Wikipedia

The Exchange TRX

Not to be confused with The Exchange 106, the supertall skyscraper located adjacent to the mall.

The Exchange TRX, officially known as Plaza The Exchange TRX, is a shopping mall and complex situated next to the Bukit Bintang shopping district in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is located off Jalan Tun Razak to the east and Jalan Kampung Pandan to the south. The term "TRX" in its name is a short form of Tun Razak Exchange, the area where the mall was developed at. As part of the TRX Lifestyle Quarter precinct, the development also includes a hotel block by Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants and an office block built on top of the mall as well as 6 residential towers right next to it.[3] The Exchange TRX constitutes as one of the first stages in the development of the Tun Razak Exchange district, making it as a primary highlight for the area.

The Exchange TRX
Mall facade from the Raintree Plaza
Map
LocationTun Razak Exchange, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Coordinates3°08′34″N 101°43′05″E / 3.14264°N 101.71795°E / 3.14264; 101.71795
AddressPersiaran TRX, Tun Razak Exchange, 55188 Kuala Lumpur
Opening date29 November 2023; 12 months ago (2023-11-29)
Previous namesTRX Lifestyle Quarter
DeveloperLendlease Corporation
ManagementLendlease Development Malaysia Sdn Bhd
OwnerLQ Retail Sdn Bhd
(joint venture between Lendlease and TRX)[1]
No. of stores and services400+
No. of anchor tenants4
(Aurum Theatre, Seibu, Mercato, Apple)
Total retail floor area1,300,000 sq ft (120,000 m2)[2]
No. of floors5
Parking3 levels
Public transit access KG20  PY23  Tun Razak Exchange MRT Station
Websitewww.theexchangetrx.com

It is currently anchored by Apple, Seibu Department Store, Golden Screen Cinemas' Aurum Theatre and Mercato Supermarket (previously a supermarket under Dairy Farm Group of Hong Kong, now sold to Malaysian company Macrovalue Sdn Bhd in 2023).[4] There are also other smaller scaled anchor tenants such as H&M, Uniqlo, LC Waikiki, Muji and MPH Bookstores.[5][6]

Overview

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Construction of the complex in May 2019

The mall was built through a partnership and collaboration deal between Australian-based developer Lendlease (Lendlease Development Malaysia Sdn Bhd) and the main developer of the district (TRX City Sdn Bhd), in which the former had owned 60% of the development and the remaining by the latter of which is a subsidiary wholly owned by the Finance Ministry and under the Malaysian government's purview.[7] TRX City Sdn Bhd prior to that was previously known as 1MDB Real Estate Sdn Bhd which was a subsidiary company of the infamous 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).[8] The development was first known as TRX Lifestyle Quarter, hence the company named LQ Retail Sdn Bhd, a joint venture company between Lendlease and TRX City Sdn Bhd.[9] Taking up 17-acre of space in the district, the development was proposed to include a retail mall alongside hotels, offices, residential condominiums and a park, subsequently forming as the center of the overall TRX master plan.[10] Construction of the mall began in 2017 and was opened to the public on 29 November 2023 along with the operation of the district's underground tunnels in conjunction with TRX's big opening.[11][12] The Exchange TRX was expected to be completed by third quarter of 2021 but was further delayed due to unfinished construction caused by the strict Movement Control Order (MCO) in the country from the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]

There are more than 400 retailers and eateries, that includes the anchor tenants, spanning across 4 floors of the mall. Many of the retail stores are mid-to-high-end with designer brands occupying the ground level, while the floor below it are taken up by common retailers, restaurants, supermarkets and a food court.[14] The mall contains attractions for children and young adults, with a space for playgrounds on top of the building. A multitude of events take place at the Central Exchange which is the mall's main center. Throughout the year, this space undergoes changes according to seasonal celebrations and can be turned into a stage for special functions, including performances. The mall gets adorned with decorations during the holiday periods.[15]

 
106 Connection at Level 1 of the mall and Level G of the tower.

In June 2022, Lendlease had forged a partnership with The Exchange 106 to integrate the mall with its retail lots consisting of two levels which is situated at the foot of the building. The integration of the retail podium forms as the first phase of The Exchange TRX that has a total of 70 units.[16] There is a linked pathway in between the complex and the retail podium called "106 Connection" where it is located at Level 1 and Level 2 of the mall.[17]

