DESPITE not doing as well as their contender Low Yat Plaza, traders at the main Mara Digital Mall, a brainchild of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, are still striving and thriving. 

Traders who spoke to Sinar Daily spoke of their competitors in Low Yat Plaza having more gadgets and direct suppliers, which sees them offering more items and competitive prices. 

Nazrul Naim Abdul Jabar, a Kuala Lumpur Mara Digital Mall trader, noted that Low Yat Plaza, often considered the go-to place for all things tech, is also much bigger. 

“But still we are surviving. We did not fail,” said Nazrul, who has been working at the mall since it opened in 2015. 

Trader Syifaa’ Ahmad Safri, who opened her business six months ago, said it was premature for Mara Digital Mall to be compared to Low Yat Plaza, which started operations in 1999. 

“We are still new compared with Low Yat (Plaza) and we can’t say much since we have different expectations,” she added. 

“Plus, we are focusing on social media services.” 

Laptop shop owner Azmil Asrop admitted that business was slow but said this was not a sign that he had “failed” as he still gets orders from his regulars. 

“Plus, the rental rate here is not that expensive,” he told Sinar Daily. 

“Open up more opportunities for Bumi youths”

Mara Digital Mall is run by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) under the Mara Digital project, which aims to open up more opportunities for Bumiputera youth to get involved as IT entrepreneurs. 

Last night (Aug 15), Ismail made a surprise visit to the main Kuala Lumpur mall and said Mara was instructed to carry on with the Mara Digital project. 

“During the visit, the traders informed me that they were still able to continue business because sales were increasing, but (that they) needed support from Mara in terms of promotion, loan assistance and reduction of rental rates among others,” he noted. 

The mall was set up in 2015 when Ismail was the rural and regional development minister. This followed an incident at Low Yat Plaza earlier that year where a Malay man was caught stealing at a mobile phone store. 

After the incident, the man returned to the shopping mall and damaged the shop out of revenge, to the tune of RM70,000 in damages. 

The then Barisan Nasional (BN) Government took the opportunity to break the mainly Chinese monopoly of Low Yat Plaza by starting a Malay-run digital shopping mall, located within the Mara building at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur. 

The Kuala Lumpur Mara Digital Mall, however, has long been known as a mostly-empty mall that does not get lucrative business. 

Apart from its Kuala Lumpur branch, Mara Digital malls have been set up in Shah Alam, Johor Bahru and Kuantan. However, only the Kuala Lumpur branch is open as of today. 

When Pakatan Harapan took over the Government in 2018, the Mara Digital initiative was shut down and new projects were discontinued. 

Recently, the Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia (DPMM) suggested that Mara Digital Mall’s management follow the approach of Low Yat Plaza to turn its fortunes around. – Aug 16, 2022 

https://focusmalaysia.my/mara-digital-mall-traders-striving-and-thriving-despite-losing-out-to-low-yat-plaza/