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Penang Plaza

Location	George Town, Penang
Coordinates	5°25′17″N 100°19′30″E / 5.42146°N 100.325°E / 5.42146; 100.325
Address	126, Burmah Road, 10050 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Opening date	1982
Total retail floor area	138,222 sq ft (12,841.2 m)
No. of floors	10
Parking	88

Penang Plaza is a shopping mall within George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located at Burmah Road within the city's Central Business District (CBD), the 10-storey 138,222 sq ft (12,841.2 m) retail complex was the city's first shopping mall. Completed in 1982, it comprises three retail floors, a seven-storey tower that accommodates offices and maintenance spaces, and 88 car park bays.

The mall serves as an annexe to the adjacent Hotel Royal. Giant is the main anchor tenant of the mall, which has experienced declining footfall due to the emergence of newer shopping malls throughout the city.

History

Penang Plaza was built in 1982, making it the first shopping mall in Penang. It preceded the completions of Komtar and Island Plaza, although GAMA Supermarket & Departmental Store had been opened in 1967. Penang Plaza, Komtar and GAMA emerged as the three primary shopping destinations of George Town by the late 1980s.

Both the mall and the adjacent 21-storey Dorsett Penang Hotel were owned by local real estate company Faber Kompleks. The hotel was managed by Dorsett Hospitality International, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Far East Consortium. Dorsett Penang Hotel was reportedly the first Dorsett hotel that was managed without ownership of the property.

In 2008, Hotel Royal Limited, a Singapore-based hospitality company, acquired both Penang Plaza and the adjacent hotel. Penang Plaza had a net value of RM18.9 million as of 31 December 2007. The mall underwent renovations from 2009 to 2010.

Despite the refurbishments, it struggled with dwindling foot traffic due to competition from newer shopping malls throughout George Town and was referred to as a "white elephant" by local media. Both the mall and the hotel were also impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading Hotel Royal Limited to lay off hotel staff. However, the mall remained operational for the duration of the pandemic.

Location

Penang Plaza is situated at the junction of Burmah Road and Jalan Larut, within George Town's Central Business District.

Notes

^α Komtar was topped out in 1985.

^β Island Plaza was opened in 1995.

See also

• List of shopping malls in Malaysia

References

1. ^ Lee, Keng Thon (17 Jul 2008). "The proposed acquisition of the Dorsett Penang Hotel and Penang Plaza (unsold retail & office lots together with car parking bays) through the acquisition of the entire share capital of Faber Kompleks Sdn. Bhd" (PDF). Hotel Royal Limited.
2. ^ Wong & Ouyang: Blueprints for Hong Kong. Images Publishing. 2008. ISBN 9781864703047.
3. ^ Emmanuel, Marina (15 Sep 2021). "Hotel Royal Penang to cease operations". New Straits Times. Retrieved 1 Oct 2024.
4. "Store Locations". Giant. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
5. ^ Opalyn Mok (30 Oct 2012). "White elephants of Penang". Malaysia Today. Retrieved 1 Oct 2024.
6. Moroter, Tanushalini (22 May 2022). "Gama supermarket enters Malaysia Book of Records". Buletin Mutiara. Retrieved 1 Oct 2024.
7. ^ Li, Leshi; Augustin, Andreas (1987). The Penang Treasury: Secrets of a Beautiful Island. University of Michigan. ISBN 9789971849528.
8. "Annual Report 2008" (PDF). Far East Consortium: 23. 2008.
9. "Unaudited results for the second quarter and half-year ended 30 Juneb2009" (PDF). Hotel Royal Limited. Jun 2009.
10. "Penang Plaza". Time Out. 2 Sep 2014. Retrieved 1 Oct 2024.
11. Rachel Yeoh (16 Sep 2021). "Hotel Royal shuts its doors but won't be closed forever". The Vibes. Retrieved 1 Oct 2024.
12. McIntyre, Ian (27 Mar 2024). "Penang's iconic Komtar set to undergo major make-over". The Vibes. Retrieved 1 Oct 2024.
13. Arnold Loh (3 Sep 2022). "New life for Island Plaza". The Star. Retrieved 21 Nov 2023.

v t e Shopping centres in George Town
Shopping malls	1st Avenue Gurney Plaza Island 88 M Mall O2O Penang Plaza Prangin Mall Queensbay Mall
Department stores	GAMA Sunshine Square
Mixed-use developments	City Junction Gurney Paragon ICT Digital Mall Penang Times Square Straits Quay Sunshine Central

• Shopping malls in Penang
• Shopping malls established in 1982
• 1982 establishments in Malaysia
• Buildings and structures in George Town, Penang