By Anthony Dylan Anak Frankie Jurem
When I got back to Kuching for the holidays, I had the opportunity to go around the shopping centres just for the festive spirit. I went to the Spring, Plaza Merdeka, Vivacity and Aeon Mall. These 4 shopping centres have become the best 4 shopping centres in Kuching since they opened in my opinion.
The Spring Shopping Centre opened on 10th January 2008 with an offering of 420,000sqft. This was the first modern shopping centre in a long while for Kuching. The two and a half-storey shopping centre is still the only successful one of these formats in Sarawak.
Their carpark is on the Basement level with some retail. I dare say that it can go head-to-head with any shopping centres in Klang Valley. When they first opened, it was a hit with the community and the students from Swinburne University of Technology. It is still a go-to place, and they have constantly improved their tenancy mix to being one with an excellent selection of mid-upper offerings. They also have Premier Car Parking.
The Spring has constantly evolved to meet the aspirations of the community, and they are able to do so because of their size and location. Being in the heart of Kenyalang Park and the many older housing areas with a good road connectivity, the Spring had it made from the get-go. At the start, the anchors were Parkson Department store, Ta Kiong Supermarket and MBO cinemas.
Today, after months of renovations, they have taken back Parkson’s space and converted this area into more lifestyle retail stores. In the Spring, you will find brand names like GSC Cinemas (who have replaced MBO’s operations), a revamped Ta Kiong Supermarket, Uniqlo, H&M, MUJI, Coach, Sephora, Sasa, Victoria Secrets, Godiva, Babor, Loccitane, Keihl’s, Michael Kors, MLB, Rituals, Bath and Body Works, Toys R Us, Rolex and every single telco name you can think of. You can even find Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger here.
They have also got Padini, a large format AKEMI and Cotton On as well as a good Food Bazaar food court and an impressive café, Keeper’s Ground. I believe the target market is more towards those who yearn for high quality brands reminiscent of those in Klang Valley. Their marketing has also been exemplary with their fireworks, and celebration of all festivities be they Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, Gawai Dayak, October fest and Christmas. They have run successful food festivals as well.
Plaza Merdeka opened on 29th November 2012. The official opening date, however, was 12th December 2012. This was Kuching’s next modern shopping centre. It has 350,000sqft of space over 4 levels. The top floor hosts the ballroom and function room for the Waterfront Hotel, which is connected to Plaza Merdeka. The main entrances on the Ground Floor faces the Padang Merdeka, the General Post Office (which is also the gateway to Carpenter Street) and India Street. The central location is also close to Kuching’s famous police station, the Central Police Station which was built in 1931.
The location makes it the most recognisable building alongside all the historical buildings of the General Post Office, The Old Court House, The Pavilion, The Round Tower and the Central Police Station. It is also close to the waterfront and the main bazaar. It is also a walking distance to the vibrant India Street, Carpenter Street, Borneo Cultures Museum and the Sarawak Museum.
Plaza Merdeka has Parkson Department Store and Everrise Supermarket. They also have Mr DIY and SenQ along with brands like Starbucks which has a beautiful view of the Padang Merdeka, Cotton On, H&M, and the Body Shop. They also have McDonald’s and Burger King. Their Food Plaza though is well planned and always busy. The offerings fit a high standard and are clean. The tenancy mix is not as glamorous as The Spring, but it has been able to be the main place to meet for locals and tourists alike. This is also why their two levels of parking facility is always easily filled up even on weekdays. This is despite not having a cinema. Their market is purely for tourists and working locals around the area.
Vivacity Megamall, which is the largest shopping centre in Kuching finally opened on 12th December 2015. It has about 820,000sqft of space and spread over 5 levels. The shopping centre takes an inspiration from MidValley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur. The anchors of this shopping centre are no less impressive too. They have Parkson Department Store, Everrise Supermarket, Harvey Norman and TGV cinemas as the anchors.
Their mini anchors are Padini, Brands Outlet, Sports Direct, Uniqlo, SenQ, Daiso, Kaison and Iora to name a few. Notable brands also include JD Sports, X core fitness, Loccitane, Baby Shop, Max Fashion, MST Golf and a plethora of IT and gadget stores. Their food offerings are extraordinarily strong, and they also have the only Haidilao and Oriental Kopitiam in Kuching! Their Food Court – Great Viva has also particularly good local selections and also busy.
They have managed to place all the major restaurants on the highest floor, which helps with the traffic movement vertically and laterally in this huge shopping centre. They also have basement and elevated parking (which feeds the upper levels) as well as Premier Carparking. Vivacity in summary is Kuching’s answer to MidValley Megamall, though not yet as glamorous with the tenancy mix. Given time, she will surely get there, especially with the high occupancy rate and never-ending traffic. The target market is mass.
We all know what Aeon Mall can do, and they opened on 20th April 2018 with 520,000sqft of space. Their anchor is Aeon Department store and Aeon Supermarket. Their tenancy mix and design layout is typical to those found in Peninsula Malaysia. They do not have a cinema but make do with an offering for the middle market.
If you want to know more, here are the websites:
The Spring https://www.thespring.com.my/
Plaza Merdeka http://plazamerdeka.com/
VivaCity Megamall https://vivacity.com.my/about/
Aeon Mall https://aeonmallmy.com/mall/aeon-mall-kuching-central/stores
Kuching has finally matched what we can get in Klang Valley. I believe this is only the beginning.
Here is wishing all a Gong Xi Fa Cai! Heng! Ong! Huat! for the Year of the Snake 2025!
