The Covid-19 pandemic has caused many shops and outlets to generate less income due to the (even) lesser demands. With people staying home, it’s no surprise that these businesses are struggling even if they were prospering before.
As online shopping booms amidst all this, physical outlets and shopping complexes are the ones feeling the negative impact of this pandemic. Nevertheless, there are quite a number of shopping malls that were already struggling before the outbreak, and the pandemic certainly didn’t help their situation.
Here are 8 shopping malls in Klang Valley that are barely surviving:
1. Cheras Sentral, Cheras
Formerly known as Cheras Plaza or Phoenix Plaza, this mall used to be a go-to spot for the people in this area. Since the mall was revamped with a new look a few years back, it has attracted a lot more visitors and shoppers.
However, it might not be long until the mall turns into a “ghost town” again as most of the stores in the mall have ceased operations since the pandemic forced the government to impose the Movement Control Order (MCO). The only ones that have not stopped operating are Starbucks and a few other essential stores.
2. Quill City Mall, Kuala Lumpur
We all know this mall in KL doesn’t have the best visitor-count despite its location. Due to the number of cases rising in KL, it’s really starting to affect the businesses that run in this mall.
The only reason Quill City Mall still stands here is probably because of UniKL students who frequent it, due to it being within the same premises as their college. If it wasn’t for the UniKL campus in the area, the situation in the mall would have definitely been worse.
3. Fiesta, Ampang
Just like the other malls on this list, Fiesta in Ampang is not looking too bright during these tough times. Despite being built near housing areas, this mall hasn’t garnered the amount of visitors that was initially expected.
If you’ve been here, you would know that the mall definitely looks livelier from the outside compared to the inside. This might be due to the fact that most of the F&B outlets such as KFC, Subway, and Restoran Safreen can be accessed without going through the mall’s entrance.
4. Space U8, Shah Alam
This mall was once famous for the shooting of TV9’s music show, “Versus”. Nevertheless, that’s all in the past as the people who frequent this mall are only there to watch newly-released movies on the big screen. It was reported that the lack of visitors has encouraged small fabric stalls to make use of the space at the centre of the mall.
5. 1 Shamelin Shopping Mall, Kuala Lumpur
If this list was made years ago, this mall would’ve never made it. If you’ve been here before, you would know that 1 Shamelin used to be packed with various stores and regular visitors. But now, the mall is left with a short number of outlets which makes it look gloomy and at some point, creepy.
One visitor even went out of his way to comment on the condition of this mall on TripAdvisor. He stated, “The lift was slow. The mall was deserted. Some shops were still closed at 1pm. The cinema reeked of sweat. No directory. The website was under maintenance.”
6. Endah Parade, Sri Petaling
Endah Parade is one of the biggest malls in this area, but that’s about the only interesting thing to say about this shopping complex. As the famous saying goes, “bigger doesn’t always mean better.”
Just like the other malls on this list, most tenants that used to rent the space at this mall have ceased operations. It is reported that the only businesses left in this shopping complex are massage parlours.
7. Galaxy Ampang, Ampang
If you live in Ampang, you would definitely know about the current condition of Galaxy Ampang. When it first opened, this shopping complex had the potential to dethrone Ampang Point as the go-to mall in the area as it had a cinema, but that didn’t last.
Aside from the top floor and the ground floor, all the floors in between are empty and might give visitors the chills. With cinemas not being able to operate at the current time, this mall could only cling on to hair saloons and massage parlours to stay afloat.
8. Viva Home, Kuala Lumpur
Viva Home was supposed to be the perfect alternative to IKEA, except for the fact that it had a cinema and a nightclub. However, since the closure of MBO Cinemas in the mall, Viva Home no longer has the same amount of visitors as it used to.
Have you visited any of the aforementioned malls lately?
Source: Wanista
