https://www.facebook.com/103619772377941/

Mall Hopping Diary, Kuala Lumpur (2026)

17/01/2025

NU Empire previously was known as Empire Shopping Gallery, Subang.

This mall used to be the "atas" mall in Subang area with high spending power crowd. They used to offer variety of restaurants and services.

After changing of ownership, the entire mall offering has changed.

* Lift and most escalator is out of order for the longest time. Now everything is in order but still get disruption for maintenance, sometimes. 😕 Why can't the maintenance work carry out outside operation hours? Is it because the operation team work 9 to 5 so maintenance work must carry out during that time?

* Retail offering has been the weak link in this mall but I used to like their eatery offering, but now, their eatery offerings is getting weak. From Serai, Nyonya colour, old town, kakattoo, Kopi Malaya to Kopi Kaw Kaw, aren't they offering almost the same thing? The only different is the pricing.

I used to enjoy the Vietnamese food there but not now, sorry to say after changing of new operator, the taste is totally not up to mark.

F&B used to be the unique attraction point for me to come to this mall. But now, I am not sure. Maybe just grocery shopping 🤷🤷

This mall need a competent management team to bring them back to their previous level. They are lucky Subang Parade Management Team is equally lay back or else they might face fierce competition.

One compliment to the NU Empire is, the CNY decorations is nice.... at least.. But, it looks a bit deserted because not much of CNY products can be seen. And I wonder how does it benefits the tenant without having overall mall promotion such as CNY ang pow or gift redemption lead by mall ?

The marketer's job in this mall very senang lah like that.... 😁

06/10/2022

I was at USJ today to run some errands, passed by Da Men mall, asked myself when was the last time I entered this mall? Cannot recalled, so I decided to take a walk and have lunch since I am so free today 🤗

What can I say?🫣

I recalled when the leasing team was doing their marketing to promote this mall, they approached me and presented their impressive plan and strategy. Honestly the initial plan was great as a neighbourhood mall, focusing on not only destination shopping but also great dining experiences cos Subang residents are supposedly known to be quite well versed in food and dining. Beauty and wellness are also one of the important factors incorporated in the plan. If you don’t believe me just drop by Taipan USJ and count how many beauty and wellness centres there (since day one till now) despite the all year round mad traffic congestion😱

But my reservation then was the location and accessibility. I used to stay very near to this mall and I knew too well the traffic along Persiaran Kewajipan (I know right…..cos I used to stay in USJ for more than 20 years🤭). Though the rental quoted was quite reasonable then, but in the end I didn’t take it up.
It’s sad to see after so many years the mall is still struggling with getting in tenants. The occupancy rate is so low, besides LG the other floors are operating with a small handful of tenants. Book Xcess and MR DIY looks like the only ones at L2.

I was asking myself, what is the catch for customer to want to make a trip to this mall and for what purpose (besides grocery shopping at Jaya Grocer)? So far as I can see, F&B are the survivors here, though many stalls have ceased operations even though the signage lights are still on. I remember when it first opened it’s door, there was quite a number of good eateries and restaurants. Guess the only one who is still standing tall is Grand Harbour Chinese Restaurant at L4. The pandemic definitely have also taken a toll on this whole current scenario.

Klang Valley has the highest number of shopping malls in Msia, easily more than 200 in operation now?…..big and small, and with more new malls in the pipeline soon to be opened…..where to hunt for retailers? Bring in new overseas retail players? If you noticed, the retail players in the market are basically the same in every mall. And from the retailer’s standpoint, unless the company is cash rich, otherwise they still need to control the handbrake. In the past 2 years new malls emerged like the Tropicana Gardens Mall, Pavillion Bukit Jalil & Mitsui Shopping Park LalaPort KL. Did they even achieved an occupancy rate of 70%? I really don’t know, maybe I should make another trip there to witness. And just 3 weeks ago, I went to IOI City Mall after it opened it’s Phase 2, with an addition of another 1m sqft, making it the country’s largest shopping mall with a combined total of 2.5m sqft nett lettable area. I was expecting to see an exciting and vibrant new phase, with some new retail faces but sad to say the place is still practically empty😒

So the saying, “There are more shopping centres dotting the Klang Valley than there are public parks”…. are so very true!

08/07/2022

My turn to write about this Mall after my first visit. Basically, it is a city mall trying to be huge atas neighbourhood mall. Layman enough? 😄😄

After going through the tenant mix, I think the leasing team did a good job in tenant mix. Many new surprises. I just wanna highlight those catches my attention, those didn't, you sendiri mau faham and kampateh lagi ya.

1. THE Food merchant - I like their layout and ambience. I like the store in store concept, even bake with yen is in there. The big mirror reflecting the fish display really caught my eyes and I thought it was really clever. I will give thumb up to their in store signage. Their dine in areas that consist multi countries food offering is a awesome idea for the husband and kid to wait for mom to do her shopping. Or have quick bite after the chores.
In short, it's a store that put shopping experience as a core in their their planning and I am quite sure they understand shopper behaviour and visual merchandising very well. Kudos!

2. ECOTOPIA/ABSOLUTE THAI/ICONCRAFT

These 3 stores indeed is 3 in 1 store. They are just combining 3 different concepts together. I always think Thai creativity can be very cosmopolitan and you can see it this store.
I think it would attract those who like modern contemporary items but I am not sure is this location has the right crowd for them.

