Malaysia’s retail landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, with malls evolving into vibrant lifestyle destinations to meet changing consumer expectations. Malls playing safe with the same templates from 20 years ago are finding it difficult to survive in Malaysia’s sea of shopping malls. At the forefront of this shift is 3 Damansara, set to unveil the RM40 million Idea Live Arena. This would serve as the largest indoor arena within a Malaysian shopping mall, capable of hosting up to 5,000 attendees for large scale indoor entertainment events. Realizing that retail and F&B isn’t sufficient, 3 Damansara’s arena has the potential to draw in an entirely new demographic, in turn increasing footfall. Additionally, the introduction of the reconfigured 21,000 sq ft Alfresco Dining Zone will see the expansion of the malls F&B outlets to nearly 40 local and international brands. This aligns with Malaysia’s F&B sector, which generated a whopping RM228.66 billion in 2023 reinforcing 3 Damansara’s position as a dynamic lifestyle and dining destination.
Malls that invest in experiential features and long-term reinvention are best positioned to thrive in an increasingly competitive market. Sunway Pyramid has unveiled its expansive 300,000 sq ft OASIS wing, which will feature over 100 new stores including flagship brands Jaya Grocer & H&M Home, solidifying Sunway’s dominance in Malaysia’s retail landscape. In October 2024, the new IOI Rio was unveiled as part of the RM12 billion IOI Rio City integrated development. With 1,000,000 sq ft of net lettable area, the mall will feature 300 retails units as well as residential, office components and 10.93acre urban park. This goes to show that Malaysians demand for Mixed-Use malls and experience driven environments will play a key role in how upcoming malls will and should be shaped. While some malls surge ahead with innovation, others serve as cautionary tales of stagnation and misalignment with market needs. Once a retail landmark, Subang Parade now struggles to maintain relevance despite a 2016 refurbishment and a shift toward community-focused retail. During it’s prime in 2008, the mall used to attract 7.6 million people. The number has dropped by an alarming 35% in 2024 due to failing occupancy. Atria Shopping Gallery is suffering the same fate due to reduced footfall and increased competition.
The concept that one template works for all doesn’t apply here, careful planning and consideration needs to be taken in order to deliver to the wider demographic. The question is no longer if they will fall, but when. Across Malaysia, once-iconic malls are crumbling under the weight of irrelevance, casualties of a retail landscape that waits for no one. Will your mall stand against the rising, developing competition or will it be next to join in the long list of declining malls? Join us at the 15th Annual Shopping Malls Summit, where leading local and international experts will share real-world insights from their journeys of reinvention. Discover proven strategies, cutting-edge technologies, and thought provoking thinking that will distinguish tomorrow’s retail leaders from yesterday’s forgotten landmarks. In today’s retail era, malls must evolve—or be left behind.
Ascentis is an award-winning and leading technology agency specializing in enterprise customer loyalty and engagement solutions. We empower businesses to build meaningful, data-driven relationships with their customers through our comprehensive suite of membership, rewards, and marketing automation platforms. Our solutions are designed to drive customer retention, increase brand affinity, and deliver measurable business growth. With a strong focus on innovation, scalability, and seamless integration, Ascentis partners with leading brands across retail, F&B, and lifestyle industries to transform customer experiences, enhance engagement strategies, and unlock the full potential of customer data through technology-driven insights and personalized marketing solutions.
With more than 40 years dedicated exclusively to ETFE architecture, Vector Foiltec Asia Pacific delivers complete ETFE foil systems from early concept and engineering through fabrication, installation, and maintenance. The company has realized projects across Asia Pacific in tropical, coastal, and seismic environments, supporting lightweight and energy-conscious architecture. Its portfolio includes internationally recognized ETFE structures such as the Beijing National Aquatics Center (Watercube) and the Singapore National Stadium. Deep expertise in ETFE design enables the development of integrated envelope and steelwork solutions tailored to each project.
Contact:
vector-foiltec.asia/contact-us/
CAN Design is an emerging architecture and design firm based in Hong Kong. The growing team of over 50 creative minds has a proven record of award-winning design. We adopt a holistic and forward-thinking approach to integrating architecture, interiors, masterplanning, and environmental graphics, opening the design realm to infinite possibilities.
Founded in 2020 on the principles of collaboration and cross-disciplinary practice, our creative team pushes the boundaries of design by integrating Culture, Art, and Nature into our design process. We create destinations that resonate emotionally and perform commercially. Applying international expertise with a deep local perspective, we act as a strategic design partner to create spaces with soul that inspire and connect. Design with a Spark.
Yardi has a single focus on the real estate industry and provides cloud-based software that helps real estate companies optimise their operations. Our unified platform serves as a single source of truth across asset classes and geographies, offering enhanced visibility and control through integrated AI and analytics. By streamlining investment, asset, and property management processes, Yardi’s solution enables improved return on investment across your portfolio. Yardi’s single integrated platform reduces the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) while ensuring compliance with regulations and enables scalability to manage portfolios of any size or location.
Our comprehensive solution allows investment and property managers to improve efficiency, manage risks, increase revenue and gain valuable insights across office, retail, industrial, residential build to rent. With expertise in key markets across Asia Pacific, and a focus on continuous innovation, Yardi acts as a strategic partner that transforms how real estate businesses operate and succeed in a complex global environment.
Concept i is an award winning interior design and architecture studio globally engaged in retail, commercial, and entertainment projects. We create innovative places for living and enjoyment, crossing cultural and geographic boundaries, injecting the newest trends, technologies and materiality into our work. Our work is vibrant, always seeking fresh ways to mix human activities and uses into new style spaces. Our retail and entertainment projects receive top industry awards and recognition from our peer institutes such as ICSC, IAAPA and International Property Awards.
