Pedestrian strip mall to open in September

A New landmark in the capital city — a pedestrian strip mall called KL CityWalk — is set to open in September. The 500m row of shops fronting Jalan P. Ramlee and Jalan Pinang, will be made up of about 50 outlets, 23 kiosks and 19 carts.

Apart from restaurants, bistros and cafes including a famous local noodle shop from Kampung Baru, KL CityWalk’s attractions will include a local handbag design team that supports an indigenous Thai hilltribe, art dealers and fashion and lifestyle boutiques. A full concierge service will be made available to provide information to tourists and other visitors while a box office will enable patrons to buy tickets for performances in the Klang Valley.

Calming walk: KL CityWalk will incorporate greenery as one of its striking features.

KL CityWalk itself will be an entertainment spot as an events space will be set up for entertainment and cultural performances. Built at a cost of RM15mil by Go Venture Sdn Bhd, the mall will be managed by CityWalk Enterprises Sdn Bhd. Inspiration for the mall came from the Portobello Market in London, Zeil in Frankfurt as well as Xintiandi in Shanghai. The strip mall is in line with City Hall’s vision to create an iconic location that is available in other cities around the world.

Ronnie Choong, group managing director of Trend Matrix Enterprise Sdn Bhd, the parent company of Go Venture, said construction work on KL CityWalk began in 2007 and the certificate of fitness was issued just two months ago. He said tenants were expected to open their outlets in July and August followed by a soft launch before the grand opening in September.

“A lot of tourists and locals like to take a stroll in the city but the malls are usually closed, so KL CityWalk will offer something different. “We are featuring local designers, infusing our multiculture and heritage into this,” he said. He added that with the LRT and monorail stations close by, the strip mall was conveniently located for pedestrians.

On traffic assessment for the area, Choong said they had taken car parking into consideration to allow people to park in nearby hotels and buildings in the area. “About 8,000 parking bays are available in the surrounding buildings. “We are expecting thousands of people to visit the walk all day long,” he said. Asked about the difference between KL City Walk and Kasturi Walk near the Central Market, Choong said KL CityWalk was a full-fledged mall with events, F&B and a greenery project. For details, call 03-2170 6688 or log on to www.klcitywalk.com

-thestar online.