|
Penang Plaza
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] 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] HistoryPenang 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] LocationPenang Plaza is situated at the junction of Burmah Road and Jalan Larut, within George Town's Central Business District.[5][7] Notes^α Komtar was topped out in 1985.[12] ^β Island Plaza was opened in 1995.[13] See alsoReferences
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