Visit us at www.concepti.com
Founded in 2002 by Torquil McIntosh and Simon Mitchell, Sybarite was born from a creative vision and an obsession with visual storytelling that defines the world’s most distinguished luxury brands.
From its global headquarters in West London and an international office in Shanghai, Sybarite unites a team of 100+ designers and creatives spanning 25+ nationalities — a collective that’s ever-evolving, ever-curious, and always pushing boundaries.
Every project pulses with the energy of experiential culture — merging innovation with emotion — in the pursuit of crafting future-facing, hybrid environments that consistently set new benchmarks across retail and hospitality design. From the micro perfume bottle to the macro 350,000 m² masterplans, Sybarite’s collaborations with renowned brands such as Ferrari, Moët & Chandon, and Marni, alongside global icons like Harrods, Harvey Nichols, and China’s SKP, redefine the world of luxury and retail through design and immersive experience. With over 23 years of experience and nearly 3,000 projects, the studio continues to prove one thing: design has the power to inspire, connect, and transform
www.sybarite.com
10 Design is a global architecture practice built out of collaboration, imagination, and agility. With a team of 400 people working across nine global studios, we design resilient, responsible projects at all scales and complexities.
Placing priority on environmental, economic, and social responsibility, the practice’s varied portfolio covers a broad range of sectors – mixed-use, retail, hospitality & wellness, civic and cultural, commercial, education and sciences, master planning and urban design, residential. Recognized as one of World’s Top50 most significant architectural practices on the WA100 list, it has received over 340 international awards with its innovative and inspiring designs.
Coniq powers customer engagement, loyalty, and AI-driven innovation for the world’s leading retail destinations. Its technology enables operators to drive revenue growth by understanding, anticipating, and engaging customers in real time across multiple channels.
The Coniq platform powers over $5 billion in annual sales for its customers, with over 30 million consumers shopping across 2,600 brands in 26+ countries worldwide. Our clients include Tanger Outlets, Cadillac Fairview, Mall of America, The Bicester Village Collection, VIA Outlets, and many others.
We are a leading retail design firm based in Malaysia & Singapore, specializing in the creation of impactful and profitable retail spaces. Since our establishment in 2014, we have focused on helping clients Design Profitable Retail Spaces & Businesses. With 20 years of combined experience in retail design, we offer a range of comprehensive services, including:
1. Interior Concept Development for retail spaces & 3D Visualization to bring retail concepts to life.
2. Retail Space and Mall Planning, optimizing layouts for functionality and better customer engagement & experience.
3. Environmental Graphic Visual Designs to reinforce brand identity and create memorable retail experiences.
4. Retail Consultancy Services, providing strategic insight and retail expansion strategies for clients retail success.
5. Retail Technology Consultancy which focuses on development retail technological solutions aimed and increasing retailer profits and
productivity.
Our diverse clientele includes supermarket retailers such as Jaya Grocer, lifestyle digital brands such Nikon, and larger-scale retail projects including shopping malls for clients like Sime Darby, Ayer Berhad, Hektar REIT (Subang Parade Mall), and more.
Recognized for our excellence in retail design, we have received several accolades, including the Asia Pacific Property Awards, the Golden Bull Award, the SME 100 Award and more. Our expertise and insights have been featured in leading business media outlets such as Focus Malaysia and BFM, where we share perspectives on emerging trends in the Malaysian retail landscape.
The objectives aim to advance Taiwan’s shopping centers and commercial real estate by fostering their overall development and international recognition. This includes providing feedback on government policies, conducting research, and promoting best practices within the industry. Additionally, efforts are made to cultivate talent through educational programs and training, while encouraging the exchange of ideas and information both domestically and globally. Furthermore, there is a focus on coordinating participation in international conferences to enhance global engagement and collaboration in these sectors.
www.tcscre.org/
Indonesia Shopping Center Association is a non-profit organisation consisting of Indonesian mall owners and management. As a united front, we build a strong relation among members, government, and other related parties through communication and collaboration that aim for global economic success and regional growth.
www.indonesiashoppingcenter.com
In light of the booming e-commerce industry in Hong Kong, our association will dedicate itself to serving and uniting Hong Kong’s online businesses, large and small, on a non-profit basis, pooling resources to create a stable and healthy e-commerce sector. Besides assisting the industry in developing and expanding its business, in the context of global economic integration, our association will also help the industry explore business opportunities in Mainland China and overseas.
www.ecahk.org/
Branding Association of Malaysia is formed into an association that caters mainly to the need of brands across Malaysia in achieving success both in the domestic and International arena. We set the runway for Malaysian brands to rise above in achieving its presence and connectivity across all continents in the world. Branding Association of Malaysia reaches out to local SME companies in bringing out their potential as a valuable brand.
new.brandingmalaysia.com/wp/
The Middle East Council of Shopping Centres & Retailers (MECSR) is the leading organization and regional trade body supporting the growth and excellence of the shopping centre and retail industry across the MENA region. For over 30 years, MECSR has connected developers, mall owners, retailers, investors, and industry professionals through high-impact events, education, insights, and strategic networking. We empower our members with market knowledge, professional development, industry recognition, and partnerships that drive business success. MECSR is expanding its scope to include the wider real estate and hospitality sectors, with a focus on residential communities, hotels, resorts, and integrated mixed-use developments, reflecting the convergence of retail, lifestyle, and destination-led development across the region. Through collaboration, innovation, and best practices, MECSR continues to shape the future of the industry locally, regionally and globally.
www.mecsr.org/
