Casino operator SJM Holdings soft opened its latest venture in the local culinary scene on Saturday – Kam Pek Market, a new food hall located on Macao’s main thoroughfare, Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro (popularly known by its Cantonese name San Ma Lo). The grand opening will be held on 22 December, with business hours scheduled between 10 am and 10 pm daily.
The project will launch in two phases, with the first and current phase marked by the opening of eight food and beverage establishments on the ground floor, which covers more than 7,000 square feet and has around 100 seats.
The outlets that operate on the ground floor serve a variety of food and snacks from China, Portugal, Japan and Thailand and include Sam’s Station, Time Dessert Shop, Ba Fang Ying Mian, Goat Bakers, Fong Seng Hin Mei Sek, Pratunam 1982, Rui Chen Delights and Dragon Dance Noodle.
The second phase is due to launch next month and will see the opening of eight restaurants on the first floor, which has an area of more than 5,800 square feet and room for almost 130 seats.
[See more: SJM Holdings is developing a new three-star hotel in Hengqin]
During the soft opening ceremony, which was attended by Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng, SJM’s managing director Daisy Ho pointed out that Kam Pek Market’s launch “marks an important step in revitalising the [San Ma Lo] district.”
“By driving footfall to the area, we seek to stimulate collaborative growth within the neighbourhood, revitalise the local economy, and implement a ‘large supports small’ development model that benefits residents and businesses alike,” Ho said.
The historic building in which the Kam Pek Market is housed has gone through significant changes over the years, having once housed a casino during the 1980s and 1990s, before becoming a community centre.
The venue’s transformation into a food court is part of SJM’s obligations to the Macao government to help revitalise the city’s historic districts and invest in non-gaming ventures – something all of the city’s concessionaires pledged to do under the terms of their licence renewals in 2022.
