‘First-time and curious’ visitors are on the hunt for bargains as Muslim-friendly Malakat Mall offers up to 70% off in a bargain sale before closing its doors

KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 — For Hayat Ramadhan, 28, it had been three years since her last visit to Malakat Shopping Mall.

When encountered by Malaysian MailHe sat on the cold tiled floor outside the Eebu baby store on the third floor, watching his toddler son play in a wooden hut. They were waiting for the mother, Nur Syafiqah, 28, as she shopped before the mall closes at the end of the month.

As the mall prepared to close for good, curious first-time shoppers flocked to the mall to take advantage of bargains offered by vendors, some up to 70 percent off, so their inventory could be cleared.

“It’s quite sad because I like this place… Now after hearing about the closure last night, I knew we had to come here one last time. We also came all the way from Shah Alam,” he said with a laugh.

Hayat said he appreciated the mall for its Islamic features, such as providing a makeshift “surau,” or prayer space, in the central courtyard, which he said was convenient for Muslim customers. Other malls typically offer space in more isolated areas, sometimes cramped and poorly ventilated.

But when asked about the mall’s closure, he admitted that management was responsible.

“Sorry to say, but every business under this mall owner’s management has been mismanaged,” he said, referring to the founder’s other businesses, such as the Brainy Bunch kindergarten chain.

Earlier this month, the nursery school said it was trying to clear arrears of its staff members’ Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributions.

Nur Syafiqah, 28, a former teacher at early learning training institute Raudhah College, located in the CBD Perdana 3 office building next to the mall, came to Malakat Mala to have a last look.

“We wanted to come here one last time to see the place, and to see it like this is sad. The execution, the marketing and the promotion were so lacking that it was hard to see a future here,” she said.

“I had to leave and go somewhere else, and now, three years later, they’re closing. I think most of the customers you see here today are probably newcomers or curious.”

Those targeted by Nur Syafiqah would likely be attracted by Malakat Mall’s promotion, so that its sellers can clear their stocks, promising discounts of up to 70%.

The shopping center announced that it would close its doors on July 31.

One of the newcomers was Safwan Kamal, in his forties, who came with his three sons.

When approached by Malaysian MailHe said it was his first time at the mall and he only came because he heard it was closing.

“I wanted to see what was going on. We went for a picnic this morning and it was close to here. After reading the viral news yesterday, I thought why not check it out?” he said.

When asked if he would have returned to Malakat Mall if it had survived, he disagreed.

“I think the neighborhood looks good, but I’ve mostly seen people at the grocery store, nowhere else. The problem is there’s not much to do here, and we need to breathe some life into it. We also need some well-known brands, because half the brands here, although local, are pretty unknown,” he said.

“You would have had to build a strong local presence and get local residents to be strong supporters of your business, then I think they might have been able to grow their business.

“It is a new and good thing to want to support your fellow Muslims, but maybe it didn’t work here. Maybe that is something we can also study, to see if such shopping malls or conceptual shopping malls are worth it,” he concluded.

Most customers Malaysian Mail The people I spoke to were novices looking for bargains. Most of them were at shoe stores, while others were at the local DIY store called DIY Malaysia, where shelves and shelves were empty.

Malakat Grocer supermarket had a constant line of people filling their trolleys to the brim, stuffing every discounted item they could get their hands on into their already full trolleys.

Elsewhere there were empty commercial lots, half-renovated premises with pool tables and dart boards scattered on the ground. On some of the empty lots, birds were flying.

Nor Hidayah Hamidin, a housewife who lives in Putrajaya, near Cyberjaya in Selangor, said she used to shop at Malakat Shopping Centre because it was easy to choose products that she knew were already halal certified.

“The problem was that some days when I was about to go home and thought I would go buy milk and bread, the grocery store was empty. If it wasn’t empty, there was just a brand I didn’t like,” she says.

“Then when it happened several times after that, I finally gave up because I had wasted a lot of time. I decided to find another place. I came here today just to see if there was a sale, and it seems like a lot of things are on sale, so that’s good. therecome now and get everything you need before they close.”

“They should have diversified or been more attentive to detail. That’s what I think can sometimes make or break a business,” she said.