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Swedish furniture maker Ikea is set to open their third shopping centre in Malaysia located in Tebrau, Johor.
With an impressive 1.1 million square-feet, Toppen Shopping Centre will be seamlessly integrated with Ikea Tebrau and is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2019.
Taking its name from the Swedish word for awesome and fabulous, Toppen will be similar to other shopping centres developed by Ikea Southeast Asia such as the IPC Shopping Centre and MyTOWN Shopping Centre in the Klang Valley.
Toppen Shopping Centre is strategically located in the third most populous city in Malaysia. Its surrounding vibrant residential and commercial zones allow the shopping centre to optimally cater to the city’s growth and progress.
With a gross development value of RM900 million spent on its development, Toppen is expected to accommodate some 300 retailers including Harvey Norman stores, Ben’s Independent Grocer (B.I.G) supermarket and TGV cineplex.
Toppen Shopping Centre is projected to attract 15 million visitors in the year 2020, not only from Johor but from the southern region of Malaysia and nearby countries like Singapore.
The shopping centre development will bring with it thousands of business opportunities within Malaysia and neighbouring countries adding vibrancy to the economy.
It is also set to create many career opportunities with an array of permanent jobs for the Johor community.
Ikea SoutheastAsia managing director Christian Rojkjaer said the new development would create 5,000 job opportunities for locals.
“Johor is home to 3.6 million potential consumers with fast-growing retail sales Johor’s economy is booming- growing faster than the rest of the nation.
“The mature community gives us the opportunity to create significant partnerships with both the community and business owners.”
He added that Ikea choose Johor Bahru because they can see the everyday development that is currently going on, especially within Iskandar Malaysia.
“We are proud to be part of that development and contributor to the economy,” he added.
Moving forward, Ikea is currently focused on developing their next outlet which will be located at Batu Kawan, Penang.
Rojkjaer said plans to develop another shopping centre to compliment their Penang’s outlet is already in the pipeline.
Ikea’s presence, he added, normally contributes to an additional 20 per cent of footfall to their shopping centres.
With a strong track record and international experience, Ikea Southeast Asia is confident that Toppen Shopping Centre will be meeting place that families and friends come and socialise as well as to have a meal together when it opens in the third quarter of 2019.