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Tag: Toys’R’Us

Sunway Velocity Mall opens doors

Sunway Velocity Mall has opened in Cheras, with a catchment of 1.72 million residents including the nearby areas of Ampang and Kuala Lumpur.

With a neo-futuristic appearance, the sphere-shaped shopping centre, known as the “KL Orb”, is set to be a landmark on the city’s skyline, especially with its LED light display.

Its opening is also a milestone for the Sunway Group’s retail division. The group’s fifth mall, it integrates shopping, entertainment and gastronomy in an integrated development.

“Sunway Velocity Mall was built and designed with one key purpose – to enrich the life experiences of its surrounding community,” says Sunway Shopping Malls & Theme Parks CEO HC Chan.

The centre has four precincts: Vanity Hall, Marketplace, Food Street, and Commune @ Sunway Velocity. The seven-storey mall offers the first-ever Aeon MaxValu Prime in Malaysia – the third such outlet in the world following Japan and Hong Kong.

The other two main anchors are Parkson and TGV Cinemas, which has the largest Imax screen in Malaysia. Other tenants include Chi Fitness, Grand Imperial, Harvey Norman, JD Sports, Padini Concept Store, Popular Bookstore, Toys‘R’Us and Uniqlo.

Chan says the mall is part of the “golden triangle of retail spaces” comprising the new Ikea Cheras, Aeon Maluri Shopping Centre, MyTown Shopping Centre and the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) Lifestyle Quarter development.

Sunway Velocity Mall has been “dressed” for the festive season with decorations including a 30ft (9m) Christmas tree surrounded by giant presents in the main atrium. There is also a Christmas spend-and-win campaign, Santa City, which runs until February 12. Prizes include a Volvo V40 car, a Celistar diamond ring by SK Jewellery, a Hero bed frame, and a Nature’s Finest Himalaya mattress from Harvey Norman.

There are also free weekend Christmas workshops for children.

December 21, 2016
Two more Kuala Lumpur malls opening
Two Kuala Lumpur malls, collectively offering more than 2 million sqft (185,806 sqm) in net lettable area, will open in Cheras, Klang Valley, by the end of the year.

Moreover, the MyTown Shopping Centre (below picture) and Sunway Velocity Mall (above picture) will be just 800m away from each other.

Cheras already has the Aeon Maluri shopping centre and Cheras Leisure Mall, with The Tun Razak Exchange also on the horizon, reports The Star.

MyTown is being developed by Boustead Ikano while Sunway Velocity Mall is a Sunway Groupproperty. MyTown will be structurally linked to Ikea Cheras, the largest outlet mall in Malaysia.
With a population of 800,000 people, Cheras is an “ample market”, says Sunway Shopping Malls & Theme Parks CEO HC Chan.

“Fundamentally, the real issue is the absence of lifestyle and experiential malls in Cheras – Sunway Velocity Mall fills this void. I am looking from a quality rather than a quantity perspective… we are addressing this from multiple angles.”

Boustead Ikano GM Jo Hogsander agrees there is demand for more retail space, especially in Cheras. He says that when the MRT line opens it will ease traffic congestion and boost accessibility to the mall.

“Game changer”

Chan also sees the MRT as a “game changer”. “Two out of six MRT stations in Cheras will serve Sunway Velocity, which translates to a capacity of about 400,000 passengers a day.”
He says Sunway Velocity Mall would not only compete, but also complement the MyTown Shopping Centre.

“Competition is healthy, but in the longer term we will complement each other. Just look at the Bukit Bintang area and the number of malls there. It’s thriving because it gives consumers a choice.”
Despite the number of malls in the Klang Valley, Hogsander says they are still crowded, even on a weekday afternoon.

“I went to our competitors on a Thursday afternoon and couldn’t find a parking space. I then went to another competitor and had to do laps to find parking – and these are big shopping centres with more than 6000 parking bays.”

