“Bagatelle Mall has become a key economic asset within Ascencia’s portfolio”

Parama Sabapathee, Asset Manager of Bagatelle Mall & Bo’Valon Mall

In its 15 years of existence, Bagatelle Mall has established itself as the most popular destination among consumers. This was recently confirmed by a survey conducted by Analysis. On September 15, as the mall celebrates its anniversary, a new space featuring the giant Flip Out, an indoor food court, and other brands will be unveiled. For Parama Sabapathee, Asset Manager of the mall, it is essential that Bagatelle constantly innovates in order to stay ahead of tomorrow. 

SHAREENAH KALLA 

Bagatelle Mall will celebrate its 15th anniversary this month. Today, in terms of turnover and job creation, where does the mall stand?

Fifteen years after opening, Bagatelle Mall has become a significant economic platform in our portfolio. Today, the mall represents more than 63,000 m² of GLA, brings together over 200 brands, including 50 food and beverage outlets, generates approximately Rs 8.4 bn in annual tenant turnover and supports 87 jobs through its service providers.

Its economic footprint also extends beyond the mall itself, through the businesses that operate around it every day, such as suppliers, contractors, maintenance companies, security providers, logistics partners and other service operators.

What we find particularly important at this milestone is that Bagatelle is still attracting investment. Existing tenants continue to reinvest; new concepts are entering the market through the mall, and Ascencia itself is committing substantial capital to its next phase of development.

So, while 15 years gives us the opportunity to measure how far Bagatelle Mall has come, it is certainly not a story of an asset that has reached its ceiling. We see it as entering another cycle of value creation.

According to recent Analysis surveys, Bagatelle Mall remains the most visited mall in Mauritius. What explains this success, given the wide choice of malls in the country?

Bagatelle Mall currently welcomes approximately 8.6 million visitors per year, but we do not think that its success can be explained by retail alone.

Over time, we have deliberately widened the number of occasions that can bring someone to Bagatelle Mall. Our calendar includes experiences such as the Bagatelle Foodies Festival, the Bagatelle Urban Trail, cultural celebrations and live events, alongside the everyday retail, dining and service offer.

The Bagatelle Foodies Festival is a good example. What began as a food-led activation has grown into an established annual rendez-vous, with its 2026 edition bringing together more than 30 food and beverage stands. 

Bagatelle Mall’s location gave it an undeniable advantage from the outset. But while location may drive a first visit, it does not guarantee 15 years of repeat visits. What has sustained Bagatelle Mall is its ability to remain useful, active, and relevant across different moments of people’s lives.

Bagatelle Mall is already a strong performer. What is driving Ascencia to continue transforming and investing in the mall?

Because the best time to reinvent an asset is before it needs reinventing.

Bagatelle Mall currently operates at more than 99% occupancy. We are therefore not investing to solve a vacancy problem or to revive an underperforming destination. We are doing it from a position of strength.

That distinction is important because our role as asset developers and managers is not simply to protect current performance. It is to anticipate where the next sources of value will come from. Is every square metre still serving the right purpose for tomorrow’s customer?

The former cinema brought that question into sharp focus. We had around 6,000 m2 that could have been re-let to another single operator. Instead, we chose to fundamentally rethink the use of the space, guided by evolving customer expectations and a growing demand for new leisure and entertainment experiences. This led us to transform the former cinema into a new entertainment destination within Bagatelle Mall. That decision reflects our philosophy that strong assets should not only be preserved, they should also be constantly challenged.

Around 6,000 m² of the former cinema space will be redeveloped. What is the vision behind this new Entertainment Node? Tell us more about the investment that it required.

