Penang Plaza

Penang Plaza
Map
LocationGeorge Town, Penang
Coordinates5°25′17″N 100°19′30″E / 5.42146°N 100.325°E / 5.42146; 100.325
Address126, Burmah Road, 10050 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Opening date1982
Total retail floor area138,222 sq ft (12,841.2 m2)
No. of floors10
Parking88
[1][2]

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]

History

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Penang 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.[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

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Penang Plaza is situated at the junction of Burmah Road and Jalan Larut, within George Town's Central Business District.[5][7]

Notes

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^α Komtar was topped out in 1985.[12]

^β Island Plaza was opened in 1995.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ a b c d e Wong & Ouyang: Blueprints for Hong Kong. Images Publishing. 2008. ISBN 9781864703047.
  3. ^ a b Emmanuel, Marina (15 Sep 2021). "Hotel Royal Penang to cease operations". New Straits Times. Retrieved 1 Oct 2024.
  4. ^ "Store Locations". Giant. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
  5. ^ a b c Opalyn Mok (30 Oct 2012). "White elephants of Penang". Malaysia Today. Retrieved 1 Oct 2024.
  6. ^ Moroter, Tanushalini (22 May 2022). "Gama supermarket enters Malaysia Book of Records". Buletin Mutiara. Retrieved 1 Oct 2024.
  7. ^ a b Li, Leshi; Augustin, Andreas (1987). The Penang Treasury: Secrets of a Beautiful Island. University of Michigan. ISBN 9789971849528.
  8. ^ "Annual Report 2008" (PDF). Far East Consortium: 23. 2008.
  9. ^ "Unaudited results for the second quarter and half-year ended 30 Juneb2009" (PDF). Hotel Royal Limited. Jun 2009.
  10. ^ "Penang Plaza". Time Out. 2 Sep 2014. Retrieved 1 Oct 2024.
  11. ^ Rachel Yeoh (16 Sep 2021). "Hotel Royal shuts its doors but won't be closed forever". The Vibes. Retrieved 1 Oct 2024.
  12. ^ McIntyre, Ian (27 Mar 2024). "Penang's iconic Komtar set to undergo major make-over". The Vibes. Retrieved 1 Oct 2024.
  13. ^ Arnold Loh (3 Sep 2022). "New life for Island Plaza". The Star. Retrieved 21 Nov 2023.
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