Shop owners hope for revival at struggling Ampang mall
Robin Augustin
-October 23, 2018 9:40 AM
AMPANG: When Alan (not his real name) bought a lot at the Galaxy Ampang Mall in 2004, he was banking on the belief that the complex was a “sure bet” and “the place to be”.But 14 years later, his investment appears more of a nightmare than the dream venture it was supposed to be.
“I purchased a unit because as you enter the mall, it would have a revolving stage which no other mall in Malaysia had. To me, it was a sure bet,” he told FMT.
Now though, he said, the mall was plagued with problems. He said there had been no anchor tenants for years, floors were empty and escalators were at a standstill
He claimed the present management, which took over in 2014, made things worse by dismantling the revolving stage without consulting lot owners. He also accused it of failing to organise annual general meetings (AGMs) for several years until 2017.
But despite the mall’s problems, the retiree who owns one of 428 lots there still harbours hope of better days ahead.
Another owner who only wanted to be known as Goo said he had bought two lots for over RM950,000. At first, he said, the mall was “okay and nice”.
“But after two years, things started to go downhill. Slowly, the big businesses moved out as they felt there was a lack of business,” he said.
At its lowest point, he added, the mall had no air-conditioning or electricity.
He said to date, he had yet to receive the strata title for his property which was why he could not sell off his lots.
“I hope the new government will look into this and help us buyers.”
Checks at the mall found most of the shop lots closed, with businesses operating only on the ground and lower-ground levels. The escalators are no longer in operation, the higher floors are unoccupied and the cinema is no longer in business.
Most of the surviving shops are food stalls, massage parlours or hair salons.
When contacted, joint management body (JMB) president Yap Kim Ching said the mall was already in bad shape when Castle Vision Global Management Sdn Bhd (CVGM) was appointed to manage it on Aug 1, 2014.
“At the time, the ground floor was occupied by only 56 outlets, and only one of the four air-conditioning units was functioning.
“The lighting was also very poor and no maintenance was being carried out,” Yap said.
He added that 90% of lot owners were not paying maintenance fees at that point as they were hoping to contra them with the late delivery compensation owed to them by the developer. He said this included one anchor tenant who left without paying maintenance fees for 30 months.
He also claimed 80% of owners were not contactable, adding that JMB which appointed them in 2013 had been forced to employ a third party to track them down.
On the issue of AGMs, Yap said they had held the meetings every year except for 2015 when they did not have time to prepare for one.
On the revolving stage, he said it was not functioning when CVGM took over, and that only half of the 800 square feet space was usable.
“In 2016, after a JMB meeting, a pragmatic solution was taken to demolish the unusable stage and replace it with a 1,800 square feet stage which has since been used for many high profile and big events,” said Yap, giving the example of family days, charity events and festivities.
He added that as of August this year, the number of businesses operating in the mall and paying maintenance had increased to 123 shops.
He told FMT the company had plans to turn the mall around, including establishing an education centre, music academy, sky bar, swimming pool and cafe.
There are also plans to set up a circus academy, a traditional food paradise, a wedding hall and function rooms, as well as for more events and promotions to be held.
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