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Shopping complexes here have been told to step up their year-end sales and festive season promotions to spur the tourism industry and local economy.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen urged malls to invest in sprucing up their retail outlook, saying this could bring about benefits to their outlets and tenants.

“Tourism Malaysia can only promote the country’s tourism so much. But the (shopping complex) owners must do more to promote their properties,” she said after a walkabout in the Pavilion KL shopping centre here with ministry officers yesterday.

Dr Ng added that the private sector had to play its role to encourage consumer spending and domestic tourism.

She also said that she would take her ministry officers on walkabouts to other shopping complexes that were reported to have good decorations in order to see for themselves how the ministry could support the industry.

She said the visits were not done out of fear of not meeting previous year-end mega sales, but rather to exceed them.

“These shopping malls lead by example of what can be expected of Malaysia’s shopping culture. I can talk and talk but the shopping complex owners should invest in the decorations. The returns are obvious,” she said.

Dr Ng also said that Malaysian shopping complexes had better sales and provided the best value for tourists’ money.

“It is very difficult to compete with Malaysia on pricing,” she said.

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The Malaysia Year-End Sale introduced by the Tourism Ministry to boost the country’s tourism industry and economy will be continued in the coming years.

Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said the programme was part of the government’s initiative to make Malaysia a major international shopping destination.

“Realising the success of the nationwide mega sale carnivals previously which had boosted our retail trade and tourism industry, the government wants the Malaysia Year-End Sale to continue in the coming years,” she said when launching the “Magnifique Christmas” programme at Sunway Pyramid in Bandar Sunway, near here, Monday.

Dr Ng said tourists should realise that “shopping in Malaysia is worth it because of the reasonable prices of goods compared to other places as many are duty-free”.

In conjunction with Sunway Pyramid’s Christmas-themed year-end sale this time, shoppers who spend at least RM250 (RM200 for American Express cardholders) in two receipts (maximum) can redeem two complimentary Sunway Lagoon Nite Park tickets.

The Malaysia Year-End Sale from Nov 23, 2009 to Jan 3, 2010 nationwide sees several shopping complexes like Pavilion, Suria KLCC and Mid Valley Mega Mall having special themes to attract shoppers.

Visit the Tourism Malaysia YEAR END SALE (YES) Website : http://www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my/YES/index.html

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Stylish: (From left) Guardian staff Noor Suzana Sahardin, S. Sunderi and Noorshafina Md Zukri with the shopping bags that are available in three different designs.

ALTHOUGH it isn’t Christmas yet, the quest to find the perfect gift for loved ones has begun for those who would be celebrating the festival soon.

Many have a budget for the purpose..

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IT IS that time of the year again … the time to share and the time to give. This year, you are bound to have a bedazzled Christmas when you visit Malaysia’s first ‘pedestrianised’ lifestyle shopping centre, the Curve.

From Nov 27 to Dec 27, shoppers will be spellbound by the gold and copper decorations, set amid traditional Roman pillars and columns. To further elevate the ambience, the Centre Court will be decorated with spectacular Christmas trees adorned with colourful lights and ornaments.

Gold and copper hues: These dazzling Yuletide decorations are already up at the Curve.

Complementing these decorations will be numerous stalls exhibiting a variety of products and services. These include beauty products from The Bodyshop and L’Occitane, toys from Little Haven and lingerie from B-Ha. For that special Christmas gift, shoppers can choose from a variety of products by ETC. Those who want to indulge in some snacks while they stroll along the dazzling display of festive decorations will enjoy the offerings from Famous Amos, Sweet Memory or Yokomon Ice Cream.

The allure of Christmas is not confined to the Centre Court alone, as the Fashion Walk will be featuring popular brands such as August Eight and Elements for shoppers who want to update their look this festive season. To complete that new look, one can also enjoy the beauty products offered by Elianto.

HSL Circuit City on the other hand will be offering a variety of electrical appliances. Those in the mood for some Christmas tunes will definitely enjoy browsing through the various music CDs from Rock Conner while those who prefer gadgets should head to Ascend Zone. Shoppers who plan to redecorate their home for Christmas will enjoy the home décor items from Living Quarters at the Fashion Court.

Gift-hunting will also be made easy as there will be vendors offering Christmas-related items at the Street Market.

