More Retail Prescription for Malaysian Shopaholics

Last October, when French maletier and fashion house Louis Vuitton reopened its door at Starhill Gallery after months of remodeling, the KL flagship store successfully raked in RM4000,000.00 in sales on the first day of its opening!

Such achievement shows that Malaysians are now enjoying higher spending power and they no longer mind on splurging RM100,00.00 for a designer gown or an It bag from Hermes.

With the nation is celebrating its 50th independence anniversary this August, Malaysian shopaholics have another reason to be merry - more and more labels are coming to town! From the American classic Banana Republic to the hip and happening Bebe with the OC's actress Mischa Barton fronted its last year's Fall/Winter campaign, from the Chinoiserie wonderland of Shanghai Tang to River Island, one of UK's prominent fashion retailer, everything is coming on our way and all we need now is a bagful of money!

Two new shopping centers will open its doors this September and they are The Pavilion Kuala Lumpur and the Gardens at Mid Valley City. Stylish and full of excitement, these two will definitely complete KL's retail scene, apart from giving our neighbours - Singapore's Orchard Road, Bangkok's Sukhumvit and Ploenchit Road - a run for their money.

Not only these new establishments benefit the local shoppers but with the extension of Visit Malaysia Year up to next year, the tourists and regional shoppers too will definitely share the excitement, making our dreams of becoming a shopper's haven come true.

At Bukit Bintang, one of KL's most visited tourist spot and a major shopping belt, the scene is about to change once The Pavilion starts to operate.

Standing proud opposite the swanky Starhill Gallery, it will boast a number of two- and three-storey flagship stores by designer labels like Versace, Omega, Salvatore Ferragamo, Escada, Montblanc, Esprit and True Fitness as well as the local ones such as Bonia, Poh Kong, Padini and Voir.

For Hermes fans, a visit to Hermes's two-storey Takashimaya store in Singapore or the latest Maison Hermes opened in Seoul is no longer needed since the high-end leather and lifestyle goods maker is planning for its first multi-storey flagship store for Malaysia.

A few kilometers away, near the heart of KL's ultimate watering hole Bangsar, the Gardens at Mid Valley City will receive its own share of reputable retailers.

Two anchor tenants, namely Japan's Isetan Department Stores and Singapore's Robinsons' have spend millions of ringgit on fit-outs for the stores.

According to reports, Robinsons have already set RM 40,000,000.00 aside for the new store, which is its first and flagship store in Malaysia while the sum spent by Isetan is unknown.

Even America's Wal-Mart is keen to join the scene and probably will make its presence clear in Malaysia by opening a store at The Gardens Mid Valley. Other retailers to make their presence at Gardens Mid Valley are brands of Melium Group, The Link and FJ Benjamin just to name a few. All of these excitement will only happened in the next four months.

Therefore Malaysia should consider itself lucky as more and more international labels are began to vie for a space on our shores and this would contribute to a higher economic boost in the future. Though it might be too early for me but to my dear Malaysian shoppers, whenever you are, I'd like to wish all of you Selamat Hari Merdeka yang ke-50.

*Photos courtesy of ambafrance-my.org, The Pavilion Kuala Lumpur and IGB Corporation.