Sunway Velocity Mall and MyTown Shopping Centre will open on October 28 and November 15 respectively, 18 days apart. Both malls boast 6500 parking bays.

Sunway will have a NLA of 1 million sqft and accommodate 500 shops, while MyTown will have 460 stores on 1.1 million sqft of space.

Sunway Velocity Mall’s anchor tenants include Harvey Norman, Parkson, TGV Cinemas and Toys’R’Us, while MyTown has secured such brands as Golden Screen Cinema, Mango, Uniqlo and Village Grocer.
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August 11, 2016
New Toys’R’Us Asia-Pacific president named
The new Toys’R’Us Asia-Pacific president is Andre Javes.

Taking up the role on May 27, Javes will oversee all operations and business activities for the company’s growing number of stores in Japan, Southeast Asia, Greater China and Australia, and he will be responsible for the profitability and success of the company in these markets. He will report directly to chairman and CEO Dave Brandon.

A seasoned retail executive with more than 30 years of merchandising and management experience, Javes most recently served as MD of Toys’R’Us, Southeast Asia and Greater China, where he oversaw all operations and business activities for the company’s more than 170 wholly-owned stores and some 2500 employees in Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.

“Since joining Toys’R’Us, Andre has made significant contributions to the continued growth and success of our business throughout Asia and Australia,” said Brandon. “With his extensive retail background, drive for results, commitment to building and leading high-performing teams and proven track record, we expect to further grow and strengthen our brands’ position in the global marketplace.”

Javes first joined the company in Australia in 2008 as GM merchandising with responsibility for toy and baby products. After a brief hiatus, he returned to the company in April 2013 as MD, overseeing all operations and business activities for the company’s more than 30 stores, eCommerce site, corporate office and more than 1700 employees.

Prior to joining Toys’R’Us, Javes served as CEO at Anaconda Group from 2009 to 2012, a retail chain of camping, outdoor and adventure gear stores across Australia. Earlier in his career, he spent three years at Kmart as divisional merchandising manager first for seasonal and consumable items and later for the company’s toy and outdoor product categories throughout Australia and New Zealand. He also served as group merchandise manager, grocery at Coles Supermarkets Australia.
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May 28, 2016
Toys’R’Us Asia Pacific chief retires
Toys’R’Us has announced that Monika Merz, president, Asia Pacific, will retire effective May 31. Her successor will be named later.

As president of Toys’R’Us Asia Pacific, Merz oversees all operations and business activities for the company’s more than 300 stores in Japan, Southeast Asia, Greater China and Australia, responsible for the continued growth, profitability and success of the company in those markets.

Since she started working at Toys“R”Us, Merz has been instrumental in the development of new store formats and merchandising concepts that have been successfully translated to other markets, ultimately strengthening the company’s position in the global marketplace.

Dave Brandon, chairman and CEO, described Merz as a highly regarded leader “who has inspired new ideas, demonstrated innovative thinking and unwavering passion for the business and grown our Toys’R’Us brand internationally, even through challenging times and market transitions”.

Merz’s retirement will bring to a close a remarkable career of nearly 20 years of continuous service to the company. She joined in 1996 as VP and GM, Toys’R’Us, Canada and was promoted to president, Toys’R’Us, Canada four years later. In 2007, she assumed leadership of Toys’R’Us, Japan. Her role was expanded to include responsibility for the company’s stores in Australia in 2011, and, later that year, she gained oversight of the company’s locations and corporate offices in Southeast Asia and Greater China when the company entered a joint venture agreement with Li & Fung to operate these formerly licensed stores.

“During my time at Toys’R’Us I’ve had many experiences and challenges, but I’ve always been supported by exceptional teams and leaders,” she reflected. “I’m proud of all that we have accomplished and confident that the work we have done to provide a fun and memorable shopping experience for customers will continue after my retirement. After more than eight years in Asia Pacific, I’m now looking forward to returning to Canada and a new stage in my life.”
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March 8, 2016