Netizen gets online roasting for belittling Kiara 163 Mall getting Sunway branding, pulling B40 crowd

A SOCIAL media influencer has hit out at one apparently Type C netizen for expressing disappointment that 163 Retail Park which is the latter’s “favourite mall” is now “carrying the Sunway brand”.

For the record, Sunway Real Estate Investment Trust (Sunway REIT) had on Oct 11 completed the acquisition of a freehold seven-storey mall known as “163 Retail Park” for a purchase consideration of RM215mil which it re-branded it as “Sunway 163 Mall.”

According to Sunway REIT, the Sunway 163 Mall is currently 99% occupied, featuring over 100 tenants and brands that offer a diverse range of retail options for the surrounding communities of Mont’ Kiara, Hartamas, and Segambut.

Sunway 163 is expected to be yield-accretive to Sunway REIT’s portfolio with an estimated initial net property income (NPI) yield of 6.5%.

However, the move was met with disappointment by one Robert Ng who feared the premium retail outlet would be flooded by patrons from B40 segment, noting the increase in vehicles bearing the Perodua and Proton marques in the car park.

Ng’s post was shared by X user Abah (@chairmanGLC) who had a simple expletive aimed at dear Robert Ng.

Many commenters shared similar sentiments towards the original poster’s sense of exclusive entitlement.

One netizen insisted that in these challenging economic times, it boils down to business survival. As such, having the Sunway brand was not a bad idea after all.

Another commenter observed that the workers at these malls were from the B40 group, hence the lower range cars. He pointedly asked if Robert Ng was going to work as a janitor at the mall?

One commenter chided that Mon’t Kiara was actually Segambut Dalam in its previous pre-glamour guise.

Another was amused that the language used by Robert Ng made it sound like this was an issue of grave social importance.

Suffice to say, comments expressing their disdain and contempt towards Robert Ng were plentiful. The attitude of exclusivity just showed a distinct lack of class and complete detach from reality.

As one netizen concluded, it is people like Robert Ng which have led to various “ghost malls”. This desire to service the premium or high-end market has perhaps led to empty and ailing shops. – Nov 7, 2024

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