Cheras LeisureMall marks 30 years as a community landmark, rewarding 30 shoppers with grand prizes

The Sun

3 days ago

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 25 July 2025 - Cheras LeisureMall marks its latest milestone with its 30 th Anniversary celebrations, highlighting its rich legacy of cherished moments in serving the local community of Cheras. In conjunction with its 30th Anniversary, the mall rewarded 30 shoppers with prizes worth more than RM200,000 during The Grand 30 Giveaway live draw and prize presentation on 27 April 2025.
A Legacy of Connection and Community
For three decades, it has stood as an enduring landmark in Klang Valley, a pioneer among shopping malls that has grown alongside generations of Malaysians. As it marks its 30th Anniversary this year, the mall celebrates its rich legacy and looks ahead to a vibrant, revitalised future.
Since its grand opening in 1995, Cheras LeisureMall has been more than just a shopping destination—it has been a cherished part of the community. As one of the first malls in the region, Cheras LeisureMall introduced a new era of retail and entertainment, providing a space where families, friends, and businesses could gather.
Over the years, it has evolved into a beloved neighbourhood hub, fostering relationships and shared experiences that transcend generations. The mall's unique charm, nostalgia and character ensure its lasting relevance to the surrounding communities.
Despite its smaller size compared to the newer mega-malls, with approximately 280,000 square feet of net lettable area (NLA), Cheras LeisureMall has consistently remained one of the most popular malls in Cheras. Its wide variety of shops, F&B outlets, and leisure activities make it a favourite destination for the entire family.
Part of its lasting appeal is the mall's ability to adapt to meet changing market trends and customer expectations amidst a rapidly evolving retail landscape and economic fluctuations.
Another feature that makes Cheras LeisureMall unique is its lasting bond with tenants, consistently maintaining a 90% occupancy rate over the decades. Several long-standing tenants that have been a part of the mall since its inception include Eu Yan Sang, Poh Kong, Popular, McDonald's, Guardian, Baskin-Robbins, Cheinhoong Florist, Minit Cobbler, Sox World and AsterSpring. Other long-standing tenants such as Watsons, Wah Chan, Ogawa, Bata, Dalun and many more remain among the community's favourites.
This long-standing relationship with tenants has drawn its own set of loyal customers, many of whom grew up with and continue to frequent the same outlets with their children and grandchildren. In many ways, the tenants have helped create many lasting memories for shoppers that transcends generations.
While the occupancy rate was affected during the COVID19 pandemic, the occupancy rate quickly rose to pre-pandemic levels of 96% occupancy within less than two years. This rapid growth in occupancy stands as a testament to Cheras LeisureMall's key presence as a central neighbourhood hub in the community of Taman Segar, Cheras.
F&B outlets saw a spike in demand post-pandemic, with shoppers more willing to spend on dining out and enjoying new experience. This surge saw the rapid opening of several F&B tenants such as a food court - Food City, Old Nanyang Café, one of the largest ZUS Coffee outlets in Malaysia and many more.
The mall also saw continuous demand for technology and digital products, which led to several new tech brands opening at Cheras LeisureMall, such as Huawei, HONOR, Realme and many more.
As the mall progresses with time, it evolves and attract changes in providing new shopping and dining experiences.
Cheras Plaza, an ever-evolving commercial building
The adjacent building, Cheras Plaza, has also enjoyed a storied history since its opening in 1987, growing and complementing Cheras LeisureMall's offerings.
Cheras Plaza housed the first Japanese department store, Chujitsu, outside of Japan, which strongly attracted many surrounding residents. The building became a centre of education when Sedaya College took over the entire premises. Eventually in 2002, the building was converted into an office tower, thus renamed as Cheras Plaza.
In 2023, the entire building saw a major facelift, with a modern new aluminium façade and a transformed lobby. Air conditioning, new lifts and an upgraded cashless parking system provide all the conveniences of modern design with its charming past.
Presently, the building has two main tenants on its ground and mezzanine floors: Hua Yuan Seafood and Sing V Karaoke, while offices occupy the upper floors.
These two new establishments position Cheras Plaza as not just a premier office location but a dining and entertainment hub in the bustling Taman Segar neighbourhood.
Growing with the times
For many, Cheras LeisureMall was one of the very first malls in the Klang Valley that offered an indoor amusement park, bowling alley or cinema, making it a must-visit destination for visitors.
It has undergone several rounds of refurbishments over the years to continue staying relevant to the evolving needs of consumers. The indoor theme park and bowling alley made way in the early 2000s to a plethora of dining options and expanded net lettable area, offering cuisines from different parts of the world.
