Built to display local brands

The newly-built 33 storey Menara Mara in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur is all set to be fully operating in May, with the main attraction being fashion retail to showcase Malaysian brands.

It sits on the same land where the first Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) building was built in 1967, which functioned as its headquarters and also featured retail outlets. The eight-storey building was demolished in 2005 to make for redevelopment.

Mara chairman Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said the building was issued a certificate of fitness by Kuala Lumpur City Hall in November last year and they had handed the certificate of practical completion to the main contractor, Pembinaan Jaya Zira on Jan 10.

“The building has a retail podium consisting of five floors with 70 business lots, one banquet hall and 10 seminar rooms taking up three floors, serviced offices on two floors and a one-stop wedding centre on four floors. There is one floor dedicated to mechanical and electrical goods and nine floors for office space.

“The bottom three floors are for parking with 296 lots, while the top six floors will be turned into a four-star hotel managed by Impiana Hotels and Resorts Management. The hotel, consisting of 90 rooms, is scheduled to be open in June.

“We also have a bazaar called Marakesh where the Bumiputera Designer Association will have a variety of clothing on sale under the name BDA Concept, on top of a variety of batik, crystals, leather goods and diamond,” he said at a document handover ceremony held at Menara Mara recently.

Idris said that all the rental lots had been taken up.

“The launch of Menara Mara marks the rebranding and repositioning exercise for our business premises. We currently have more than 7,000 business lots in the country but only some are doing very well. Mara has decided to implement the Blue Ocean Strategy by introducing a new concept, redesigning, a new business model and promotions with a mix of trade and tenants to make the place more attractive.

“Mara has also planned to develop a few other Mara properties soon,” he said.

By The Star