1ST Avenue, one of Penang’s newest malls, has proven to be a popular shopping destination.
The nine-storey mall, which boasts of high fashion and big brands, has been attracting a steady increase of shoppers since its soft opening in November 2010.
Its shopper traffic count has increased from 520,000 people in December 2010 to 770,000 people last month, said Victoria Shigehira Sharpe who is the chief executive officer of Pramerica Real Estate Investors (Asia) Pte Ltd.
The mall, located in the heart of George Town, is a joint venture project between the Belleview Group, The Lion Group and Asian Retail Market II Limited which is a subsidiary of Pramerica.
“While we are already impressed with these numbers, we are confident they will rise even higher as we work towards more innovative advertising and promotion activities as well as loyalty programmes for our shoppers,” Sharpe said at the official opening of the mall yesterday.
Shopping boost: 1st Avenue is strategically located in the heart of George Town.
The opening was a grand affair. Lion dances and drums welcomed guests through the main entrance of the mall facing Magazine Road while the ground floor concourse was decked in the mall’s official colours of blue and green.
Belleview Group managing director Datuk Sonny Ho said they had put in extra efforts to bring in brands which had not arrived in Penang before to make 1st Avenue different from other shopping malls in the state.
“Among them are Coach, M Stores, Cotton On, Payless Shoesource and the first Hush Puppies flagship store in the state,” Ho said in his speech at the opening ceremony which was officiated by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
He said tenancy rate of the mall now stood at almost 90%, with three strong anchor tenants — departmental store chain Parkson, retail giant Carrefour and TGV Cinemas.
“TGV has introduced its very interesting ‘cinema with bean bags’ called the Beanieplex to Malaysia, having its debut in 1st Avenue,” Ho said.
Ho, Sharpe, Lim and The Lion Group executive director Lionel Cheng took a short tour of the mall after the opening ceremony.
The mall is already decked with brilliant Chinese New Year decorations, including five enormous red lanterns that stand as the centrepiece.
Guests were then treated to a scrumptious lunch on the eighth floor that included some of the island’s most famous street food such as mee goreng from Bangkok Lane, Teochew cendol from Penang Road and curry puffs from the Pulau Tikus market.
Ho told reporters later that the mall’s tenancy rate was expected to reach close to 100% by the middle of the year.
“We will be welcoming a theme restaurant to occupy this empty area on the eighth floor while a well-known European household store will take up 5,000sq ft (465sq m) opposite the Carrefour supermarket,” Ho said. - The Star
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