Penang Plaza is a shopping mall within George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located at Burmah Road within the city's Central Business District (CBD), the 10-storey 138,222 sq ft (12,841.2 m2) retail complex was the city's first shopping mall. Completed in 1982, it comprises three retail floors, a seven-storey tower that accommodates offices and maintenance spaces, and 88 car park bays.[1][2]
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| Location | George Town, Penang |
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| Coordinates | 5°25′17″N 100°19′30″E / 5.42146°N 100.325°E |
| Address | 126, Burmah Road, 10050 George Town, Penang, Malaysia |
| Opening date | 1982 |
| Total retail floor area | 138,222 sq ft (12,841.2 m2) |
| No. of floors | 10 |
| Parking | 88 |
| [1][2] | |
The mall serves as an annexe to the adjacent Hotel Royal.[3] Giant is the main anchor tenant of the mall, which has experienced declining footfall due to the emergence of newer shopping malls throughout the city.[4][5]
History
editPenang Plaza was built in 1982, making it the first shopping mall in Penang.[1] It preceded the completions of Komtarα and Island Plazaβ, although GAMA Supermarket & Departmental Store had been opened in 1967.[6] Penang Plaza, Komtar and GAMA emerged as the three primary shopping destinations of George Town by the late 1980s.[7]
Both the mall and the adjacent 21-storey Dorsett Penang Hotel were owned by local real estate company Faber Kompleks.[2] The hotel was managed by Dorsett Hospitality International, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Far East Consortium. Dorsett Penang Hotel was reportedly the first Dorsett hotel that was managed without ownership of the property.[8]
In 2008, Hotel Royal Limited, a Singapore-based hospitality company, acquired both Penang Plaza and the adjacent hotel.[2][9] Penang Plaza had a net value of RM18.9 million as of 31 December 2007[update].[2] The mall underwent renovations from 2009 to 2010.[10]
Despite the refurbishments, it struggled with dwindling foot traffic due to competition from newer shopping malls throughout George Town and was referred to as a "white elephant" by local media.[5] Both the mall and the hotel were also impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading Hotel Royal Limited to lay off hotel staff. However, the mall remained operational for the duration of the pandemic.[3][11]
Location
editPenang Plaza is situated at the junction of Burmah Road and Jalan Larut, within George Town's Central Business District.[5][7]
Notes
edit^α Komtar was topped out in 1985.[12]
^β Island Plaza was opened in 1995.[13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Lee, Keng Thon (17 Jul 2008). "The proposed acquisition of the Dorsett Penang Hotel and Penang Plaza (unsold retail & office lots together with car parking bays) through the acquisition of the entire share capital of Faber Kompleks Sdn. Bhd" (PDF). Hotel Royal Limited.
- ^ a b c d e Wong & Ouyang: Blueprints for Hong Kong. Images Publishing. 2008. ISBN 9781864703047.
- ^ a b Emmanuel, Marina (15 Sep 2021). "Hotel Royal Penang to cease operations". New Straits Times. Retrieved 1 Oct 2024.
- ^ "Store Locations". Giant. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
- ^ a b c Opalyn Mok (30 Oct 2012). "White elephants of Penang". Malaysia Today. Retrieved 1 Oct 2024.
- ^ Moroter, Tanushalini (22 May 2022). "Gama supermarket enters Malaysia Book of Records". Buletin Mutiara. Retrieved 1 Oct 2024.
- ^ a b Li, Leshi; Augustin, Andreas (1987). The Penang Treasury: Secrets of a Beautiful Island. University of Michigan. ISBN 9789971849528.
- ^ "Annual Report 2008" (PDF). Far East Consortium: 23. 2008.
- ^ "Unaudited results for the second quarter and half-year ended 30 Juneb2009" (PDF). Hotel Royal Limited. Jun 2009.
- ^ "Penang Plaza". Time Out. 2 Sep 2014. Retrieved 1 Oct 2024.
- ^ Rachel Yeoh (16 Sep 2021). "Hotel Royal shuts its doors but won't be closed forever". The Vibes. Retrieved 1 Oct 2024.
- ^ McIntyre, Ian (27 Mar 2024). "Penang's iconic Komtar set to undergo major make-over". The Vibes. Retrieved 1 Oct 2024.
- ^ Arnold Loh (3 Sep 2022). "New life for Island Plaza". The Star. Retrieved 21 Nov 2023.