The Mall, now known as the Sunway Putra Mall, was once the largest shopping centre in Malaysia. Opened on the 12 June 1987 by Tun Mahathir Mohamad, then prime minister, it was one of the prides of Malaysia built mainly to attract more shoppers from Singapore. Built at a cost of RM 289 million, the mall once housed many interesting outlets, including Malaysia’s first Yaohan store before its bankruptcy in Japan in 1997. The Mall, also had one of the most exciting indoor theme park in Malaysia, then.
As The Mall was slowly phased out by new competitions, in 2008 it was put up for auction due to loan default by property owner, Metroplex Holdings Sdn Bhd. In April 2011, Sunway Group acquired the entire Putra Place for RM513.95 million in what was believed to be the largest public auction in Malaysia at that time.
After a two years of refurbishment, Sunway Putra Mall reopened on 28 May 2015, rejuvenated and refreshed. I personally revisited Sunway Putra Mall in April this year and here’s why I think you should revisit it.
1) Urban-Chic Concept
I’m personally impressed by the interior design of Sunway Putra Mall. Consistent to Sunway Group’s intention to re-position it as an urban-chic lifestyle mall, each floor has its own personality while maintaining the modish ambiance. Especially some of the higher floors, they resemble the shopping mood of Terminal 21 in Bangkok. There’s also a “Sundrop Diamond” element, which is a transparent gem-like structure claded in colourful glass at the centre of the mall. Having spent RM 307 million in refurbishment, Sunway Putra Mall is surely not shy to present to you its new look.
2) Mixture of Modern & Authentic Outlets
With the mall’s increased gross floor area by 90,000 sq ft to a total of 578,000 sq ft, Sunway Putra Mall can house 300 outlets. While not all shops were taken up yet, I have already witnessed some lights of modern brands such as Uniqlo, H&M and many more at Sunway Putra Mall. The interesting bit about this mall is that they also house small authentic shops and stalls run by small business owners too. Therefore, shoppers will get a blend of different shopping experience as their maneuver up the floors.
3) Signature Zones
Sunway Putra Mall comprises 4 signature zones namely the Market Place for essentials, Asian Avenue for Asian fashion trends, Vanity Hall – your one stop beauty pit stop and Selera Street for local and international gastronomical dining experience. My personal favourite zone would be the Selera Street where the local delights and overseas cuisines were gathered. The atmosphere of Selera Street was also alluring as it resembles the landmark street-like fare “Medan Hang Tuah” with a twist of modern contemporary charm.
Overlooking the international Putra World Trade Centre, the mall enjoys superb access and provides an exciting place to shop catering to the surrounding businesses and residents with its 8 levels shopping floors. Refreshed and rejuvenated, Sunway Putra Mall is definitely worth a revisit for a brand-new lifestyle experience!
