Sungei Wang Plaza undergoes major facelift

Sungei Wang Plaza undergoes major facelift to keep up with the times

Staying relevant: An artist’s impression of Sungei Wang Plaza’s facade with its completed walkways.

IN a crowded marketplace where more than a dozen stalls are selling the same product, how does one stay relevant?

“Well, you have to reinvent yourself when you get a little older and keep doing so to stay competitive,’’ said Sungei Wang Plaza complex manager F.K. Tang.

He describes Bukit Bintang’s oldest mall, which opened 36 years ago, as a unique product, being the golden triangle’s first real shopping complex and it has been consistent in reinventing itself to continue attracting shoppers.

“It has managed to stay popular despite facing stiff competition from modern complexes such as Lot 10, Berjaya Times Square, Starhill Gallery and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

“We were the first and we were unique and iconic. But those days are over and like everyone else, we too need to remain relevant to stay on top,’’ said Tang, adding that the retail sector was continuously transforming itself and industry players had no choice but change with the times.

Tang said the Government’s plan to turn Bukit Bintang and KLCC into the country’s official premier shopping districts was in line with its Tourism National Key Economic Area (NKEA), thus serving as a catalyst to change.

The mall, which name when translated means “River of Gold”, is undergoing massive refurbishment involving the facade, ceilings, flooring, stage, toilets and other new additions.

Despite the refurbishment works, shoppers are still allowed in.

Unique: The iconic Sungei Wang Plaza looking brighter and better with new tiles.

“Work is only carried out after 10pm when the mall closes. We have, however, ensured that safety measures are in place, including making sure there is sufficient temporary lighting,’’ said Tang.

He said signs had been placed at strategic locations to alert shoppers.

“Once work is completed, the mall will be better and brighter, offering shoppers convenience and a pleasant experience,” he said, adding that the RM40mil refurbishment was expected to be completed by the end of October.

The mall, with its maze of corridors and walkways, is usually packed with people, especially during weekends.

Tang said the draw was the hundreds of small shops and kiosks offering a diverse range of products.

Sungei Wang opened in 1977 as a strata-title mall when it was first developed by Sungei Wang Plaza Sdn Bhd. Out of the nett lettable area (NLA) measuring 8,000 sq ft, CapitaMalls now owns 61.9% of the units or a NLA of 450,470 sq ft.

“With more than 800 shops covering about 1.2 million sq ft, Sungei Wang is a treasure trove.

“We are popular for fashion and beauty products. We have at least 10 haircare retailers, a major mobile phone market as well as extensive food and beverage choices, ” he said.

The award-winning mall’s latest addition is a food court with a modern feel.

The other draw is that Sungei Wang makes it a point to organise activities for all during the festive and school holiday period.

“They do not call us the happening mall for nothing,’’ said Tang.

“Our calendar is marked with a range of activities to keep shoppers entertained all year round.

“Last year, we held concerts, contests, fashion shows and corporate social responsibility programmes for shoppers.

An important feature in the refurbishment exercise involves a covered walkway that will be built along the fiesta street in front of the mall, offering the public seamless connectivity.

The walkway will be linked to Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s walkway, which starts from Imbi Plaza to the Bukit Bintang monorail station, and will include the Bukit Bintang MRT station that is under construction.

“Connectivity and accessibility are important factors that make a city a tourist attraction and we want to ensure that our mall is well connected,’’ Tang said.

In a survey conducted by CNN recently, Kuala Lumpur was ranked the fourth best shopping city. How-ever, despite scoring high points for value and variety, it scored low for connectivity.

“We need to improve in this aspect as it is important, just like how taxi services are important to draw the crowd,’’ Tang said.

For Sungei Wang Plaza, winning awards is nothing new.

In 2001, it received the Excellence Award (Shopping Centre category) from then Kuala Lumpur mayor Tan Sri Ahmad Fuad Ismail at the Kuala Lumpur Mayor’s Tourism Awards.

The award is aimed at recognising and rewarding establishments and individuals who have helped promote Kuala Lumpur as an international tourist destination.

“The award recognises the best brands from Malaysia and Asia-Pacific, and Sungei Wang Plaza was selected based on criteria such as brand strategy, identity and brand culture,’’ Tang explained.

Other international awards won by the mall include the FIABCI Prix d’Excellence 1996 (Special Award-Retail Properties Category) from the Federation Internationale des Admin-strateurs de Biens et de Conseil Immobiliers, the Tourism Malaysia Awards for the Best Shopping Com-plex in 1996/1997 and the Best Supporting Shopping Outlet - Shop-ping Complex Category 2001/2002.

Sungei Wang also emerged first runner-up in the Flora Fest 2007- Shopping Complex Lobby Floral Decoration competition.

“We are not aiming to be different; we are different.

“We want to be the best and to achieve this, we are changing with the times,’’ said Tang.

～News courtesy of The Star～