Affordable shopping

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At Kenanga Wholesale City in Kuala Lumpur, there is a large variety of stocks at the best prices to suit every age group and taste.

NIGHT VIEW: Traffic zooming by the elegantly designed KWC at night.

EVER wonder how online shops and blogshops survive the highly competitive and borderless world market despite offering low prices?

The secret lies in where they get their supplies or stocks from to make shopping affordable and sustain their business in the long run.

One of the places to hunt for wholesale products at super low prices is the Kenanga Wholesale City (KWC) at Jalan Gelugor (off Jalan Hang Tuah) in Kuala Lumpur where public transport is easily accessible with the nearby Monorail, Star LRT and bus station.

SHOES GALORE: A shopper trying out shoes to her heart’s content.

Don’t be intimidated by the term wholesale mall because KWC also functions as normal malls as some of the suppliers there sell retail (single items) – not just in bulk – and there is a stark contrast between both prices – like a jaw-dropping RM30!

“By offering the latest fashion trends in KWC, we are confident of becoming one of Malaysia’s top one-stop fashion hotspots. As our retail partners, the suppliers are committed to bringing to market the latest fashionable goods in a huge variety of styles, sizes, quantity and colours,” said KWC Sdn Bhd general manager Henry Chua during a media familiarisation visit to the mall recently.

“Shoppers will be spoilt for choice under one roof and enjoy the best prices. There will be something for everyone – children, teenagers, young executives and even grandparents – as there is a large variety for every age group and taste.”

He said as fashion stocks moved extremely fast in KWC, shoppers were assured of getting only the latest trends at affordable prices, adding that great deals were available throughout the year and shoppers could save more when they purchased in large quantity.

“In easing the overwhelming demand by the Malaysian wholesale fashion industry, KWC has become a hit since its ground-breaking in December 2008. The units are all sold out while limited lease units, ranging from 300 sq ft to 2,500 sq ft, are priced between RM6.50 and RM30 per sq ft. The range of sizes and pricing makes KWC the best choice for established fashion companies and newly-developed fashion businesses,” Chua said.

Among the available items are women, men and children’s wear, traditional apparels, Muslim wear, textiles, costume jewellery, shoes, watches, bags, leather goods, accessories, premium gifts, factory outlets, food and beverage outlets and banking services.

On the inspiration to open a fashion wholesale mall, Chua pointed to the resounding successes of fashion wholesale malls in the Asian region like Platinum Fashion Mall in Bangkok, Dongdaemun Market in Seoul, Mangga Dua Wholesale Complex in Jakarta and many fashion wholesale malls in Humen, China.

One of the more interesting and unique premium gifts that will make a good talking point during a home party or as a gift is the unique toilet roll which has currency – and even Sudoku puzzles – printed on it. Those using the loo will likely laugh out loud or spend more time solving the Sudoku puzzles.

Seven retail floors

The mall has seven retail floors and a large exhibition cum promotion area, factory outlets and a halal foodcourt on Level 15. The exhibition area is also large enough to hold a concert in.

COLOURFUL: An eye-catching array of floral hairpins and hairclips at KWC.

On the lower groundfloor are to be found women and men’s fashions, shoes, and a bank and money changer while on the groundfloor, there are more women and men’s fashions and shoes.

As most of the shoppers are women, the first and second floors are dedicated to female fashion. On the third floor, there are more women, men and kids’ fashions and sportswear. Up one floor, baju Melayu, kids and traditional fashions and restaurants can be found. The fifth floor is similar to Level 3A except there is a bazaar instead of restaurants.

A mall outfit is not complete without complementing accessories, handbags and leather goods which can be found on Level 6 with more selections of accessories and handbags on Level 7 plus a non-halal foodcourt. The non-halal items include Kim Lian Kee Hokkien Mee, Petaling Street Famous Porridge, Cheras Flat Woo Pin Fish Head Noodles, Duck King, Imbi San Jian Zhuang Pork Noodle, Siang Kee Char Kuey Teow and many others.

Where do these suppliers keep their humongous stocks and offices? Why, at Levels 16 and 17, of course.

After spending a whole day at the mall, shoppers will be delighted to find various food outlets to eat and relax at. There’s Old Town White Coffee, Sajian Enak, MJ Cafe, Kazu Sushi Japanese Restaurant, Fashion Cafe and many snack kiosks.

The mall, opened on Oct 20 last year, is Malaysia’s first one-stop fashion wholesale shopping centre that brings together a large and comprehensive directory of businesses – fashions, accessories, shoes, gifts and other lifestyle products all under one roof.

The mall is 100 per cent sold with an 80 per cent occupancy rate. It has 500,000 sq ft of lettable retail space and over 800 retail lots over nine zoned shopping floors. It is also quite a safe place to shop at with a 24-hour CCTV security surveillance.

It also features 20 loading bays, seven cargo lifts, six passenger lifts, escalator access to carpark and wide walkways. Parking won’t be a problem as there are over 1,800 parking bays.

Any retailer who drops by the mall will find it hard to resist obtaining the latest trends for their shops and displaying ideas for the goods.

Opening hours are from 10am to 8pm daily.

For further information, visit www.kenangacity.com.my or www.facebook.com/KenangaWholesaleCityKL. The mall is a development by KWC Sdn Bhd, a company within Kha Seng Group of Companies.