As Christmas is typically associated with snow, the Curve will once again be giving its shoppers the rare opportunity to witness falling snowflakes at the Piazza which will be decorated like a lush garden.

The Christmas experience will be further enhanced with the melodious La Voice Carollers. From Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer to Jingle Bells, this talented bunch will surely warm the heart of every shopper.

As Christmas is a time to celebrate with your family, the Curve will be organising a gift-wrapping workshop where parents can learn how to creatively wrap presents with their kids.

There will also be ‘The North Pole’ Christmas scene contest where kids will need to use their imagination to create the North Pole using various art tools.

During the month-long campaign, shoppers will be able to enjoy attractive promotions at the Curve. Those who spend RM100 and above in a single receipt will receive a Christmas Booklet containing attractive buy-one-free-one deals as well as discounts of up to 70% and cash vouchers for F&B and fashion from participating stores.

Those eligible for the booklet will also receive a free photo opportunity by Fuji Xerox and a contest form that will give shoppers the chance to win a mystery gift valued up to RM10,000.

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File photo of Saks Fifth Avenue. — Reuters pic

NEW YORK, Nov 19 — All around Saks Fifth Avenue, merchandise is sold out. The US$2,520 Marni (RM8,800) shearling vest? Gone. The US$5,295 Brioni leather bomber jacket? Only one left. The US$1,995 over-the-knee Christian Louboutin boots?

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Taishan Township, once a major production site for Mattel, the maker of Barbie dolls, held a two-day cultural festival starting Saturday to celebrate Barbie’s 50th birthday, with a total of 1,000 Barbie dolls displayed for the first time in Taiwan.
In the event, 1,000 Barbie dolls, dressed in different outfits, were displayed at Taishan High School, which is 13 km from Taipei City.

The dolls have never been displayed in Taiwan since they were produced by the town’s Meining Workshop. A group of nostalgic workers at the workshop in Taishan created various costumes featuring Taiwanese styles for Barbie.

Lin Mei-lin, project manager at the Meining Workshop, said the dolls were returned to Taiwan last month after being displayed at a Taiwanese cultural festival in Vancouver, Canada.

“They have been away for overseas exhibition since 2005, so this was the first time for them to appear in front of Taiwan’s public, “said Lin.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the event Saturday, Taipei County Magistrate Chou Hsi-wei said the Meining Workshop has successfully transformed Barbie dolls into artistic dolls, from just ordinary dolls, evoking many people’s memory of Taishan’s culture and history.

The Meining Workshop applied various Chinese and Taiwanese traditional arts to Barbie’s costumes, such as the traditional Chinese dress “qipao,” Taiwanese indigenous peoples’ traditional clothes or Hakka-style clothing.

And in order to reflect the need for environmental protection, Lin also introduced a Barbie doll on display wearing a fancy dress made purely from vegetable sponge or Luffa.

According to the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Taipei County Government, U.S. toy maker Mattel Inc. set up its flagship factory in Taishan in 1966. Around one third of Taishan’s populace was making Barbies at the time, according to the bureau.

Although Mattel shut down its operations in Taishan and relocated its assembly lines to other places in 1987, Taishan is still considered Barbie’s second hometown.

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Luxury goods group Burberry has hooked up with social networking company Facebook to launch a Web site celebrating its trench coat, becoming the latest retailer to use social media in a bid to boost its brand.

The Web site, artofthetrench.com, will allow members connected via Facebook to submit images and stories about Burberry trench coats and share them with one other.

First designed by Burberry founder Thomas Burberry for British army offices in 1914, the trench coat is still one of the company’s top-selling garments.

The move puts Burberry among a procession of retailers using social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to get their brands in front of consumers and interact with them.

British mother and baby goods retailer Mothercare runs its own social networking site Gurgle.com, as does online fashion group ASOS with ASOS Life.

Others, like Marks & Spencer which said last month it had 80,000 followers on its Facebook page, have set up pages on major social networking sites.

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Leading international luxury brand Montblanc’s retail growth in Malaysia is at a manageable level despite the slowdown over the past year and it is gearing up for further growth next year as the overall market picks up.

According to Montblanc SEA Pte Ltd general manager Gan Teck Hock, with the Malaysian economy having grown tremendously in the past 10 years, a need and enthusiasm for higher profile and luxury items has emerged.
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