Construction on The Explorer - a shopping centre and villa project - has begun on a 56 rai plot of land in Cherngtalay.

?It?s quite a unique product, we will be one of the first developers in Phuket to bring residential and retail together,? said Norbert Witthinrich, the sole agent and manager of the development.

The development is very distinctive in that it will have 31 shops and stores at the front of the property, 78 villas (of which there will be single and double storey) on the left and right and 156 condo units at the rear of the plot.

The owner of the development is Phuket-born Sitthipan Tanthaveewong who explained how he came to choose the name of the development, ?There really is so much more to explore in Phuket now as we have secured our place on the Asian stage as one of the hottest destinations around. Therefore it is our aim at The Explorer to give people more to explore and enjoy in Phuket.?

Central to Mr Witthinrich?s confidence is his belief that there is a distinct need for the product especially in that area, ?Residents and tourists staying around Cherngtalay, Layan, Laguna and Bangtao have to drive to Central Festival or Jungceylon to shop, so these are the consumers we will be targeting.?

The shopping plaza will be finished by July, 2011 with the first phase of the villas completed by the end of 2012. Despite the sales office having only been open from the beginning of the month, Mr Witthinrich has already received lots of visitors.

?About 20 companies have expressed an interest in purchasing space, but I?m hesitant to sell for a few reasons,? Mr Witthinrich explains.

The first being that he would like to control the type of shop/business that is included in the property so as to preserve the exclusivity of the development.

?We will be targeting and stocking high quality brands and products. There?s a need for high-quality products in this area. Good quality international dentists, exclusive furniture stores and high quality markets.?

The second reason is that Mr Witthinrich doesn?t want an empty shop when The
Explorer opens next year. He has therefore set up a rental option system; which will work as a sort of introduction service.

?If people want to rent instead of buying, then I will set them up with an investor to rent from. For buyers we will stipulate in the contract that they need to open their store within six months, ? he said.

The rates are as of yet undecided, but will be set by the company. Mr Witthinrich promises them to be much cheaper than Jungceylon and Central.

Despite its close proximity, Mr Witthinrich believes that the Laguna Village is not really ?competition? and considers that it does not meet the local demand for extensive shopping facilities and high quality products.

Another comparison that he is not particularly happy with is with the Factory Outlet. ?The concept of the Outlet is vastly different to The Explorer; the Outlet is in a very inconvenient location (Bypass road), whereas we will be providing 31 luxury boutique units in a great spot.?

Mr Witthinrich is also undeterred by the current uncomfortable economic climate and believes that people should wait until the project is completed to see with their own eyes before they form an opinion, which will hopefully be long enough for the Phuket economy to return to stability.

?I can?t please everyone. Some want Phuket to somehow revert back to how it was 20 years ago while others want to see it much more developed and more like Monaco,? he said.

One thing that Mr Witthinrich believes that all Phuket residents should be thankful for is that as of yet, unlike the Spanish coastline for example, Phuket has few 20-plus story buildings.

Yet?