Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter , or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates. Malaysia’s once-thriving mall culture is showing signs of decay in a nation obsessed with shopping. Once a glittering testament to consumerism, the country’s retail landscape is now plagued by an oversupply of malls, leaving behind a trail of empty corridors, shuttered shops, and eerie silence.
The numbers paint a grim picture: with over 1,300 malls in a country of just 32 million people, Malaysia has more retail space per capita than any other country in Southeast Asia. Construction continues unabated, with many new complexes in the pipeline, ready to join the undead. Industry experts warn that this retail arms race is unsustainable as mall developers continue to build despite the glaring signs of oversaturation.
The result? A graveyard of “dying malls,” where once-bustling atriums now echo with the footsteps of the few remaining shoppers. The public has taken to platforms like Twitter and Instagram to post photos and videos of deserted malls, highlighting the stark contrast between the gleaming new facilities and their lack of customers. While some of Malaysia’s newest malls, such as The Exchange TRX Mall, have managed to attract large crowds and maintain high occupancy rates, others have struggled to draw in shoppers.
Even in the capital, where occupancies are among the country’s highest, some malls like Pavilion Damansara Heights and Glo Damansara have seen.
