The Starling mall charted a major milestone for property company See Hoy Chan Sdn Berhad Group with its official grand opening gala ceremony held on 26th May. At a media conference held on 25th May in conjunction with the grand opening, the company announced that the addition of the newly-opened Starling mall, together with its recently opened Somerset Damansara Uptown serviced apartments, was expected to drive exponential growth of the existing Damansara Uptown mixed development project.
“In the last two years, the established township of Damansara Uptown has undergone significant expansion and gentrification, with the construction and handover of a residential component, which is the Uptown Residences condominium; plus the completion of a 2-year major road upgrade and beautification project for the township. And now the twin jewels of the crown, the Starling and Somerset Damansara Uptown will complete the gentrification of Damansara Uptown to become the ‘golden square’ of Petaling Jaya,” said Joe Tan, CEO of See Hoy Chan Sdn Berhad Group.
Speaking to reporters at the event, Tan said that the Starling was confident of a strong reception, due to its prime location, its captive target working population, and also its unique concept.
“Since the mall threw open its doors a few months back in December last year, we have seen a consistent crowd, strong on both weekends and weekdays. Our strategy of having a high percentage of F&B outlets (30%) has also paid off, as these F&B outlets draw in the crowd at all hours,” he said. The balanced tenant mix include anchors Jaya Grocer supermarket, gym CHi-X Fitness and the Oriental Group’s Tang Room. MBO Cinemas is a major draw with its flagship cinema boasting 10 cineplex screens including the largest cinema screen in Malaysia and some very unique viewing halls.
The tenancy take-up rate is 90%. The mall is drawing an average of 30,000 visitors a day.
The Starling, dubbed The Mall in a Park, is a nature-inspired mall both in its concept and architecture. Perched on green rolling lawns dotted with swaying trees, the 5-storey mall, with a net lettable area of approximately 451,000 sq. ft. is designed to create a haven-hangout for residents from around Damansara. Boasting both a 50,000 sq. ft. landscaped rooftop park, and a 27,500 sq. ft. ground level park complete with its own meandering brook, the mall positions itself as a lush perfect environment for residents in the area to kick back with family and friends over a cup of coffee and unwind over a lazy weekend.
“Our strategy is to create a haven to provide shoppers a sense of ease, comfort and well-being, a second home to reconnect socially with family and friends and to rejuvenate themselves. The nature-inspired backdrop of the park is part of the Starling’s vision to focus on nurturing the shopper’s quality of life and creating a holistic shopper experience,” said Tan.
Towards the end of providing a quality experience, See Hoy Chan recently completed a RM12 million beautification project to upgrade the landscaping, kerb and road systems in Damansara Uptown to create a greener, pedestrian-friendly environment as the perfect backdrop for the mall and for Somerset Damansara Uptown. The efforts have made an impact with the conferment of the Landscape Design Award (Professional Category) on Damansara Uptown at the Malaysia Landscape Architecture Awards 2016.
Road systems have also been expanded to three-lane for smoother traffic with new indoor parking lots built, to make up a cumulative total of 5,449 indoor parking bays in Uptown now.