 
Apple The Exchange TRX from the mall's rooftop

Some notable brands and retailers at the mall that have made their debut in Malaysia are Salomon, Descente, Fred, La Prairie, Drunk Elephant, Gentle Monster, Maison Kitsuné, Cafe Kitsuné, Alo Yoga, Guerlain boutique, Dolce & Gabbana, Chaumet, Golden Goose, HeyTea, Reborn Coffee, Ben's Cookies, Yogiyo, Ticco, Mil Toast House, Molton Brown, Tipsy Flamingo, Läderach and more.[18][19][20][21] The mall houses Malaysia's first Apple Store which was opened on 22 June 2024 and occupying three levels within the mall, including a rooftop entrance. It is Apple's sixth store in Southeast Asia after Singapore and Thailand.[22][23][24] Previously, there were reports where Lendlease was in discussions with Apple Inc. to open its retail store in Malaysia at The Exchange TRX.[25]

Rooftop park

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View of the TRX City Park
 
A directory map of the park

Other than being an ordinary shopping mall, it has a man made park that sits right above of the complex.[26] Styled as TRX City Park or Taman Bandar TRX in Malay, it is a 10-acre park located on Level 3 of the mall, with open spaces and mini gardens scattered around it.[27] The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) currently owns the park while TRX will undertake the management, operation and maintenance of it.[28]

There is a children playground, cave and water play features located at the park's Play City zone, while on the other side of the zone is a pond with weeds and gardens. The park also comes with a few open-air spaces such as the Events Lawn and Sunlight Plaza that play host to future events.

The park includes a number of F&B establishments with American-based fast food chain Shake Shack and Japanese coffee chain % Arabica Roastery opening their first outlet in Malaysia at the mall's rooftop park.[29]

Mall features

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Dining precincts

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  • Food Exchange, a food court managed by the mall at level concourse
  • Dining Terrace, strip of restaurants and bars with glassy roofs above the precinct
  • Concourse Dining, housing restaurants of international and Asian cuisines at level concourse
  • Premium Dining, rows of fine dining restaurants at first floor
  • Park Dining, garden-inspired dining concepts at the rooftop level[30]

Other precincts

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  • Beauty Galleria, an alley of cosmetic and beauty care brands on the ground floor.
  • Central Exchange, the mall's main atrium
  • City Avenue, northern section of the mall
  • Park Avenue, southern section of the mall
  • Urban Node, the mall's east atrium
  • Market Lane, upcoming outdoor street with artisan shops and al-fresco restaurants[31]

Park zoning

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  • Events Lawn
  • Forest Walk
  • Harmony Plaza
  • Inspiration Garden
  • Play City
  • Serenity Garden
  • Sunlight Plaza

Accessibility

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The mall is directly connected to the  KG20  PY23  Tun Razak Exchange MRT station via an underground link between the concourse level of the mall with the upper concourse level of the transit station. The station serves as the only cross-platform interchange in the city that links the MRT Kajang and Putrajaya Lines.[32]

Access to The Exchange TRX from numerous roads were also made possible with the newly built loop tunnel underneath that encircles the whole district within TRX. The tunnel consists of 3 levels where 2 levels are meant for vehicular traffic and 1 level for mechanical and utility services. It forms connections to major highways surrounding it, including the SMART Tunnel, Maju Expressway, Setiawangsa-Pantai Expressway, Jalan Tun Razak as well as Jalan Sultan Ismail.[33]

Incidents

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Fallen crane

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According to the developer, an incident had occurred during the construction of the retail mall where the jib of a tower crane had fallen at the site around 6pm on 13 April 2021. It was noted that the crane fell over due to the heavy storm at that moment while no injuries nor deaths were reported.[34]

Building defects

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The mall was faced with numerous issues during its first week of operations with shoddy workmanship of the building ranging from cracked tiles and unfinished ceilings to malfunctioned escalators and elevators. On the second day of its opening, it suffered from a power outage in the morning, persisted for hours before the electricity was back to normal.[35][36] The mall also had to cordon and close off the central water play area at its outdoor playground to work on the repairs due to it being broken.[37]

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  •  
    Central Exchange (Main Atrium)
  •  
    Park Avenue zone from Ground Level
  •  
    Park Dining precinct at Level 3 of the mall
  •  
    Food Exchange Food Court at Concourse Level
  •  
    Main entrance to Seibu
  •  
    Seibu Department Store (2nd Floor)
  •  
    One of the future links to Market Lane
  •  
    The outdoor Dining Terrace precinct at Level 2
  •  
    The concourse level (basement)
  •  
    TRX City Park at night
  •  
    Entrance from the MRT Plaza

