THE owner of one of Namaka's first-ever supermarkets is staying ahead of the game by planning the construction of a $10million shopping mall at the popular Nadi business centre.
Suresh Prasad, a businessman, revealed this ambitious plan as Consumers Supermarket — the store he established in 1985 — celebrated its 27th anniversary last week.
"Because of the floods, a lot of businesses and residents have moved to Namaka, increasing the amount of economic activity there," he said.
"What I want to do is build a shopping mall to cater for 16 businesses and also build apartments for residents on the second floor.
"We will be calling it the Namaka Plaza and it will be a one-stop shop for Namaka and Nadi residents.
"This has been one of our business plans for quite a while and we will begin construction of the mall by the end of this year."
Mr Prasad said his business had seen a lot of changes since its establishment 27 years ago.
"We were the first supermarket to open in 1985 and since then we have seen Namaka grow to what it is today.
"There have been a lot more businesses opening in this part of Nadi and people are starting to see its ideal location which is a safe distance from flood prone areas."
Mr Prasad also owns Water Wear Fiji Limited, a garment factory located at the back of the supermarket which produces and exports swimsuits and dive wear to overseas markets.