The iconic Sunway Mall is coming to Ipoh city.
Sunway Malls, one of Malaysia’s largest mall owner-operators, held a ground-breaking ceremony yesterday (Aug 1) for Sunway Ipoh Mall, which is poised
to be Perak’s largest mall upon completion in 2027.
The event was graced by Perak Menteri Besar YAB Dato’ Seri Saarani Mohamad along with Tan Sri Sir Dr. Jeffrey Cheah KBE AO, Sunway Group founder and chairman.
Also present at the ceremony were State Secretary of Perak YB Dato’ Ahmad Suaidi, Mayor of Ipoh Dato’ Rumaizi Baharin, State Executive Councillor for Tourism YB Loh Sze Yee, ADUN Hulu Kinta YB Muhamad Arafat, and CEO of Perak State Economic Development Corporation Datuk Redza Rafiq, among others.
With a total development cost of more than RM1 billion, the mall in Sunway City Ipoh will span over one million square feet of net lettable area (NLA) across four retail floors and house Perak’s first ice-skating rink, an exhibition centre, a 36-lane bowling centre, a multipurpose sports centre, a gourmet garden, and a 10-hall cinema with a seating capacity of approximately 1,500.
Menteri Besar said he recognises the importance of public-private partnerships such as this, where the private sector plays a crucial role in driving economic and social development.
“Ultimately, my vision is to elevate Ipoh into an international metropolis and reclaim Perak’s rightful place as one of the most economically advanced states in Malaysia. The government of Perak is proud to provide our full support behind this transformative project that will redefine the landscape here,” he added.
Tan Sri Sir Dr. Jeffrey Cheah, in his opening remarks said, “The state government’s Perak Prosperity Plan 2030 outlines an ambitious agenda to drive sustainable, inclusive, and equitable economic development throughout the Silver State.
“As a proud son of Perak, I am honoured to play a role in developing this piece of land and contribute towards the Eastern Development Corridor of Ipoh, and Sunway will continue to be a strong and long-term partner of the state government.”
VIP guest admiring the view of Sunway City
Sunway City Ipoh, spanning across 1,350 acres is the largest integrated township in Perak, is currently worth RM2 billion in Gross Development Value (GDV) with a further RM4 billion GDV underway in the next 10-15 years.
As the catalyst of growth for the Eastern Development Corridor of Ipoh, the township will lead the creation of more local employment opportunities and the potential of generating significant economic spillover impact for Ipoh.
In addition, Sunway Medical Centre Ipoh is on track to be open and fully operational by early 2025. This hospital with more than 200 beds will cater to Ipoh’s growing population and the increasing demand for quality healthcare in the surrounding communities. It will also elevate the appeal of Sunway City Ipoh as a medical tourism hub in the northern region of Malaysia.
Sunway Mall’s CEO HC Chan is confident in the group’s strategy to focus in Perak as the township also possesses a high potential to be a pit-stop destination for travellers on the North-South Expressway, which can top four million travellers during peak seasons.
“We are certainly bolstering our position in the northern region with the development of Sunway Ipoh Mall. This is part of Sunway Mall’s strategic direction to grow its retail space outside of Klang Valley by tapping into underserved markets, replicating the success of Sunway Carnival in Penang,” said Chan.
“With the addition of this mall, Sunway Mall’s northern region will form 29% of our total net lettable area, up 14% from the current 15%,” he added.
Staying true to the natural landscape of Tambun, Sunway Ipoh Mall will be designed to blend in with the natural scenery of limestone hills.
Sunway Ipoh Mall will also be built to achieve green certification, in line with Sunway’s commitment to ensuring all new buildings and premises from 2025 onwards will be green-certified towards achieving the group’s goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.