Both blocks have seen continuous upgrades and improvements, both in its building renovations and diverse tenancy mix, ensuring it stays up to date with the needs of its shoppers and tenants. The introduction of key tenants such as Fitness First in 2005, Village Grocer and Grand senQ in 2022, which was one of the first exclusive concept senQ outlets in Malaysia, continue shaping its unique offerings to its customers.
The mall took a pioneering step towards sustainability by installing 360 solar panels on its rooftop back in 2009, with a peak capacity of 64.8 kWp.
In 2009, the initial food court was renovated into what stands as Cravings Lane on Level 1, offering a wide range of new F&B options available. This area saw another facelift with a dedicated pedestrian link to the adjacent Taman Mutiara MRT station was unveiled in 2018, further enhancing its connectivity and drawing a wider audience to Cheras LeisureMall, such as students, working adults and tourists.
Despite the changes, certain features such as the mall's iconic linkbridge connecting both buildings and the Lower Ground Concourse which hosts all the mall's large festivities has remained unchanged.
Beloved community traditions
In line with its identity as a neighbourhood mall, festive traditions have become an integral part of its DNA, whether its Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Deepavali, Mid-Autumn or Christmas.
The sound of cymbals during acrobatic lion dance performances for Chinese New Year remain an annual mainstay for surrounding residents till today. In the late 90s, it was a rare treat to witness performers leaping from pole to pole and attracting visitors from far and wide.
The mall's Mid-Autumn Lantern Competition, which was introduced in 1996, remains an annual affair with a unique grassroots twist in 2024. The mall had set a new record recently in the Malaysia Book of Records for The Most Handpainted Lanterns by Children, with over 1,500 lanterns made by schoolchildren from 14 primary schools.
The annual Christmas Toy Bank initiative, which first started in 2002, continues to be a year-end tradition for Cheras folks, with hundreds of gifts donated yearly to children in various charity homes.
Today, the mall remains a popular venue for a wide variety of community activities, such as various safety awareness events, pet adoption drives, regular blood donation drives, wildlife conservation event, the division's long-term sustainability initiative The REplace Project, kiosks for needy NGOs and charity homes and many more.
Rewarding shoppers with The Grand 30 Giveaway
Thirty lucky shoppers walked away with 30 prizes in honour of Cheras LeisureMall's milestone anniversary, including a Haval H6 HEV, an Ogawa Vivre massage chair, Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, 12g of 999 12 Zodiac Gold Beans, Travelog travel vouchers worth RM3,888 and many more.
The spend and win contest, The Grand 30 Giveaway ran from 15 February to 20 April 2025. Shoppers who spend a minimum of RM300 at any participating outlets were eligible to submit an entry and stand a chance to win one of the attractive prizes.
The atmosphere at the prize presentation ceremony was filled with anticipation, with over 2,000 submissions. The participants gathered to witness the live draw event held at the mall's Lower Ground Concourse in the hopes to winning the grand prize.
The contest was held to reward its shoppers who have been an invaluable part of Cheras LeisureMall's rich legacy in Taman Segar, Cheras since its grand opening on 24 April 1995.
Celebrating 30 Years and Beyond
As Cheras LeisureMall enters its fourth decade, numerous exciting developments are in progress. Asset enhancement works in key strategic areas of the mall will refresh its ambiance. The phased improvements include introducing new alfresco areas along the ground floor, enhancing mall entrances for better customer arrival experiences, modernising and upgrading facilities, and many other initiatives that are set for the near future.
The mall had expanded its green initiatives by adding over 1,440 new solar panels in 2024 with a peak system capacity of 900 kWp. These efforts aim to generate clean, renewable energy and reduce its carbon footprint.
The mall management is evaluating and enhancing the tenant mix to attract new and prominent brands that best serve the community's evolving needs. This ongoing effort ensures that Cheras LeisureMall remains a vibrant and relevant hub for shopping, dining, and leisure activities.
The mall is also committed to long-term sustainability efforts, namely The REplace Project which installed designated recycling areas and a bag sharing corner to promote green living within the community.
Recently, the mall has embraced digitalisation, redefining customer engagement with the introduction of the PLAYCE app. This new loyalty app aims to make shopping and rewards more seamless and enjoyable for patrons while fostering close collaboration with tenants.
For further information about the latest happenings at Cheras LeisureMall, please visit its Facebook and Instagram pages.