Another mall, this time a mega-mall, for Penang? A supermarket group may have plans to build a mega mall, estimated to be the size of Mid Valley Megamall, in Penang, a business weekly has reported.
The Edge (22 August 2011) cites sources as saying that Suiwah Corp Bhd, which operates under the ‘Sunshine’ name in Penang, is partnering a building firm from China, Qingjan Group Co Ltd, for the multi-billion ringgit project.
The location and construction cost are unknown and the firm did not respond to the weekly’s request for clarification.
Suiwah is at present involved in a mixed development project on a 3.6ha site in Farlim with a gross development value of RM1bn. The project comprises three blocks of 38-storey buildings, 270 serviced apartments, 140 small home offices, a hypermarket, 300 retail outlets, a medical specialist centre, a business class hotel, and cineplexes.
Suiwah’s largest property is a 27-acre freehold parcel in southern Seberang Prai currently used for a housing development project.
A report in the Star Property states that the GDV of project launches planned for Penang in the second half of 2011 and 2012 adds up to RM4.4bn. It is not known if this includes the mega mall project mentioned in The Edge report.
I hope someone really independent is looking at the traffic impact and congestion arising from all these projects. Meanwhile, the Transport Masterplan for the state could be out of date by the time it comes out, and what about long-delayed Local Plan for Penang?
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You’re right Anil Netto that access isn’t always easy, but local council must play part in setting the rules & guidelines so that everyone can get access & that the developments are not haphazard as it is now, ie the lack of pedestrian walkways.
New development can still incorporate venue for pasar malam activities thus offering varied shopping environment but the transient nature of the night market in Batu Ferringhi lends to another haphazard scenario between pedestrian, stalls and vehicular traffic.
Lets make Batu Ferringhi better & become the talk of the town !
Pedestrian Walks is deplorable not just at Batu Feringghi (though it ought to be tackled first since tourists impressions are critical for repeat visits or fresh visits to bring more saudi $ to Penang).
Last week a German couple fell on the sidewalk of Macalister Road. The real feel good “makan” session at New Lane being wiped out by the freak accident at the famous drains of Penang ! What a story to tell theit friends when they are back in Germany.
During the 60’s and 70’s in Macalister Road and Madras Lane, the monsoon drains were not covered yet I couldn’t see a single accidental incident of tourists falling into the drains.
Only local Penangites like me did fall into the 7 feet wide shallow monsoon drains, not once but twice for reckless kung fu cycling and catching peacock fishes with dust pan.
I thought Penang suppose to get a Premium Outlet, but why talk of a Megamall….mall only good for cheapskate stuff….I prefer branded goods…who decides projects for Penang? State or Federal?
Sekudai has one branded high-end shopping outlets scheduled to be opened by November.
Penang needs to have one also to “(rake in)” money from ladies and female tourists.
In Chinese, the richie spending ladies of towkays are called Si Lai. Just win their hearts and pamper to their fathomed desires and high but vulnerable egos with the right brands and you will be on the road to rich and famous.
FYI, women are the new power-spender of the 21st century.
In a research says girls lose mind rational control when they go for shopping while boys lose rational control when they see and meet with pretty girls.
As a man, I fully agree with the latter finding.
When I was still a u student, I visited my friend’s rented house who shared with another three teaching college female students.
I counted those shoes belonging to these three ladies, the result was so amazing, about 30 pairs of shoe per person.
Remember these girls are still student with less spending power, yet they bought more than 30 pairs of shoe.
My dedication to all $$$-liberated women each owning 30 or more pairs of shoes & boots:
These Boots (or Shoes) Are Made For Walking (1966) – Over Men!
Nancy Sinatra, you are proven right 45 yrs ago!
Penang should have a classy shopping venue so that ppl like Jimmy Choo can come home and set up shop then shoppers like me can get my jimmy-choos (shoes or boots) 70% off !
And please, treat your boyfriend or hubby well. Don’t walk all over him with Jimmy Choo’s new shoes. Ouch! Ouch!
This is the version by ‘The Glee Project’:
A good opportunity for Penangites to buy from these branded outlet store at Kulaijaya (not Skudai as nkkhoo said) to be opened on 11 Nov 2011 likely by PM Najib, and resell at a profit at pasar malam in Penang. Of course need to factor in the AirAsia airfare and the luggage charge (otherwise take bas konsortium).