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "ZUL RAFIQUE & partners".
  2. ^ "Retail space competition set to intensify".
  3. ^ "Malaysia's first Kimpton to arrive in Kuala Lumpur | TTG Asia". TTG Asia. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  4. ^ "Giant operator Dairy Farm sells grocery business to Malaysian company". The Edge Malaysia. 2023-02-23. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  5. ^ Van, Tong (2023-04-11). "Kuala Lumpur's new retail precinct The Exchange TRX to open this year". Inside Retail Asia. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  6. ^ Malaysia, The Peak (2023-09-11). "King of The Aisles: Datuk Andrew Lim On His Latest Retail Ventures". The Peak Malaysia. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  7. ^ "Lendlease continues construction work at the Exchange TRX despite CMCO". The Malaysian Reserve. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  8. ^ Mahpar, Nora (29 June 2018). "Potensi projek TRX". Harian Metro. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  9. ^ DASS, FRANCIS (2017-03-22). "Australia's Lendlease pushes ahead with TRX's Lifestyle Quarter | New Straits Times". NST Online. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  10. ^ Abd Halim, Afif. "Lendlease committed to TRX's Lifestyle Quarter". The Malaysian Reserve. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  11. ^ Min Shen, Ng (15 September 2017). "Lendlease gets okay for construction of TRX". The Malaysian Reserve. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  12. ^ Razaman, Muhammad Najmir (2023-11-30). "The Exchange TRX 'nadi' baharu Kuala Lumpur". Harian Metro. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  13. ^ "Opening of retail mall at TRX Exchange delayed". The Star. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  14. ^ "The Exchange TRX Opens Today With Aim Of Becoming KL's New Social Heart | TRP". The Rakyat Post. 29 November 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  15. ^ Krishnan, Dhesegaan Bala (2023-11-30). "The Exchange TRX opens with 400 stores, a rooftop park with luxury boutique cinema underway". Malay Mail. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  16. ^ Kaur, Sharen (2022-06-28). "RM3bil has been spent on the infrastructure of the Tun Razak Exchange | New Straits Times". NST Online. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  17. ^ Chew, Rachel (28 June 2022). "Lendlease, Mulia Group form partnership on The Exchange 106's retail podium". The Edge Malaysia. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  18. ^ "The Exchange TRX Is Opening Soon, With First-In-Malaysia Stores & A 10-Acre Rooftop Park". SAYS. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  19. ^ "Here are the new brands found only at TRX when they open in November". Lifestyle Asia Kuala Lumpur. 2023-11-28. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  20. ^ Cao, Sean (2023-12-05). "US cafe chain Reborn Coffee expands into Malaysia". Inside Retail Asia. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  21. ^ "Mil Toast House @ The Exchange TRX, Kuala Lumpur". 8 December 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  22. ^ Gurman, Mark (29 May 2024). "Apple to Open Malaysia Store on June 22 in Southeast Asia Push". Bloomberg. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  23. ^ Charlton, Hartley (2024-05-29). "Apple to Open First Retail Store in Malaysia on June 22". MacRumors. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  24. ^ "Apple The Exchange TRX now open in Kuala Lumpur". Apple. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  25. ^ "TRX in talks with Apple Inc to open store". The Edge Malaysia. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  26. ^ Haryanti Ahmad Rodzi, Tuty (2023). "Taman bandar bakal jadi tarikan utama TRX Kandungan Berjenama". Berita Harian Online. p. 1. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  27. ^ "Creating a world class urban lifestyle destination". The Star. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  28. ^ "TRX City, partners and investors ink common estate deal". The Star. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  29. ^ Zaiful, Lisa (28 October 2023). "Shake Shack set to open 1st outlet in Malaysia". Yahoo News. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  30. ^ Foong, Melissa (6 December 2023). "Food Guide: What to eat at The Exchange TRX, Kuala Lumpur". Prestige. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  31. ^ "TRX Exchange retail wing to open on Nov 29". TheSun. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  32. ^ "The Exchange TRX Mall Guide: Where to shop, eat, and drink". Tatler Asia. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  33. ^ Hazim, Anis (23 November 2023). "TRX Tunnel to open on Nov 29, along with mall and rooftop park". The Edge Malaysia. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  34. ^ Salim, Syafiqah (2021). "No one injured in crane incident at The Exchange TRX". EdgeProp. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  35. ^ Amin, Afiq (30 November 2023). "The Exchange TRX Shopping Mall Suffers Blackout 1 Day After Opening - Hype MY". Hype My. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  36. ^ "Teething troubles plague Malaysia's flagship Exchange TRX Mall". Dimsum Daily. 2023-12-02. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  37. ^ "Water feature at TRX Kuala Lumpur ruined after a week". Yahoo News. 2023-12-06. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
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