By AISYAH SUWARDI aisyahs@thestar.com.my

Projects in the pipeline to transform the retail experience

Sunway Putra Mall’s signature facade, the South African-inspired Cora sun-drop diamond with bright hues of red, orange and yellow, is actually a reflection of the transformation.

WITH Sunway Pyramid celebrating its 20th anniversary recently, Sunway Malls has grown by leaps and bounds over the years by adding four more malls under its belt.

The five malls are Sunway Pyramid in Sunway City; Sunway Carnival in Seberang Jaya, Penang; Sunway Giza at Sunway Damansara; and Sunway Putra and Sunway Velocity in Kuala Lumpur.

Sunway Malls & Theme Parks chief executive officer H.C. Chan said: “We have a few projects in the pipeline such as Sunway Tambun in Ipoh, Sunway Iskandar in Johor and Sunway Paya Terubong in Penang. In the first quarter of 2018, we will start on the expansion of Sunway Carnival.

“The behaviour of mall visitors has changed; people congregate at malls for many purposes aside from shopping.

"Today, the percentage of visitors shopping in a mall could be slightly over 50%, with 30% seeking food and beverage(F&B), and 20% going for leisure and entertainment.

“Our key differentiator is delivering delightful experiences that engage with the five senses (taste, sight, touch, smell and sound),” explained Chan, who is also the advisor of Malaysia Shopping Malls Association.

With a strong strategy in place, Sunway Putra Mall was accorded the prestigious Fiabci Malaysia Property award 2017 under the Retail Category.

Sunway Putra Mall general manager Phang Sau Lian said the group was prompted to acquire the property (formerly known as The Mall) in 2011 because the catchment area within a 5km radius of the mall was underserved and a retail gap was evident.

“Renovation began in 2013 and was completed in 2015. We have transformed the property into a chic and trendy mall.

"The size of Sunway Putra Mall is now close to 600,000 sq ft housing 300 shops. We use creative space designs that give more net lettable space,” said Phang.

With its facade inspired by South Africa’s Sun-drop Diamond, Sunway Putra Mall uses vibrant colours to bring more energy to the area.

Phang said that although market sentiment had been soft over the past two years, Sunway Putra Mall doubled its revenue and profit.

“Despite challenges within the retail industry and cautious consumer confidence, Sunway Putra Mall is progressing well as we strive to provide quality service and experience to our customers.

“Our next step is to bring in special F&B offerings. Malaysians love food, and the F&B sector is one that thrives,” Phang added.
Its determined and capable management has helped the mall win a string of awards in these two years.

Sunway Putra Mall received the government's Malaysia Tourism Quality Assurance 2017 (MyTQA) certification which recognised its role in delivering outstanding service to local and foreign tourists.

(L-R) Sunway Malls chief operating officer Kevin Tan, Sunway REIT Management Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Jeffrey Ng Tiong Lip, Phang and Chan celebrating Sunway Putra Mall’s recent victory in Malaysia Property Award 2017 ( Retail Category).

Sunway Putra also bagged bronze for Best Refurbished Building in the MIPIM Asia Awards 2015, gold for Best Experiential Marketing Award (Category B) 2016 from the Malaysia Shopping Malls Association, as well as gold from the Kuala Lumpur Mayor’s Tourism Awards 2017 under the Shopping Mall Category.

“Sunway Putra Mall is Sunway Malls’ first venture in Kuala Lumpur. With our experience in handling Sunway Pyramid as an iconic destination within Sunway City, we are familiar with the needs and wants of local and foreign visitors,” said Phang.

Chan added that Sunway Malls will take this opportunity to present Malaysian culture to the international market.

“Malaysia should be proud of its mall industry which is internationally competitive and has been globally ranked by CNN and the Economist Intelligence Unit over the past few years. Furthermore, it is no secret that Malaysians visit a mall almost every weekend,” he said.

Although malls have mushroomed in the Klang Valley, Sunway Malls believes that being part of an integrated development is significant to its success.

“Our malls in the Klang Valley are all part of integrated developments. In fact, we have moved on to transit-oriented developments.

"This means our malls are now seamlessly connected via the public transport network. Our future malls will be similarly linked,” said Chan.

“Our strength lies in the fact that we are part of a larger entity, the Sunway Group, which has many businesses that complement one another. Not many malls or mall developers have that advantage.

“We are set to continue growing nationwide in the next few years. We have a team of experts within the management of Sunway Malls who are the main driving force.

"We are gearing up to become Malaysia’s largest mall owner-operator, and I am confident Sunway Malls is on the right track,” added Chan.