IT WAS a double celebration for GSC in 1Utama shopping centre and Tropicana City Mall this month as the two cinemas celebrated their sixth and second anniversary respectively on Thursday.

In conjunction with the celebration, patrons will be treated to a special screening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in July.

To redeem the special invites, collect four paid GSC 1Utama or GSC Tropicana City Mall movie ticket stubs dated between June 23 and July 15.

Comfortable: The cinema’s Hall 1 at Tropicana City Mall.

16 June 2011

Channel

Now Open

Suria KLCC

Consumers can now check and compare prices of products sold at 1,255 retail outlets nationwide by clicking on the 1Malaysia Pengguna Bijak (1MPB) portal.

The prices of products will be monitored and updated daily by 1,200 price watch officers from the Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Ministry.

“This is to ensure that all participating outlets sell their products at reasonable prices,” minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said.

He said the price list comprised 355 consumer products sold at 110 hypermarkets, 100 products at 404 supermarkets, 50 products at 360 wet markets and 100 products at 24-hour convenience stores.

Ismail Sabri launching the portal at the Putra World Trade Centre yesterday, as his deputy Datuk Tan Lian Hoe (left) looks on. — Bernama

The products range from fresh produce like eggs, fish, meat and vegetables; dried goods such as anchovies, flour, rice, sugar; to other essentials like baby formula, diapers, soap and toothpaste.

“Hypermarkets will key in the data on changes in their daily price lists.

“However, for other outlets, the price watch officers will do it,” he told reporters after launching the portal here yesterday.

Developed at a cost of RM1.4mil, the portal can be browsed at www.1pengguna.com.

Ismail Sabri said consumers could also file complaints with the Malaysian Consumer Claims Tribunal through a link provided in the portal.

Smart view: A screenshot of the 1MPB portal.

In his speech, he said the public would be able to get first-hand information on changes in the price of a variety of consumer products nationwide through the 1MPB portal.

Fomca secretary-general Muhd Sha’ani Abdullah said consumers would benefit greatly from the portal.

“The ministry should make this information available not only on the Internet, but also through mobile phones via SMS, because not everyone has access to the Internet,” he said.

“It is a harder job for hypermarkets like us to enter prices daily,” Giant hypermarket marketing manager Ho Mun Hao said, adding that the company would still be happy to do all it could to help consumers.

Source

FLOOD water gushed into Tanglin Mall so quickly yesterday that the staff in health supplement store GNC had no time to save several boxes of pine bark extract placed on the bottom shelves.

The boxes of antioxidants, which sell for $400 each, were soaked through.

‘We heard a sound that was like a waterfall, came out to check and saw water pouring down from the first floor. It all happened very fast,’ said Ms Diana Soenarto, 26, a salesgirl at GNC.

Within three minutes, the water in the store had reached ankle-deep.

VIVA Home — which brings home-furnishing retailers under one roof — expects to see an occupancy rate of 90% when it officially opens next month.

It held a soft opening last month and is currently about 65% occupied.

During a media tour of the five-level mall, Kha Seng Group PR and communications executive Julia Emmanuel said the mall was targeted at middle to higher-income shoppers in the Klang Valley.

Developed and owned by Kha Seng Group subsidiary Viva Homes Sdn Bhd, the mall located on Jalan Loke Yew is a one-stop home products and services centre.

It has a net lettable area of 660,000sq ft with rental rates between RM4 and RM30 per sq ft.

It also has an expo hall with a 66,000sq ft build-up space.

The mall is part of a RM280mil two-phase redevelopment of the former Plaza Uncang Emas (UE3) on an 3.4ha site which Kha Seng acquired in 2009 for some RM100mil.

The 260-room business class hotel above the mall is under construction and is expected to open by the end of next year.

Among the anchor tenants of the mall are Giant Superstore and MBO Cineplex.

“Then there is the Oriental Treasure, with a built up area of 33,960sq ft of floor space on the first floor which houses antique Chinese art and furniture retailers,” said Julia.

And on the third floor a big section is occupied by the ICT Zone where you can get computers and computers accessories and gadgets,” she added.

The cinema, the ICT Zone and a food court are also on the third floor.

There are also “home clinics” offering professional services such as home renovations, interior design, electrical repairs, upholstery and plumbing.

The lower ground floor (LG floor) is the premium floor occupied by exclusive furnishing retailers like Lorenzo and Kah Seng’s subsidiary Home Haven.

The LG floor was formerly a car park floor but the new owners turned it into a retail floor as part of the redevelopment.

The LG floor houses lifestyle furniture and interior decor stores, banking-related services, cafes and restaurants.

The ground floor will feature the hypermarket, fast food outlets as well as gardening and landscaping services and accessories while living and bedroom furnishing, bathroom accessories, textiles, wall coverings and more restaurants are available on the first floor.

On the second floor are located interior design materials, doors, flooring, kitchen and dining furniture, lights and children’s furniture stores.