Penang should seriously get its act together by providing tourism products that tourists seek and shopping is the foremost activity that can do wonders to the island’s declining reputation but must be done right. Right means putting it where there is the demand and catchment, where better than in Batu Ferringhi, that at present seemed to be content by offering mini marts for day shopping and pasar malam at night. If its beach front is littered with 3, 4 and 5 star hotels where is its shopping enclave for its foreign visitors to indulge in? However don’t turn Batu Ferringhi… Read more »
An art & crafts & cultural shopping centre ala KL Central Market just at walking distance opposite the Batu Ferringhi beach hotels is appropriate for tourists to indulge in aircon leisure shopping. Plus with DHL delivery services at their convenience, I believe tourists will love to shop, dine/wine and stay at the beach hotels without having to go round island in search of nice souvenirs and collectibles to take home.
dear xpats
RE: keep its beach front for tourism use and activities and stictly no residential.
u are advisable to check (pay a premium) into hotels which 100% owned the beachfront; otherwise cannot complaint if nearby residents use their rights to use the beach as well.
As far as I know, hotels don’t own the beach-fronts, which are open to the public, though access isn’t always easy.
The nearby residents may have limited access but there’s always loopholes to sneak in. They also must have social responsibilities (kind of lacking) not to throw rubbish after family picnics.
If Batu Feringghi/Tanjung Bungah beaches are designated for hotel guest only, then the properties value of the condos in the vicinity could have depreciated in values ? Somehow the developers may be creative enough to create “artificial beaches” around the condo to offset that ? If they can be so creative to create moon light out of the bay, this may not be a problem afterall ?
dear xpats i agreed with you that “at present seemed to be content by offering mini marts for day shopping and pasar malam at night”. However, you need to know that in July -Sep, 75-80% of foreign tourists staying at Batu Feringghi/Tanjung Bungah hotel belts are from the Arab region. They seem to enjoy the atmospheres of these mini-marts/pasar malam offering them alternates of branded stuffs (LV, Guccis etc). This place remind them of Marakesh Market where they can do the bargaining with the vendors sub-out to 6P owners. However, if you want more authentic or branded stuffs, just take… Read more »
At least 10 shopping malls in the pipeline.
LGE is ‘senile’ enough to feel the pinch of 1997’s financial crisis, I hope he should learn from 97’s lesson and put a break for such mushrooming shopping malls in Penang.
One Stop megamall legacies in the making or repeated ‘cheap matinee’ of the 70’s. When will we ever learn?
With ‘free’ credit card membership and goodies at every turn, the risks of financial disasters are more ominous for the consumers than the megamalls of the Serengeti Shopping Fever.
One of the benefits to consumers with the ramphant development of malls is that many of these tenants (or anchor tenants) that could not survive in the long run will eventually resort to “fire” lelong clearance sale of inventory stocks which the consumers can buy buy buy like there’s no tomorrow ………
(One particular project) at Tanjong Bungah is another bad example of plot ratio concession for luxury skyscraper condo. The project is built on a 2.6 acre freehold land consists of 39 storeys with total unit of 73 contemporary condominium / penthouse. Each floor is more than 9000 sq ft. The plot ratio is easily more than 1:3 if you minus the land area for the 3 beach villas.
This morning I watched the Tamil movie Dasavathaaram (தசாவதாரம்) on the free Astro Fiesta channel 100. The film revolves around bringing together the lives of several individuals during the week prior to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. The special effect of the tsunami in the movie is very real, so much so that i have dropped my plan to own a home at Batu Ferringhi/Tanjung Bunga.
Anil
Looks like there are a lot of excellent Tamil & Hindi movies these days. Will be good if you could create a forum specific for entertainment so that readers can exchange their views and recommend those good ones.
Thks.
For those uninitiated, you can start by watching those Tamil movies free on Astro Fiesta Channel 100 in Sept/Oct. Last year I was inspired by ‘Sivaji The Boss’ on that channel as I missed it in the cinema. Having watched the anti-corruption-themed ‘Sivaji The Boss’ I realised MIC has not got that Sivaji spirit to elevate the living standard of the Indians.
I will go to the cinema to watch Namewee’s Truely 1Malaysia-themed ‘Nasi Lemak 2.0’ as it features David Arumugam of Alleycats and Adibah Noor.
Hey LGE, why not build the megamall in Batu Ferringhi lor, just like in the Penang Structure Plan 2020 mah, refer to Diagram 4.10.
And the strategy of developers and entrepreneurs is the latest megamall will attract the shopping wildebeests leaving the earlier ones ‘outdated’ for extinction just like One Stop. How many shopping wildebeests are there in Penang to attract? There is absolutely no longevity of megamall to stay ‘alive’ unlike the Serengeti which continue to attract the real wildebeests years after years for millennia. And brand owners will suffer financially (but retail ID will gain) with this absurd strategy unless the shopping widebeests are so loyal in the age of no brand loyalty. How about a megamall next to Teluk Bahang Dam?… Read more »
Teluk Bahang already going to have waterpak mah…put the megamall or at a least a shopping complex in Batu Feringghi lor…thats where the tourist are and all those affluent communities staying….BUILD AND THEY WILL COME
Do not worry about too many malls.