3. AINZ & TULPE

Basically a Beauty store with a ang mo name selling Japanese Beauty products. It's like sasa married with don don donki Beauty section staying in Muji house.....can you visualise? 😄😄

4. Tsutaya Books

Didn't manage to get in because too long queue. But peeping from outside, the store is very dark, I am not sure do I need to bring torch light or headlight if I visit next time 😅😅

Ok la, time to sum up. I think this store can do well la if their tenant mix continues to be so interesting. But not sure those interesting store can last or not la.....😄😄😄 because Pavilion rental very expensive ma, neighbourhood ppl every day, interesting also become "xian" la, right or not? 😄😄😄

Okay la stay tune to next mall Hopping la. Ciao!

16/06/2022

Today’s jalan jalan brought us to a neighbourhood mall in Section 17, PJ called Seventeen mall (so straight forward). It’s a mixed development where you have retail shops at the lower floors and residences on the upper floors. The mall is pretty small, operating over 2 floors only.

We parked at the upper floor (L2) and as we moved down to L1 the first thing that caught our attention was this big word Cookhouse. Was wondering what it is, thought maybe it’s a kitchen workshop where they conduct cooking classes 😀), then my friend said this must be the shared kitchen concept (my first time heard this, out liao🤪). Then one slim and tall young man in Cookhouse uniform approached these 2 aunties and asked if there’s anything he can help (must have noticed both of us showing much interest in this place).

What we learned from him was this cloud kitchen concept started 1 year ago, where you can rent the kitchen, there’s 2 types ie shared kitchen (few vendors share a big kitchen) or private kitchen (where you cook and sell your food, like your own stall type), and the term is on either daily basis or contract basis. Find this concept interesting and relevant especially for those periodical business who just wanna operate for certain festive or occasion only. Oh ya! There’s also dine in tables here whereby the current vendors who rented the kitchen also serve their food. You just need to order your food from the kiosk and the robot will bring your food to your table, which is also one plus point to the vendor as you don’t need many helpers. I just wonder if the rental is doable but then again there are quite a few vendors who are quite permanent there, so guess rental should be quite affordable kua.

There’s also a lifestyle fitness centre here (looks cool) where you can get to learn mixed martial arts like kickboxing, boxing & Muay Thai, yoga, dancing and cardio training. And they operate 24 hours! so you can arrange your own time for your workout. But …. hmmmm…… was asking myself how many people will actually go for their workout after midnight le 🤔….Well…..maybe got le ….. again out liao 😌!

MaxValu and Aeon Wellness combined are the main anchor tenant here at the ground floor. Other tenants comprise of Mr DIY, cafes, A&W, pedi mani shop, myNews, pop out stores, money changer, handphone gadget…..what else??. think basically there la.

I would say this mall was designed to serve the nearby shoppers and also residents so it’s a targeted shopping where you go in with a purpose to get or do something and definitely not the window shopping type.

So if you were to ask me whether I will visit again???. Well! if I so happen to be in that area, answer is maybe (cos I haven’t tried the food there yet 😁). But will I specifically drive all the way there for the visit, answer is No lor! cos I have seen what I want to see 😊

09/06/2022

Today’s exploration, a project under Mahsa Group ie KEDAI KL at Mahsa Avenue, the artisanal marketplace that house local entrepreneurs, artists and designers all under one roof on the 2nd and 3rd floor. I was told this place was opened sometime end of 2019, then nothing much happened due to the pandemic. This section was formerly students dormitory, therefore the layout is rather straight forward but very cleverly designed into a street market concept with spacious corridor on the 2nd floor but not on the 3rd floor. Since the original space used to be dormitory, the store size is rather small around 200 sqft per lot, which I find just perfect for this artisan business nature.

Business here are quite diversified, ranging from product to services to F&B. And one thing for sure is every store has it’s own identity and uniqueness ranging from indoor plants to apparel and accessories, flower and home made soap, tattoo parlour, workshops spaces and not forgetting the eateries. Had our lunch at Three Guys (Japanese fusion) and the food is yummy! You should try it out when you are there.

And don’t forget to check out the Shoe Shop (being a shoe fanatic, this is the shop that I love most). Most of the merchandise are men shoes, beautifully designed and crafted, not locally done though as these are from either Portugal or Nederland, very niche. I was so mesmerised by the merchandise till I forgot to take pictures of the window.

Coming from the retail background, window display is one thing that will catch my attention and for me to ‘judge’ the retailer. Well! needless to say, since the retailers here are of artistic skill, you can rest assure every window display here are awesome and has its own story to tell. Love it!

Operating hours are from 10am to 6pm daily (close on Monday). Parking is a bit of hassle here, in Mahsa Avenue RM7 and very limited space, jockey parking RM10, open air parking opposite the building is RM5. If you intend to pay a visit, was told best to come on weekdays as weekends may be a little crowded. And again due to the size of the shop it may get a little congested and you may not be able to really enjoy the shopping.

What I like about this place :
~ the layout is very straight forward and you won’t miss any shop cos there’s no hidden corner

What I ‘not so’ like about this place :
~ it can be pretty hot and humid along the corridor as there’s no air conditioning esp on a hot day like today!

Address

Kuala Lumpur
50050

Website

facebook.com

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Mall Hopping Diary posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Mall Hopping Diary:

Mall Hopping Diary