICS, and offices are also being completed.
ICS and ICONSIAM are both directly linked with Charoen Nakhon Gold Line station, which services the elevated transport system of driverless people-movers running to BTS Krung Thong Buri station. When you are at Charoen Nakhon station, depending on the direction that you are facing, you are able to walk into ICS on one side, or ICONSIAM on the other.
If you head to the “Daily Tasty” section on the ground floor, you will discover a plethora of food stalls selling local dishes, treats and beverages, as you can see in the photos above. Thai curry sauces, and pork floss rice crackers, are popular items available to take home.
Aside from local vendors, there are some lovely restaurants and cafes to try: MOS Burger, Omu Bangkok, getfresh, Bake A Wish, White Story, Olino Crepe & Tea, Cha Tra Mue, Mee Khwam Sook, and Fuku Matcha are also on the ground floor, and all are worth sampling.
Thailand’s First-Ever Premium Hypermarket, Lotus’s Privé
Lotus’s Privé is a 2,900 square meter store located on ICS’ B1 floor, offering customers an amazing selection of premium goods sourced from around the world at affordable prices. Hypermarkets are supermarkets that also sell other items such as TV’s and pet products.
Household-name brands and many hard-to-find brands are available at Lotus’s Privé, with roughly 40% of the products being imported. Purveyors of high-quality beef, Meat Artisan offers premium cuts of Australian Wagyu like grass-fed picanha steaks, and shoppers will also be excited to try some of Whittaker’s extraordinary New Zealand-crafted chocolates.
As mentioned earlier, patrons of the large retail outlet have more than just food to peruse the aisles for: True LivingTECH has a concession within the store, selling a great range of electronic goods. Pet Us has a large area full of pet products, many of which are imports.
Going back up one floor in ICS to “Daily Tasty” one can find Double Slash, as seen above, perfect for coffee devotees, as well as Neswell, a health food store catering to anyone on a keto diet, those on low-calorie diets, gluten-intolerant individuals, and of course vegans.
On the other floors, ICS will host a superb choice of lifestyle-related businesses, covering home and living, beauty clincs, health providers, fashion, and cosmetics, along with many specialist retailers, family dining venues, branches of banks, and a children’s playground.
ICS can be found at 168 Charoen Nakhon Rd, Khwaeng Khlong Ton Sai, Khet Khlong San, Bangkok. Open daily from 10am to 10pm, you can visit its Facebook page for further info.
