1 Utama is best shopping complex

The Rainforest houses 110 species of trees.

GOOD business ethics, retail excellence and integrity, and attention to customer safety and satisfaction bagged 1 Utama Shopping Centre the Platinum Award for ‘Shopping Complex of the Year’ at the recent Retail World Excellence Awards 2006-2007.  

The shopping mall (new wing), which opened in 2003, won over five other contenders, including Mid Valley Megamall which won the Gold Award.  

Among the winning features of 1 Utama Shopping Centre are ample parking bays, disabled-friendly amenities, good maintenance and well-lit areas with clean washrooms.  

The Rainforest area, which is a conservatory that has over 100 species of flora and fauna, waterfall, koi ponds, freshwater fish aquarium and the Rainbow suspension bridge, also worked in its favour.  

“The Rainforest is a bonus point. With something unique like the Rainforest, the complex offers customers much more than just a shopping experience,” said Retail World publisher and World Asia Publishing (Wap) chief executive officer Jennifer Ong.  

Held once every two years, the award is endorsed by the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry together with the Malaysian Retail Association (MRA), Business Ethics Institute of Malaysia (BEIM), Branding Association of Malaysia (BAM), Persatuan Pengurusan Kompleks Malaysia (PPK), Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) and the Malaysian Retailers Chain Association (MRCA).  

It is aimed at acknowledging and honouring retailers that practise good business ethics.  

Chin ... competitions create healthy competition among shopping complexes to improve.

Ong said the judging process took about two-and-a-half months and required much legwork of the judges to fill up the score sheets.  

She said good business ethics referred to professionalism in terms of business conduct between the shopping complex and its tenants.  

“In the judging process, we had to establish if the shopping complex was delivering what was promised to both tenants and customers.  

“The tenants must be happy and customers, satisfied. To verify this, we had various interview sessions with the management and tenants, and even conducted random chats with customers.  

“Good business ethics is not a one-way relationship,” said Ong, who was one of the judges.  

Meanwhile, 1 Utama Shopping Centre manager Kenny Chin said competitions such as the one organised by Wap created healthy competition among shopping complexes to improve what they offered to customers.  

“We have always striven to provide a first-class environment for shopping, dining and entertainment for all visitors and we will strive to uphold this in the years to come,” said Chin.  

Last year, the mall won the National Creativity and Innovation Award 2005 organised by the Malaysian Creativity and Innovation Centre.