BERJAYA Times Square Sdn Bhd has so far recorded RM815mil in retail and apartment sales of Berjaya Times Square Kuala Lumpur, according to its senior general manager, Harminder Singh Bagrian.

He added that almost 90% of the apartments had been sold and 40% of retail space taken up in Berjaya Times Square, said to be the largest shopping mall-cum-leisure complex in the Asia Pacific region.

Most of its apartment buyers were from the Middle Eastern countries and the hotel and service suites were expected to be officially opened by December, he said after a welcoming ceremony for retail tenants, that was witnessed by the Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Ong Ka Ting in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

A total 105 local and international brands will be represented at the tenanted retail space. Of the number, 7% to 8% are new entrants to the local market.

Harminder said the project was 90% completed and Berjaya would hand over the retail space to tenants in July.

The Berjaya Times Squarehas 7.5 million sq ft in built-up floor area.

Harminder added that the company aimed to achieve 70% occupancy rate by the time Berjaya Times Square was opened to the public, scheduled for October.

''With 70% occupancy rate, we hope to have a total of 200 to 300 brand names. Taking into consideration the current market sentiment and feedback from retailers, we are encouraged and confident we can achieve this target,'' he said.

He added that Berjaya had started to market the project in Thailand and Singapore.

''We are getting good names and international brands coming in such as Debenhams, which is making its debut in Asia. We have various components such as the theme park (anchor tenant), IMAX 3D theatre and Debenhams, so we have a different concept here."

Source : The Star  13/3/2003