The Waterfront Shoppes opened in Gelugor on 29 October, with roughly 300 retail spaces planned across four levels of a new retail block on Penang’s eastern waterfront (SAYS). Food outlets, an indoor adventure park and a light exhibition sit beside the shops.
The mall forms the retail half of The Light City, a 4.1 million sq ft seafront development by IJM Corporation and Singapore-headquartered Perennial Holdings. About 700,000 sq ft of the block is net lettable area, The Edge Malaysia noted, and the developer markets the mall as Penang’s largest in more than a decade.
A 750-metre waterfront promenade runs along the edge of the site, and the development connects to the Penang Waterfront Convention Centre, a venue built for more than 10,000 guests. Dolphin sculptures placed around the grounds are meant to carry future programmes on marine conservation and environmental awareness.
Tenants trading early include Decathlon, Parkson, Skechers, Watsons, ZUS Coffee, CU Mart, Bakestone, ParaThai and Loud Speaker Karaoke. The developer’s statement also lists 65c Ondo, Tai Ho Jiak, Mr Wu Taiwanese Cuisine and Ningji Lemon Tea among the food and drink names, plus a premium grocery format by Mercato, the Blue Bay Food Garden with 28 food stalls and 400 seats, and CMC Theatre, a nine-hall cinema with over 1,000 seats that will run Southeast Asia’s first CINITY LED screen.
Wong Hon Wai, who chairs the state tourism and creative economy committee, toured the mall on opening day with Seri Delima assemblywoman Connie Tan, Pocket News wrote. Their visit came as ELEMEN, the mall’s light exhibition, opened, with organisers aiming for more than 20,000 visitors.
Not every unit is ready for customers. The Waterfront Shoppes is opening in phases, so visitors chasing a particular outlet should check its status before travelling.
Xventure, an indoor adventure park making its Malaysian debut, fills 1,800 sq m with 11 adventure zones. They include an 8m Challenger Arena with a digital tagging system, a 4.5m-high aerial rope course and a large seesaw. Off-peak two-hour tickets start at RM40 for X-Junior and RM60 for X-Plorer, priced by height, and from 29 October to 1 November the first 100 customers can buy a second ticket for RM1.
ELEMEN spreads 15 sensor-activated spaces across five elemental themes: water, earth, space, air and fire. The self-guided walk takes 45 to 60 minutes. Entry costs RM48 a person, or RM38 each for a pair, and children under seven go free with a paying adult. The show is scheduled to run until 14 February 2027.
The mall sits along Jalan Pantai Sinaran in Gelugor.
