Thursday, June 12, 2008

jinxed?


after the movie yesterday, we had to pass the supermart on the way to the car park. it's like a recurring scene - expansive well-lit space, items neatly laid out & cashiers smiling albeit looking bored.. it's almost picture-perfect.

except that there were few shoppers (browsers?) & absolutely no paying customers.

that's not great news considering that this is the anchor tenant for the shopping mall. the locals are not surprised though. many had prophetically said that this mall has bad feng shui - something about the water cannons aimed outwardly. this is a far cry from the time it was opened to great fanfare 10 years ago. Carrefour was the 1st anchor tenant but it folded 3 years later. it was taken over by The Store, only to suffer the same fate years later.

and now, Cold Storage aims to buck the trend. the car park may be nearly full but i suspect these are largely patrons of the cinema & games arcade. i doubt if the locals are going to buy groceries at those mont-kiara prices. besides, there are only a few expatriates in the area.

ironically, jusco which operates just across the road has doubled its floor space over the years & is doing a roaring business.

in medic-speak, i think the prognosis is grave & i give it 6 months, tops, before it goes belly-up.

6 comments:

Yan said...

Incidentally, it's opening day for its branch in Kuching today! I would go for its RM9.99 per roasted whole chicken!

Anonymous said...

It could be the feng shui ( believe it or not ) b/c it is said that the location of the mall and certain things can affect the prosperity and the chi of the mall.

iml said...

Austerity drive time?

doc said...

yan,

that's probably a store-opening offer. anyway, i heard there are hordes of timber tycoons in sarawak.

:P

doc said...

kyels,

either that,or just poor business management/planning.

anyway, like political parties in doldrums, they are trying to re-invent themselves.

doc said...

iml,

any time is a good time for an austerity drive.

for me, i've reduced air-con usage, decreased fan-speed, increased the operating temperature, & now, charged petrol purchases to credit cards that give rebates.