Setia City Mall sees strong start

SHAH ALAM: The first phase of Setia City Mall, a joint venture project between S P Setia Bhd and Asian Retail Investment Fund (ARIF) has to date attracted more than 600,000 visitors since its opening on May 17.

The mall is part of Setia City, the 240-acre (97.1ha) integrated green commercial hub at S P Setia's 4,000-acre township Setia Alam in Shah Alam.

Besides the mall, Setia City comprises office towers, hotels and serviced apartments with a total estimated gross development value (GDV) of RM5 billion. Completion is expected in the next 10 years.

The first phase of the RM450 million mall offers a gross floor area of one million sq ft and a net lettable area of 740,000 sq ft. The mall began construction in 2009, taking over six million man hours to complete.

The anchor tenant, Parkson department store, takes up 120,000 sq ft of retail space within the mall. Other tenants include Fitness First, Harvey Norman, MPH Bookstore, Courts and Urbanfresh supermarket. In addition, Golden Screen Cinemas and Wangsa Bowl will be opening in late June. Fashion retailers include Uniqlo, Zara, Guess, Esprit, La Senza, ALDO and Nichii.

The mall also features a 10.5-acre park, children's play facilities and a water jet plaza.

The mall is also one of the first Malaysian malls to receive the green rating of Singapore's Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Green Mark Gold Award. Key green initiatives include high efficiency air-conditioning systems, an integrated building energy management system design which maximises natural daylight as well as energy efficient escalators and lifts.

The mall is managed by Greenhill Resources Sdn Bhd, a company set up under the S P Setia-ARIF joint venture. Philippa Holmes, Setia City Mall's general manager said they are thrilled with the community's response.

"People have come from all over Malaysia to say ‘hi' and explore Setia City Mall. This is just the beginning for us, with more work to do and more retailers opening every week as we build up to the grand launch on June 23," she said.

Commenting on the opening, Setia City Mall's development director Robert Spinks said the mall has been designed to meet the changing needs of shoppers.

"From the onset, Setia City Mall has been designed to be a destination for all and a place that meets the changing needs and heightened expectations of shoppers. From the easy access and simple design of the car park, to the range of local and international retailers, we want the mall to be a great place to escape yet close to home," he said.

S P Setia is one of the country's leading listed real estate players with a portfolio that includes townships, eco-sanctuaries, luxury enclaves, high-rise residences and commercial developments.

ARIF is a wholesale real estate fund managed by Lend Lease. Lend Lease is a leading international property and infrastructure group with focus on markets in Australia, Asia, Europe and America. Lend Lease is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange with an expertise in property development, investment management, project management and construction and asset and property management. Its business segments include hospitality, retail, industrial and pharmaceutical.

This story appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on June 1, 2012.