The new ones are basically replacing the old ones.
If you do not have the purchasing power, then just enjoy window shopping and smell the food along the way in an air-cond environment.
Bottom line customers get the best deal.
Penang Commercial Replacement Theory :
a) Komtar 1.0 ==> Prangin Mall ==> First Avenue
b) Island Plaza ==> Gurney Plaza ==> Gurney Paragon
c) BJ Komplex ==> Queensbay Mall
d) Midland OneStop ==> Gurney Plaza
e) Cathay Cinema ==> Mydin
f) All the above ==> Penang Island MegaMall ???
can someone adds on …..
My father’s once coffee retail shop==>
dobby shop==> somebody else shop.
Neighbor’s nyonya wedding gown shop==> mamak nasi kandar shop
And now this: once Kiam Siap Penangites sensible shoppers==> shopping-not-enough megamallers==>shopping wildebeests of Penang’s New Serengeti Megamall Fever (all started with One Stop’s style of megamall dizzy shopping in the 90’s pre-’97 downturn).
Using your Serengiti analogy and ‘circle of life’ in African wildernnes, remember the old male lion will one day have to make way for a young one.
The young male that took over will immediately killed the cubs sired by the older male. Then the rest of the females can be ready to mate the young male to have a new set of gene pool.
So, old brand names are replaced by new ones. That’s business renewal.
I expect many will attend Lillian Too’s 2012 “extravagance” talk at Penang’s Equatorial Hotel in January.
She was (allegedly) the spokewoman for a residential project … launch some time back, so can expect to hear wind, water, metal, earth etc favouring more structures in Penang because the word “decay” is not her vocabulary !
Soon is right. The govt by increasing the ratio density should benefit the poor and middle income with a bigger unit at a cheaper cost, but alas the developer are using it to build more high end properties. Hope LGE will get his priority right.
Even if LGE Gomen increases the new present ratio density by 3 folds, they wealthy-not-enough developers will not hesitate to build them all merely for the richie target market or fathomed richie market.
Have majority Penangites gone richie overnight and multiplying like Shenzhen?
I can foresee with eyes closed they will not hesitate to build higher and higher till 1st heaven the very next day after a devastating earth quake like that of Tohoku, Japan.
The trance-like frenzies after massive wealth-creation development in-spite of fore-warnings have never been equated since the last days of Atlantis.
The plus point of having Megamall is that it is a place with free air-cond for us to escape the heat. The elderly can do their daily walk in the comfort of air-cond safely, away from the snatch thief. More retail competition can also benefit the consumers. Penang can also attract more visitors from mainland.
One way to solve the congestion problem is to have the megamall providing free shuttle service from the various housing estate – can entice more customers! This is done with great success in Singapore.
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir dan Batin to all Muslims
Peter Wong, we all can read. Do your promotion elsewhere.
Any comment have credibility will be give its due recognition…we are not like UMNO/BN “Mega” politicians…only see through their …!
If you are being observant enough, Penang now starts to highlight the economic imbalance (genie coefficient measuring the gap between the rich and poor – widening over the years since merdeka). Even though we don’t have “caste” system, we can clearly see the emergence of various “social classes” in Penang. Those still climbing the social ladders very likely to show off with hired-purchased flashy cars and latest electronic gadgets (iPhone 5 & iPad 3 etc) for visibility at the mega malls ? My advise is not to be trapped under materialism influence and live in modest to stay syiok syiok… Read more »
TO ADD ON : a) don’t envy the rich ones. Let them spend in Penang to turn the economics wheels faster to the benefits of the less fortunates. Better for them to spend in penang rather than at Switzerland or Singapore or Italy on branded stuffs. Yhis in turn help to finance many commercial outlets that can employ more people (eg unemployed graduans). b) if we are not rich and want to be as rich, then we can be motivated to work smarter and harder (moralistic way) rather than to carry “lepak” and complacent attitudes. c) if we are not… Read more »
Once I reach 55 (2 years to bear impatiently), I will migrate to sanctuary Belum, Perak to regain my youth and live out my remaining years as adventurer artist in tranquility amidst pristine rainforest. And pay up all ‘hardship’ debts and not owe the sucker banks even a Malaysian cent. Already, I cancelled my ‘last standing and itchy’ credit card and put it to sleep with a shotgun for perpetuity. Next cancelled medicare insurances that only paid more to insincere insurance agents than to myself. Why pay some-more when I already donated blood more than 48 times to Penang GH… Read more »
tunglang
you wrote with passionate heart which i can emphatize with. however, sadly many young generation (born during post affluent booming years – 90’s handphone eras ) not able to relate to that until their pockets run low & dry ….
