1 Utama

1 Utama

1 Utama Shopping Mall
Location	Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Opening date	1995
Developer	Bandar Utama City Centre Sdn Bhd
Owner	Bandar Utama City Centre Sdn Bhd
No. of stores and services	600+
No. of anchor tenants	3
No. of floors	4

1 Utama is a popular shopping mall in Bandar Utama, a suburb in the northern part of Petaling Jaya, Selangor and is located just opposite Taman Tun Dr Ismail in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia.

The first phase of this shopping mall, commonly known as the Old Wing, was opened in August 1995. It comprises the retail precints of Centre Court and Promenade. It is currently undergoing major refurbishment. Jusco is currently the only anchor tenant at the Old Wing. Another anchor tenant, Isetan is expected to open at the first phase in 2012.

The second phase, commonly known as the New Wing, was opened in December 2003. It comprises the retail precincts of Rainforest, Highstreet and Oval as well as Entertainment Zone and Sports Zone. Parkson departmental store and Cold Storage supermarket are the anchor tenants of the second phase. An outstanding feature of the New Wing is the oval-shaped concourse which is the focus of events such as the Fashion on 1 fashion show, festive events and promotions for Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Puasa and Christmas, celebrities meet-the-fans sessions as well as product promotions and roadshows.

Its gross built-up area totals 5,000,000 square feet (465,000 m²),^[1][2] and it is one of the largest shopping centres in Malaysia.

Visitors

1 Utama receives roughly 60,000 to 90,000 visitors every weekday, and as many as 120,000 on weekends according to the management. Its occupancy rate is 98%.^[1] This is higher than Centrepoint, a competing mall in the same township (although it is nowhere near the size of 1 Utama). Further away (less than 2 km), in the adjacent township, are malls such as The Curve, Ikea, Cathay Cineleisure with 10 screens under Cathay Cineplex and Ikano.

Tenants

Rainforest precinct of 1 Utama shopping mall.

The first phase (Old Wing) is anchored by Jusco which has been operating since August 1995. It was temporarily closed from 22 February 2011 for refurbishment and relocation and reopens on 22 August 2011. This newly refurbished Jusco store spans across four floors comprising a two-floor department store on the first and second floors, a supermarket, delica, bakery, AEON Wellness pharmacy and liquor store on the ground floor, as well as the Arena food court, Daiso, Sports Direct and Molly Fantasy family entertainment centre on the lower ground floor.

Japanese apparel retailer Uniqlo opens its third store in Malaysia at the first phase on 4 November 2011. Other notable tenants at the first phase are Toys 'R' Us, Popular Bookstore, Padini Authentics, Hush Puppies, Nichii, Levi's, Dockers and Bershka, Morgan de Toi, Giordano, Flow, Lalu and many more.

The second phase is anchored by Parkson departmental store and Cold Storage supermarket. Other notable tenants include MPH Bookstore, French Connection, Coach, Armani Exchange, DKNY, Massimo Dutti, Zara, Raoul, Top Shop, Top Man, Gap, Laura Ashley, Miss Selfridge, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Chanel, Bose, Pierre Cardin, Padini Concept Store, Lacoste, Forever 21 and Marks and Spencer and many more.

There are also numerous restaurants including: A&W, Burger King, KFC, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Sakae Sushi, Wong Kok Char Chan Teng, Chili's, Starbucks, Nando's, Pizza Milano, Carl's Jr., Coffee Bean, Kenny Rogers Roasters and many more.

1 Utama is also the only shopping complex in Malaysia to house two major cinemas. On the first phase was the 7-screen TGV Cinemas which is currently closed for major upgrading and is set to reopen some time in 2012 with 12 screens. On the second phase is the 13-screen Golden Screen Cinemas.^[1] The Golden Screen Cinemas includes a 30-seater Gold Class hall while the other 12 halls feature comfortable and spacious seating.

See the full list of tenants.

Bus hub

The Bandar Utama bus hub is also located in the vicinity of 1 Utama.

Naming confusion

There is a great deal of dispute over whether the name of the mall is "One Utama" or "1 Utama". A recent press release by the management (Bandar Utama City Centre Sdn. Bhd.) states that the official name is 1 Utama Shopping Centre and not "One Utama" or "1-Utama". This move was meant to limit the confusion of its name, although either one of the mentioned names are easily understood and cannot be confused because of their same meaning.

1 Utama is also popularly known as "One (1) U".

Awards

1 Utama was named "Shopping Complex of the Year" at the Retail World Excellence Awards 2006/07. As of 2006, a 20-storey corporate office tower (occupied by IBM and KPMG) has been completed and a 428-room 5-star hotel attached to the mall is planned to open the following year.^[3]

There exists a free shuttle service from several areas such as the Kelana Jaya LRT station and Sunrise Mont Kiara to increase accessibility. Apart from that, the 1 Utama has recently introduced a new shuttle service to and from Cyberjaya. However, this shuttle service is not free and costs RM3.00 per trip (coupons need to be purchased at 1 Utama's Customer Information Counter).

Notes and references

1. ^ ^{a b c} Gomez, Jennifer (May 11, 2006). "Many firsts for 1Utama", p. 22. The Sun (Malaysia).
2. ^ "About us". 1 Utama official site. http://www.1utama.com.my/aboutus.aspx. Retrieved 5 January 2011. 
3. ^ Yap, Kenny (Mar. 20, 2006). "1 Utama wins platinum award", p. 21. The Sun (Malaysia).

External links

• 1 Utama Website

Coordinates: 3°08′53.34″N 101°36′57.03″E / 3.14815°N 101.6158417°E / 3.14815; 101.6158417