The New Bukit Bintang

To those in my age group,we remember the Bukit Bintang of yester-years fondly. The nostalgic Bukit Bintang Park where the legendary Rose Chan performed. Where The Federal Hotel stood prestigious as the top notch hotel then. today, that hotel has been dwarfed by international hotels with the six-star comfort and BukitBbintang Park exist but in history as tall behemoth of sky-scrapers stood atop its former site.

Today,it is a different world out there in Bukit Bintang. The Straits Times reports today that two vastly different worlds seem to exist side by side in Jalan Bukit Bintang, the capital’s version of Orchard Road in Singapore.

The Pavilion KL mall is a cavernous 1.3 million sq ft shopping haven that even boasts a swanky bread shop owned by former Premier Mahathir.

Its elegant sidewalk cafes have views of its equally stylish luxury hotel neighbours and the top-end Starhill Gallery shopping centre.

But just a few steps away, shabby buildings bump up against grim alleys.

All this could soon change.

Developers are determined to eliminate some of the street’s shadier elements.

One tawdry building, the former KL Plaza, has already been boarded up and renovations have begun.

After a RM100 million face-lift, it will re-open on Aug 8 as what owners promise will be the hot Fahrenheit 88, a trendy, cutting-edge and quirky exercise in shopping excess.

Two doors away, the iconic green Lot 10 mall is in the process of being refurbished. A sassy new rooftop is already attracting high society.

Joyce Yap, president of the Association for Shopping Complex and High-rise Management, said the Bukit Bintang area is long overdue for rejuvenation.

“Jalan Bukit Bintang is perfect for shopping,” she said. “It’s both short and long enough for a shopping district.”

She was referring to the fact that the street is long on variety but not overwhelming in its physical length.

Bukit Bintang has been a shopping hub for as long as most Malaysians can remember but the malls were getting old and tired.

Stiff competition has come from sexier malls like Suria KLCC at the foot of the Petronas Twin Towers.

Yap noted that every city needs a shopping cluster, especially for tourism, but said Malaysia’s retail scene tends to be fragmented.

Tourist shopping in the country lags far behind that of its neighbours. More than 23 million tourists visited the country last year, spending about RM50 billion in all. Of this, they spent only 27 per cent on shopping.

By contrast, tourists in Singapore and Hong Kong spend more than half the money they leave behind on shopping. Tourists also buy more in Thailand and South Korea than in Malaysia.

Yap said Malaysia has not put a concerted effort into its plans for shopping infrastructure or to promote the retail scene, and there is too little government coordination with the private sector.

Thus, the sidewalks beyond the malls suddenly become grimy and unkempt, and unmetered taxis prey on shoppers.

There are no sheltered walkways between malls, and KL’s infamous sudden downpours can leave shoppers stranded. You can say that again and look how fast the unmetered taxis seems to disappear as well!

Interest in Bukit Bintang began to grow again when the Pavilion opened at the end of 2007. It drew hundreds of thousands in its first week, and remains the country’s most successful mall.

Yap, who is also the chief executive of the Pavilion, said it now gets about 2.5 million visitors a month.

That is about 15 per cent more than in 2008. More importantly, visitors’ spending last year rose by about 25 per cent from the year before.

YTL Corp managing director Francis Yeoh, who runs the luxury Starhill Gallery nearby, said sales have risen by some 40 per cent since the Pavilion opened.

He revealed this when he spoke about the face-lift of the Lot 10 mall which YTL bought last year. The RM20 million it is spending to refurbish the mall already shows signs of being well worth it. The crowds have begun to return, especially to its sexy new rooftop.

Opened at the end of last year, it now has a stylish garden flanked by a dance club, a restaurant and a theatre run by arts doyen Faridah Merican.

Its new foodcourt, Hutong, has been a major draw too as it brings together the top brand names in hawker stalls from Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang.

Whether you crave the wonton mee of a particular stall in Klang or chicken rice from Ipoh, chances are you will find it there.

Two doors away, Fahrenheit 88’s new lease of life is being overseen by the Pavilion management which hopes to turn it into a sassy and funky place, along the lines of Orchard Road’s,The Heeren.

According to Cynthia Lim, who is handling leasing and marketing, it hopes to woo independent designers and stores. The shop sizes will thus be a cosy 400 to 500 sq ft each.

“We want it to be young, colourful and vibrant,” she said.

About half the shops in the mall’s 300,000 sq ft area have already been snapped up.

Marketing executive Connie Tan, 34, said the Bukit Bintang area is beginning to become lively again, and she likes the new vibe.

“I’m looking forward to the new malls,” she said. “KL needs more good shopping centres to give it a buzz like Hong Kong.”

Don't we all?