If you watch Astro TLC’s Passage to Malaysia, may be the charming (some resemblance to young Nora Meow) host Denise Keller should inspire you to live adventurous, healthy & enjoyable life post 55 at Belum, or Gopeng, or even at Sandakan !
The good yesterdays of spend, spend, spend on credit is coming to an end. Watch the 2nd credit crunch recession on the way of Dream Builder USA and many will wake up too late to downshift lifestyles in order to suffer less in the economic doldrums and financial desperation to follow soon. I will not be surprised there will be many riots for money or scarce food in the cities of many so-called advanced countries where the disparity of wealth distribution is far and wide. And with less jobs around, the cycle of diminishing money circulation in the economy will… Read more »
Maybe Astro should engage tunglang as an ex-workaholic regaining his youth in the pristine rainforest and serene out-of-city old towns loaded with great discoveries, adventures and story telling including cultural local legends, superstitions and of course food, glorious food.
And having a side-kick like Nora Miao would be great inspiration! Wouldn’t it be great for Tourism in Ulu Malaysia?
May be yo should audition for Astro 333 Hua Hee Dai first. Get the local rapport first before going international ?
What say you ?
Hua Hee Dai is very popular in Penang & Johor; then you can be scouted by Singapore production houses which have more links to international production teams like Discovery, Animal Planet (your wilderbeasts story can impress them ?)
i like ur blog on the increased in plot ratio. very well researched.
ignore the idiot who is giving u a hard time.
LGE need to watch this increase in density else Penang will be jam
i am refering to ONG EU SOON’s comment
The fact that Ong Eu Soon has to constantly promote his blog on Anil’s blog despite all the disparaging remarks other readers make about him speaks for itself.
Obviously few read his rubbish hence his constant need to vent his frustrations on Anil’s blog.
Equally obvious is that this guy has no self respect and no pride.
Mega this, mega that…it sounds like a magic word. All problems solved! Will Penang City be sustainable, traffic congestion, pollution and infrastructure.
Why not just tap on the beauty of Penang Island… concentrate in making it a green city and a Port Town. Proper and suitable housing and taking advantage of her tourist trade. Butterworth will be zoned as the Industrial area for foreign and local investments. It is easy to build a congested concrete city but, once the greenery is destroyed, it will be lost forever. Let Penang be a “Mega Garden”!
observant,
ah soon and gerakan k are birds of the same feather.
KTK is their idol. ho ho ho
Ah Soon,
Tagging onto Anil’s blog again !!!
Have you no shame?
It just goes to show no one reads the rubbish in your blog for you to consistently hitching on other people’s blog to promote your own.
You really are as thick skinned as KTK.
Hahaha!! He’s not alone, there’s a couple more around.
It is not just the problem of having more mega malls, it is the problem of unusual plot ratio concession. Look at the proposed 3 block of 38 storeys skyscraper apartments, what sort of plot ratio are they talking about? This is a new trend of residential skyscrapers that is worrying! Since MPPP made amendment to the plot ratio from 1:1 to 1:3, (certain) developers start to use mixed development to mislead MPPP on the total areas used to calculate the plot ratio. The plot ratio are suppose to be the ratio of the total floor area of a building… Read more »
eu soon i like ur blog well researched. ignore the idiot giving u a hard time you can tell him to go … himself,
of course with so the potential migrations to fill many expensive condos in Penang Island, there is a need to have more shopping malls to meet the needs & desires of the increased population. SuiWah group with the years of experience may entice these wealthy new migrants with more branded stuffs ?
Penang is to become a megapolis and the rakyat should now request for a big park in the inner city as New York has the Central Park.
May be Penang Gomen has already designated sPICE to be the equivalent of Central Park ?
Well whatever LGE is doing in Penang…it is still a 100 times better then what Khalid is doing in Selangor…. Economic activity in Selangor will literally come to a stop next year…the MB cant even get rid of recalcitrant civil servants in Selangor who are (allegedly) ripping the state off… No point having the label as the country’s richest state but still PR cannot make it work???? If you cant make Selangor work…what guarantee is there you can make Malaysia work….??? Selangor needs a firm leader like LGE…maybe even Azmin…someone needs to kick out all the Little Napoleans off the… Read more »
Selamat Hari Raya to all !!!
My goodness! Can’t you ever do anything right, Gerakan boy? Even a benign Raya wish from you received thumbs down!