This vision is to transform around 6,000 m² of the former cinema space and surrounding area, previously centred around a single activity, into a new entertainment and social destination. At the heart of this new leisure hub will be Flip Out, which will occupy approximately 3,000 m² and open in November 2026. A leading UK indoor adventure park operator, Flip Out will make its debut in Mauritius at Bagatelle Mall, bringing a new dimension to the mall’s family entertainment offering. It will feature attractions including Ninja Park, Laser Tag and a trampoline park. The wider entertainment zone will bring together this active offer with a covered food court, a children’s playground and several new dining concepts. For us, we are creating a new destination within Bagatelle Mall, with Flip Out as its entertainment proposition.

You are introducing a covered food court, something clients have requested repeatedly. How do customer feedback and expectations shape your strategic decisions?

The covered food court addresses something customers have raised with us: the need for greater comfort and protection from changing weather conditions. The redevelopment gives us the opportunity to solve that issue structurally rather than through temporary adjustments. What is important is that this new food court will not sit in isolation. It will be integrated into the entertainment zone as a broader destination, so dining, leisure and family activities can reinforce one another.

We also pay close attention to how people actually use Bagatelle Mall, because behaviour often tells you as much as direct feedback.

42 Market Street is a good example. What began five years ago as the identity of a particular area within the mall has progressively developed into a destination within the destination. Today, it is home to nearly 30 businesses, many of them local entrepreneurs, while also functioning as a flexible setting for food festivals, live music, sporting experiences and other activations.

Our decisions therefore sit at the intersection of three things: what customers tell us, what the data reveals and what operating the asset every day teaches us.

Flip Out, Krispy Kreme, McDonald’s, Hungry Lion, Yolé, and Domino’s are joining the mall. What added value do these brands bring to the existing offer?

With more than 200 brands already present, Bagatelle does not need additional names simply to make the list longer. Every new addition has to earn its place in the mix.

Within this new zone, Krispy Kreme, McDonald’s, Hungry Lion, Yolé and Domino’s will contribute to that destination by creating a richer food offer around the entertainment experience. So we are not looking at a series of separate openings. We are creating one connected destination.

Beyond Flip Out, Krispy Kreme, McDonald’s, Hungry Lion, Yolé and Domino’s, are there other upcoming brands in the pipeline?

Yes. Beyond the brands already announced, several other concepts will be joining the new entertainment zone at Bagatelle Mall. Alongside Flip Out, Krispy Kreme, McDonald’s, Hungry Lion, Domino’s and Yolé, the destination will welcome La Fabrik Artisanale, Au Feu de Bois, Beu Tea, La Maison Bao, Poco Y Loco and Canelo Boulettes. Body & Soul and Artisan Coffee will also be relocated within the new space.

Together, these concepts reflect the broader vision: to create a destination that brings together entertainment, food and social experiences within one integrated space.

More broadly, these developments also reflect how our leasing strategy has evolved alongside Bagatelle Mall itself. In a mature mall with strong occupancy, the focus is no longer simply on filling available space. We look at what each operator or concept adds to the overall experience, whether through a new offer, a refreshed concept or a stronger positioning within the mall.

At this stage of Bagatelle Mall’s evolution, quality of fit matters more than quantity of openings. Our priority is to continuously strengthen the tenant mix and ensure that the mall remains relevant to changing customer expectations.

Bagatelle Mall has become a mature destination. Does it remain a space where international brands actively want to invest, and what does that say about its positioning in Mauritius and the region?

Maturity can actually strengthen the investment case. When an international operator enters a new country, it is taking a calculated risk. It wants visibility on footfall, catchment, trading potential, operating standards and the credibility of the location over time.

Bagatelle Mall now has 15 years of evidence behind it. Today, more than 50 international brands operate at Bagatelle Mall. But internationalisation is only one side of the equation. Local brands and Mauritian entrepreneurs are an integral part of Bagatelle Mall’s tenant mix and are represented throughout the mall. International brands bring reach and new concepts to the market, while local brands bring identity, relevance and a strong connection to Mauritius. The strength of Bagatelle Mall lies in that balance.

How are food, entertainment, and customer experience redefining the very role of the mall?

They are changing the economics of the visit.

