Visitors hunt for bargains at Muslim-friendly Malakat Mall in fire sale before going under

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Mall doomed by mismanagement and obscurity.

Firdaus Latif

As the mall prepared to shutter for good, curious first-time shoppers descended to pick up discounted bargains offered by vendors, some up to 70 per cent off, so their stock could be cleared.

The mall announced that it would close its doors on July 31.

Most of the patrons could be found at the shoe stores, while others were at the local DIY shop called DIY Malaysia, where racks upon racks were empty.

The supermarket Malakat Grocer had a constant line of people filling up their shopping carts to the brim.

Firdaus Latif

In other places, there were empty shop lots, half-renovated spaces with snooker tables and dartboards strewn across the floor. Some empty lots had birds flying in them.

Since January 2020 when it first opened, the mall has struggled to sustain itself. A host of issues such as lack of marketing, poor management, focus on little-known “Islamic brands” and slow foot traffic inevitably sounded its death knell.

The mall’s founder Fadzil Hashim is an entrepreneur and business coach who made his name in 2008 by starting Brainy Bunch, an Islamic Montessori kindergarten chain popular among Malay-Muslim families.

Originally opened on the back of the “buy Muslim first” and anti-Chinese business sentiments among the Malays, the mall’s development was hindered by the pandemic that saw the country forced into lockdown.

It again went viral in 2022 for its decline, causing Fadzil and his partners to reportedly invest RM40 million into redeveloping the mall. Despite generating revenues of RM17 million to RM25 million in its first two years, the mall struggled to sustain itself.

In his announcement earlier this month, Fadzil said the closure is aimed at exploring a new business model, but did not provide further details.