Sunway Malls injects RM242m into new retail hybrid park in Iskandar

Sunway Malls has launched Sunway Big Box, a retail hybrid park that is integrated with an upcoming hotel development and an office tower, and is connected to an extreme park component. Comprising a combination of 13 large format stores offering immersive brand experiences and regular retail outlets, Sunway Big Box has a total gross development cost of RM242 million. The two-floor retail cluster offers approximately 100 retail, F&B and entertainment stores.

Ahead of its launch in mid-December 2019, Sunway Big Box has already amassed 85% tenancy with brands such as Golden Screen Cinemas, BookXcess, Starbucks, KFC, Burger King, Skechers, Guardian, Maxis, U Mobile, Tealive, Gong Cha and Famous Amos, among others. Consumers can gain access to Sunway Big Box via Causeway Link and community buses, Grab, SoCar and autonomous electric scooters by Singapore technology company CtrlWorks.

In a statement to A+M, Kevin Tan, COO of Sunway Malls, said it will be turning to various advertising means from print, OOH and broadcast to social media to promote Sunway Big Box. To create hype for the new retail hybrid park, Sunway Malls will also roll out events and promotions for the communities in Johor.

"We are in the midst of finalising our Christmas and Chinese New Year plans for Sunway Big Box and we hope they can attract even the Singaporeans to come over," Tan said. He added:

Because of its integrated nature, we can appeal to domestic and international tourists alike as well as function as a neighbourhood hang out for socialisation.

According to Tan, Sunway Malls' business partners can leverage its retail developments across Malaysia to hold events all around the country and are not just limited to the Klang Valley, for example. He added that Sunway Big Box can leverage on cross-campaigns, collaboration of events and partnerships facilitated by the Sunway Malls brand to gain further exposure.

"Having said that, it is important for each retail development to remain relevant to their community. Hence, we are very careful in ensuring our strategies are flexible enough to reach out to the individual surrounding catchment," Tan added.

Sunway Big Box will host the first Happy Fish Swim School centre in Johor, complete with a 25-metre heated lap pool. Visitors can also indulge in a trampoline park known as EnerG X Park. For Singaporeans, a home improvement store named SSF will also include a range suitable for the country's Housing and Development Board flat sizes. Meanwhile, MOX, a Singaporean co-working and co-making community space for creatives to gather, collaborate and share.

According to HC Chan, CEO of Sunway Malls and Theme Parks, Sunway Big Box is the brand's second retail development in Sunway Iskandar after Sunway Citrine Hub last year. Separately, he told A+M that Sunway Iskandar was masterplanned as a township that would benefit people, planet and bring about shared prosperity.

"A hybrid retail park would function as a community gathering place, or a third place, that brings people together. In addition, a unique proposition like what we have with Sunway Big Box will also add value to the area's tourism appeal, and so much so because we are the closest to Singapore. It would also create jobs for the community in Iskandar, bringing about shared prosperity to the area," he explained.

Meanwhile, Sarena Cheah, managing director of Sunway's property division, said the opening of Sunway Big Box is a part of its commitment to build the thriving RM30 billion township in Sunway Iskandar in the next 20 years.

“Since we first started, we launched and have in the pipeline close to RM3 billion in properties. Of these RM2 billion are property development and RM600 million are property investment. In the next five years, we will be building the Big Box Hotel, the Big Box Office Tower, a Chinese school, SJK (C) Cheah Fah as well as expanding the Sunway International School, Sunway Iskandar," she said.

Cheah added that it will constantly emphasise on bringing convenience to the doorstep of its communities by creating a conducive surrounding to live, learn, work, play and be healthy in a safe and connected environment at Sunway Iskandar