KUALA LUMPUR, 22 Nov 2018:
The much-anticipated opening of the first Ikea store in the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia has been brought forward by two weeks to 14 March 2019. said Ikea Southeast Asia managing director Christian Rojkjaer.
Speaking at first ever annual Ikano Centres Tenant Engagement Event here last night, Rojkjaer said the earlier opening is possible as work progress at the project site within Aspen Vision City in Batu Kawan is ahead of schedule.
During the event, Aspen Group president and CEO Datuk M. Murly also revealed a deal has been inked with Marriott International – appointing Aloft Hotel as the hotel operator for the 4-star 30-storey hospitality tower with 308 rooms planned when open in 2023.
Also to be unveiled soon will be a shopping centre within this project – further cementing its aspiration to be the new central business district at Batu Kawan on mainland Penang, covering 245 acres strategically situated right at the landing point of the Second Penang Bridge.
The mixed development of landed homes, condominiums and office towers has already secured Columbia Asia Medical Centre and is to be home to an international school soon as part of an integrated township.
Murly said the overall transport and facilities infrastructure in Batu Kawan is among the most advanced in the country and said Aspen Group aims to ensure both residents and visitors to the neighbourhood also get to enjoy a conducive environment – epitomised by a 25-acre Central Island Park, which is already partly open.
Being a joint-venture between Aspen Group and Ikea Southeast Asia, Rojkjaer noted the project area is set to potentially have a light-rail transit (LRT) hub as part of the overall Penang development masterplan – hence alleviating concerns of potential traffic congestion.
Murly added that space for this transport hub – envisioned to be part of the LRT network serving both commuters on the island and mainland – has already been allotted and it was up to the state government to decide when the project would take off.