Inspired by the sundrop diamond, Sunway Putra Mall’s colourful facade rejuvenates its surrounding.

THE bright red, orange and yellow facade of Sunway Putra Mall makes a vibrant statement along Jalan Putra, Kuala Lumpur.

The mall has been flourishing since opening in 2015. It has a 95% occupancy rate, increasing number of footfalls and a steady growth of revenue.

It has received five awards including the prestigious FIABCI Malaysia Property Award 2017 in the Retail category within two years, which is quite a feat.

Dramatic transformation

Sunway Putra Mall is a result of a major transformation from the once-popular complex called The Mall, established 30 years ago.

It began when Putra Place (The Mall, an office tower and a hotel), was auctioned with a reserve price of RM514mil, said Sunway Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Management Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Jeffrey Ng.

“We saw it as an opportunistic buy.

“We had all these ingredients within the Sunway Group, hence, were brave enough to bid for this opportunity and rise from there.

“We bought it for more than half a billion and put in slightly less than half a billion.

“This property cost Sunway REIT almost RM1bil which is a big investment by any standards,” he shared.

However, The Mall was in a deteriorating state when they took over.

It was poorly managed with plenty of empty shoplots and dimly lit floors.

After The Mall was acquired in 2011 by Sunway REIT, Sunway Malls then operated for two years, researching and reshuffling the cards to get the right type of shoppers’ profile before shutting it down for refurbishment.

The chic Sunway Putra Mall main concourse. The mall boasts over 300 international and local fashion brands, various eateries, IT gadgets, beauty & wellness, home decor and more.

Overcoming constraints

Ng said the most challenging part was having to work around existing constraints.

“The Mall had a cascading metal glass structure that we removed entirely, cutting open two levels of slabs over a large area and all the way down to the basement.

“We repiled to reinforce new columns, reslabbed again, and added new floors on top to cater for the cinema.

“We also had to improve the layout on every floor to achieve better traffic circulation.”

Ng is happy and proud that they completed the project on time, within budget and with quality assurance.

Two years later, Sunway Putra Mall is reaping the fruits of its labour.

It has an increased nett lettable area of 600,000sq ft and eight levels of retail podiums.

Urban chic appeal

Positioned as an urban chic lifestyle mall, it boasts over 300 international and local fashion brands, various eateries, IT gadgets, wellness & beauty and home decor.

More than just an architectural brilliance, Sunway Putra Mall’s signature South African-inspired facade of Cora sundrop diamond with bright red, orange and yellow hues is actually a reflection of the transformation.

It symbolises rejuvenation of an area decades old, bringing forth hope and prosperity.

Its increasing popularity among discerning and sophisticated shoppers is testament to a number of factors including a good tenancy mix, a positive flow of customer catchment and seamless connectivity.

Ng explained that the strong tenancy mix was from a good landlord-tenant relationship built by the Sunway Mall management team.

Mixed development synergy

“At the same time, there was already an inherent population catchment from Sunway Putra Tower and Sunway Putra Hotel. Their success flowed into the mall.

“It is not easy to own a mixed-use development because you need to be able to harness the synergy between the three, like ensuring the shopping mall attracts hotel patrons and office tenants.

“Office tenants can entertain their business associates or guests at the mall or hotel.

“In the end, this will attract tenants as they see these as opportunities because of the synergy of a mixed-use development,” he highlighted.

Sunway Putra is at the fringe of the central business district and next to residential catchments like Villa Putera and Villa Puteri condominiums, Regalia Residences and Kenny Hills Residences.

And if there are events taking place at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), then the mall will see an influx of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Events) travellers or delegates.

“The mall management side had to be very aggressive and tactical in their promotion to bring in the footfall.

“They spent up to RM5mil a year for the past three years just to create awareness and bring traffic over to Sunway Putra,” he pointed out.

The heritage feature of The Mall such as the Medan Hang Tuah food court was preserved but given a modern twist which is now called Selera Street on the fourth level of Sunway Putra Mall.

Easy and seamless access

Ng added when the property was bought, they already knew there were the PWTC LRT and Putra KTM stations so they made it easy for customers to walk directly to the mall’s first floor from the LRT station.

There is also the adopted elevated walkway from Kuala Lumpur City Hall.

“We beefed up security and spent RM1.3mil to add escalators for a seamless transition over to PWTC and Seri Pacific Hotel, or to the mall and LRT station.

“We also made it accessible for the Villa Putera and Villa Puteri residents to enter our shopping mall via a direct link,” Ng shared.

As at June 30, 2017, the Sunway Putra Mall total revenue is RM51mil.

This represents about 10% of the total revenue that the REIT earns, which is RM523mil.

Testament to hard work

Ng said that winning the FIABCI award in the Retail category was a testament to their efforts in transforming a distressed asset.

Sunway Mall’s chief operating officer Kevin Tan said other challenges when they opened the mall included the introduction of GST and the weakening ringgit.

“But we emerged successful. It is such an honour to be recognised for our ability to overcome these challenges,” he added.

Tan also said the mall now exudes vibrancy and modernity. “The architecture, tenant mix, layout, planning, activities and offerings suit the market.

“Some of our newly opened stores include SSF, Max Fashion from the Middle East, Dolly Dim Sum family amusement center called Funscape by Cobay, Chili Chili and Mei Shi Zuang which is a 3-in-1 concept consisting of F&B brands like Little Hot Wok, Kim Lian Kee and Lan Je Steam Fish.

“Others that will be opening soon are Old Town White Coffee, Burger King and iCare Dental.” Sunway Putra Mall was their first foray into Kuala Lumpur since establishing footing in Penang, Kota Damansara and Sunway City.

They also retained some of the heritage features of The Mall such as the Medan Hang Tuah food court.

“We preserved some of the facade and design but gave it a modern twist to what is now Selera Street which is on the fourth level of Sunway Putra Mall.

“Our efforts have been acknowledged and appreciated.

“The FIABCI award recognizes tourism industry players and their contributions in boosting the city’s image,” Tan shared.

At the end of the day, the risk they took to turn The Mall into Sunway Putra Mall paid off.

“We’ve not reaped it to its full potential but we’re on the way there.

“It’s on track,” Ng concluded.