Malls In Klang Valley You Shouldn’t Rush To Visit Yet!

With the holidays ganging up on us and just as quickly passing us by, Malaysians have made one item on the list of things to do a must. That is to spend some quality time in a mall.

Undeniably or should we say unashamedly, we Malaysians especially those in the Klang Valley love hitting the malls whenever an opportunity arises. The case is not only during weekends but also during the weekdays, meetings are sometimes planned with lunch at the mall and business discussions can also be conveniently organised in a mall cafe. Weekends are usually reserved with the family with the whole group taking a trip to a neighborhood complex starting with dance lessons and haircuts for the younglings, followed by a movie and lunch where the grandparents could also join.

Malls have become a central activity for the family and with traveling outside the country somewhat limited for now, the role of these mega complexes has become even more integral in our lives. Venues like Sunway Pyramid, Midvalley Megamall, Suria KLCC, and Pavilion have facilities like retail, laundry, entertainment, food, ample parking, cinema, and much more. While neighbourhood malls like Empire Shopping and One Utama, have centres that offer well-being care, ballet classes, theatre, and child enrichment facilities.

While these spots have made their premises a wholesome experience for many Malaysians, there is a list of new and older malls that are looking to attract visitors the same way these successful counterparts have. BusinessToday explores some of them and why you shouldn’t rush to visit them just yet.

In no particular order:

  1. Tropicana Garden Mall

Located between Kota Damansara and link to Tropicana Residential enclave, Tropicana Garden Mall has an MRT station build right next to it which is the MRT Kota Damansara, potentially the trains could bring drove of mall goers to the spot. But this will have to wait a bit longer, as our last visit to the mall was a rather subdued event. Most of the retailers have yet to move in and those who have started business look as though they are waiting to run away.

Folks living near the area perhaps would drop by for the Japanese snacks store Do Donki which has opened its second outlet in the mall. Taco Bell has also set up shop and visitors can be hopeful on the variety of food and beverage stores that have started operation.

Overall the mall has potential but needs time to woo more retailers to start their business.

2. LaLaport Bukit Bintang

This much-hyped and anticipated franchise from Japan is a major letdown. Occupying the former Pudu Prison, the mall is part of a larger development that includes hotel and office blocks situated along Jalan Hang Tuah Bukit Bintang, however, disrupted by lockdowns the mall finally opened but not the expectations.

Our tour to LaLaport lasted less than an hour (including lunch); visitors will be greeted by echoed walkways and deserted floors reminiscent of the prison that it was built on. If you’re expecting a Japanese theme mall, it’s not! While malls in Tokyo are packed to the brim with unique stores and cool nick-knacks, LaLaport has none of those and less.

3. Pavilion Bukit Jalil

A distant cousin of Pavilion KL, this mega-complex in Bukit Jalil is massive and has great potential. At this moment stores are still not making a beeline to open despite Pavilion’s influence over the brands in its first mall. The Bukit Jalil version is like a doppelganger of the KL but without any of the luxury boutiques or high-end fashion retailers.

However, we are optimistic with more stores seen renovating and opening soon signs popping up.

4. Starhill Bukit Bintang

The once marque destination for KL elites, YTL owned Starhill had plush decorations, a grand piano, and high street brands where only royalties could be seen shopping. Although the mall is making a return after millions spent on overhauling, the process looks like is still underway and could take another 6 -8 months before stores reopen.

YTL needs to do more if it wants to regain the throne from Pavilion.

Klang Valley has the highest number of shopping malls in Malaysia, with over 200 operating and more planned to open by 2022, so while there is no shortage of malls to visit on the weekend, operators should take an effort in filling up to 70% before officially opening them.

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