New upscale shopping haven to open in Johor Bahru
Come December, shopaholics in Singapore need only take an hour's drive up North to arrive at a highly anticipated shopping haven.
Johor Premium Outlets (JPO), the first Premium Outlet Centre in Southeast Asia, throws its doors open to the public on 2 December, a good nine days before its official opening on the 11th.
Located at the intersection of Malaysia's North-South Expressway and the Second Link Expressway, the 175,000 sq ft outdoor centre will offer savings of between 25 to 65 per cent on more than 80 brand name stores.
Participating brands include Armani, Burberry, Canali, Ermenegildo Zegna, Guess, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Salvatore Ferragamo and Tommy Hilfiger.
"The collection of brands at Johor Premium Outlets underscores our goal to provide visitors to our outlets with an upscale shopping experience combined with significant savings," said Datuk Justin Leong, director of Genting Simon Sdn Bhd.
A joint venture between the Genting Berhad and Simon Property Group, the JPO is the 70th megastore in the Premium Outlets portfolio, the world's largest collection of upscale outlet centres. They consist of 58 in the U.S., eight in Japan, two in Korea, one in Puerto Rico and one in Mexico.
Added Datuk Leong, "We are optimistic that strong credibility of the international brands will appeal to even the most fashion conscious shoppers."
Fashion stylist Kovit Ang is one such shopper.
Having visited the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in New York City last year, the 38-year-old is excited to explore the new outlet closer to home.
"The Woodbury Premiums in NYC was a fashion Disneyland to me," he said.
"I remember we braved through rain and storm and flash floods just to get there… and those who've never been there can only fantasize," laughed Ang.
Events coordinator Ann Sior was another shopper who had visited a Premium Outlet Centre in Japan.
"The one in Osaka's very big, we didn't have enough time to visit each and every shop," she said.
"But prices are really quite cheap if you compare with those in Singapore," added the 25-year-old, who scored a Prada bag there for S$1,600 when it was retailing in local stores at S$2,300.
For Sior, the opening of JPO couldn't be any timelier.
"I'll definitely go down before the Chinese New Year, so I can shop for some Chinese New Year clothing at the same time," she said.
However, student Lucas Lim told Yahoo! Singapore that he is not in any hurry to explore the JPO, as much as he is looking forward to scouring the racks of its Burberry store.
"I'll probably snap up any past seasons' stuff that I regretted not buying previously if I see them again," said the 23-year-old.
"But you know how openings can be so crowded and crazy. I'll probably wait till the hype is over and reviews are out."
