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Penang Times Square
Former names	Birch the Plaza
General information
Coordinates	5°24′44″N 100°19′31″E / 5.4123°N 100.3254°E / 5.4123; 100.3254

Penang Times Square is an ongoing urban redevelopment project within George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located at Dato Keramat Road within the city's Central Business District (CBD), and comprises office blocks, condominiums, a shopping mall and an outdoor plaza. Developed by Ivory Properties Group, at present, the first two phases have been completed, while Phases 3, 4 and 5 are still in the works.

In 2016, a new shopping mall, M Mall O2O, was also opened as part of Phase 2 of the Penang Times Square project.

History

Up until the late 20th century, the site was once a tin smelting plant owned by Eastern Smelting, which was formed in 1897. Tin was imported from Perak and southern Thailand to be smelted into ingots for re-export via the Port of Penang.

The decline of Malaysia's tin industry led to the closure of the tin smelting facility. The area was then acquired by Ivory Properties Group and the Penang Times Square project, which consisted of five phases, began in 2005.

As of 2016, Phases 1 and 2 have been completed. As part of Phase 2, M Mall O2O was officially launched in 2016. The remaining three phases are expected to be completed by 2020.

Shopping

Birch the Plaza

Phase 1 of Penang Times Square includes a shopping mall housed within Birch the Plaza, a podium block that also consists of offices and commercial lots. The shopping mall itself covers the first three floors within the block.

The mall contains restaurants, fashion boutiques, nail parlours, beauty salons and electronic stores, in addition to a handful of nightclubs. Its 'Food Gallery' also offers a variety of local hawker fare.

It was reported that Birch the Plaza was being given a RM10 million facelift by Ivory Properties in 2016 to improve its tenancy rate.

M Mall O2O

The newest shopping mall in George Town was the retail component of Phase 2 of the Penang Times Square project. Opened in 2016, the mall's latest attractions include Penang's first wax museum, various wall artwork and cultural-themed 'streets' at each of the mall's four floors.

As with Birch the Plaza, M Mall O2O has a variety of restaurants, electronic stores and personal care retail outlets.

References

1. ^ "Ivory targets completion of Penang Times Square by 2020 | theSundaily". www.thesundaily.my. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
2. ^ "Queen graces opening of mall at Penang Times Square - Community | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
3. Khoo, Salma Nasution (2007). Streets of George Town, Penang. Penang: Areca Books. ISBN 9789839886009.
4. "Penang Times Square". Time Out Penang. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
5. ^ "Milestone". ivory.com.my. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
6. "Penang Times Square, new landmark - Business News | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
7. "Ivory Properties counting on Penang Times Square, WorldCity for better FY16". www.theedgeproperty.com.my. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
8. "Top 10 Shopping Malls In Penang - Best places to shop in Penang". penang.ws. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
9. "Directory". www.penangtimessquare.com. Retrieved 20 November 2016.

External links

• Penang Times Square

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
• Buildings and structures in George Town, Penang