JOHOR: Ikea Southeast Asia continues to expand its footing in the state with the development of its southern flagship shopping centre, Toppen Shopping Centre, which is slated to open in Tebrau next year.
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, with a retailing space of 1.02 million sq m, will be the group’s third shopping centre in Malaysia and the first mall to be developed outside Klang Valley.
With a gross development value of RM900 million spent on its development, Toppen is designed to bring in Ikea Southeast retailing brand partner retailers such as Harvey Norman stores, Ben’s Independent Grocer (B.I.G) supermarket, and food and beverage operator Seasons which will manage the mall food hall area. Toppen will also host a TGV Cineplex.
The group is spending a total of RM1.5 billion on the development of the Ikea Tebrau store and Toppen.
Ikea Southeast Asia group managing director Christian Rojkjaer said Toppen’s development was timely as dynamic economic growth was taking place In Johor.
“As with any of our shopping malls development which is anchored to Ikea stores development, we want to personalise each mall in its own unique way while not forgetting to includes a touch of the Scandinavian feel in the malls’ interiors and stores ambience,” he said.
Rojkjaer said the group maintained a steady progress in the expansion of its business in Malaysia as it values the long-lasting relationship forged with Malaysian and their love for Ikea manufactured home furnishing products.
The group’s plans include opening a third Ikea store in Kuala Lumpur and a fourth Ikea store in Batu Kawan, Penang.
He said the group valued the quality of experience that it offered rather than the number of stores that opened.
“Our developments place strong value on connecting people and bridging relationships through our products and shopping centres,” he said.
Rojkjaer said the opening of Toppen in the third quarter of 2019 would provide some 5,000 jobs as more than 300 tenant stores and retailers would be occupying the four-storey shopping mall next to the Ikea Tebrau Store.
For visitors’ convenience, he said a rooftop pedestrian bridge would be built to connect Aeon Tebrau and Toppen.
