Shopping Malls & Commercial Centers

The precursor of today's modern, western style shopping malls in Lima surely is the "commercial gallery" Galerias Boza. Opened already in 1956 at the famous Jr. de la Union in the city center it was for nearly 20 years the most luxurious and modern shopping facility of the capital. Unfortunately, it never recovered after it partly burnt down in 1975. In the 1960s they opened two small commercial centers: the Centro Comercial Todos in San Isidro near the Via Expresa and the Centro Comercial Risso in Lince at Av. Arequipa block 22, which is still operating. In 1973 Miraflores got its first, even though with only 23 boutiques and a coffee shop, a small commercial center, the famous 'Avant-Garde'. Sadly, today only a few stores are left.

In the 1970s and 1980s many middle sized shopping malls were opened: Plaza San Miguel, still operating, modernized, extended and very popular, Higuerta, an accumulation of many small stores and back then with two big retailers, the commercial center Arenales, as well still in business, and Camino Real in San Isidro, "the" shopping center of the 1980s, but today nothing compared to its former splendor. Other malls opened in the 1980s were the Plaza Camacho, the Molicentro, Caminos del Inca and El Polo. They remodeled all in the last years to meet modern standards and to compete against the new, ultramodern shopping malls popping up in Lima.

Since 1997, a new generation of shopping malls conquered the capital of Peru. Starting with Lima's showpiece mall, the Jockey Plaza, today's shopping centers turn into meeting places, like the main square in former times, offering its customers next to all possible shopping facilities also all kinds of entertainment, fairs and exhibitions. After this model places like Larcomar, Marina Park, Real Plaza Primavera, Plaza Norte, Lima Plaza Sur, Molina Plaza and many more were built.