Historically, the journey was relatively straightforward: people primarily came to shop and other activities supported that trip. Today, the starting point can be entirely different. We already see this through Bagatelle Mall’s programming. The Foodies Festival can bring someone specifically for food and live entertainment. The Urban Trail turns the mall into the start and finish point of a sporting experience. A Champions League fan zone can make 42 Market Street a gathering place around sport.

What Flip Out changes is the permanence of that proposition. Until now, entertainment at Bagatelle Mall was largely activated through events and programming. With Flip Out, it becomes a permanent, purpose-built destination within the mall.

This matters economically because it creates a new source of recurring traffic. And if that traffic circulates into retail, food and services, the value created extends far beyond the 3,000 m² occupied by Flip Out itself. The mall is therefore becoming less a collection of individual units and more an ecosystem in which different uses create value for one another.

The 15th anniversary is a milestone. What is Ascencia putting in place today to ensure Bagatelle remains relevant for the next 15 years?

The biggest mistake we could make at 15 would be to protect Bagatelle Mall exactly as it is today.

Over the past 15 years, Ascencia has reinvested in Bagatelle through extensions, upgrades and improvements to the asset.

The redevelopment of the former cinema into a new entertainment and leisure destination, with Flip Out as a major anchor, is a good illustration of how we think about that reinvestment. It is not simply about improving finishes or adding capacity. It is about being willing to change the function of a space when the market and customer behaviour point in a different direction.

Long-term relevance comes from that adaptability. We do not need to predict exactly what Bagatelle Mall will look like in 2041. We need to ensure that it can keep changing before change is forced upon it.

What will be the impact of these new infrastructures in terms of turnover, employment, and footfall?

We have established clear targets, but it is important to distinguish projections from results.

Once fully operational, Flip Out and the wider 6,000 m² destination are expected to generate around 1,000,000 additional visits annually. Those are our current assumptions, and we will assess them against actual performance once the destination has had time to establish itself.

There is, however, a second level of impact that is equally important. If Flip Out succeeds as a destination in its own right, the additional traffic should not stop at its entrance. It should circulate through Bagatelle Mall, creating cross-shopping opportunities and potentially benefiting existing retailers and restaurants.

The real test is not simply how Flip Out’s 3,000 m² perform. It is whether those 6,000 m² make the wider 63,000 m² stronger.

In an environment where prices are rising and inflationary pressures are strong, how is Ascencia adapting its strategy to maintain Bagatelle Mall’s attractiveness and profitability?

Inflation makes customers more selective, and that raises the bar for both us and our tenants. People may continue to visit, but they become more deliberate about where they spend, how often they spend and whether the value they receive justifies the cost.

For Bagatelle Mall, maintaining attractiveness therefore requires a balanced mix across different budgets and different reasons to visit. We regularly assess how our tenant mix is evolving to ensure that it remains relevant to changing customer expectations, market dynamics and consumption patterns.

It also means creating value that is not based solely on transactions, through experiences, leisure and permanent entertainment that give people additional reasons to visit the mall.

Ultimately, customer value, tenant performance and landlord performance are interconnected. Our role is to maintain the right balance between the three while ensuring that Bagatelle Mall continues to evolve with its market.

Is Bagatelle Mall today more than a lifestyle destination?

We think “lifestyle destination” has become too narrow a definition for what Bagatelle Mall represents today. It can be a place to shop, eat, access services, meet people, attend an event, discover local entrepreneurs at 42 Market Street or come together around food, culture, sport and entertainment. It has progressively become part of people’s routines, but also a place associated with shared moments and memories.

For us, this is what shaping singular places is ultimately about: creating places that go beyond their physical footprint and take on a meaning of their own through the people who use them. And after 15 years, Bagatelle Mall has become exactly that – 15 an partaz dan nou baz, shaped by countless encounters, celebrations, discoveries and everyday moments.

The next chapter is not simply about adding more to Bagatelle Mall. It is about continuing to shape a place that evolves with people, while remaining a place they genuinely make their own.