Thematic commercial district in the heart of town

With its hotspot location and architectural excellence, it is no wonder that Mah Sing Group Berhad’s Southgate Commercial Centre is voted the Best Office Development in Malaysia with a five stars rating in CNBC Asia Pacific Property Awards 2009.

Mah Sing deputy chief operating officer Andy Chua says, “We together with our purchasers are proud to receive these awards and be recognised for our development on yet another international platform. The award also serves as a testament to the expertise and high standards of Mah Sing as a quality conscious and reliable developer in both commercial and residential developments.”

The project spans five modernisque blocks that balances a mix of office suites, corporate towers and lifestyle retail outlets. Its envious location along Jalan Tun Razak/Jalan Sungei Besi draws high visibility from more than half a million passing traffic daily and is only 10 minutes away from the Kuala Lumpur City Centre.

Southgate also benefits from extensive accessibility to the Mahameru Highway, BESRAYA Highway, Federal Highway, Kesas Highway, MRR2 Highway, SMART Tunnel as well as major arterial roads like Jalan Chan Sow Lin, Jalan Istana, Jalan Loke Yew and Jalan Dua.

“We believe in creating office spaces based on consumer preferences and needs whilst at the same time maintaining a strong architectural visual appeal, theme and concept which in turn propagates a new premier commercial lifestyle with a vibrant atmosphere for businesses to prosper and patrons to savour,” adds Chua.

Southgate appeal

The entire Southgate Commercial Centre project comprises of three stratified retail office blocks, a Corporate Building and Apex Tower totalling a net lettable area of 599,000 sq ft. Response has been overwhelming with 90 percent of the three retail office blocks sold while its Corporate Building with a net lettable area of 232,000 sq ft has been sold enbloc. This leaves only its Apex Tower with a net lettable area of 90,000 sq ft earmarked for enbloc sale.

Fused with modern contemporary design, Southgate has an urbanite atmosphere. Floor to ceiling windows mixed with clever use of glass in the building façade draws natural light. High ceilings for both its retail lots and office suites further embody classy finishing evident throughout the project.

Chua says, “The Group is targeting corporate as well as high net worth customers, including professionals, investors and entrepreneurs as Southgate is suitable for difference business ventures.”

Southgate’s three retail office blocks are connected by an atrium boulevard that forms a backbone for specialty retail comprising alfresco cafes, designer boutiques and quaint kiosks. Other features of the commercial project includes high-speed wireless broadband infrastructure, smart air-conditioning system, active and passive security, and beautifully sculpted landscapes with water features.

Chua opines that due to its prime address and ease of accessibility, law firms, consultancies, creative agencies, niche boutiques, food and beverages outlets as well as banks could make their home in Southgate.

“Capital appreciation is expected to be very high while rental yield is forecasted to exceed eight percent per annum,” he adds.

Jastamax Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mah Sing Group Berhad, proposed the sale of an 8-storey block of retail and office space together with two basement levels of carpark within Southgate to Koperasi Permodalan Felda Berhad (KPFB) for RM226 million.

In addition to the sale, there is a two-year leaseback tenure agreement. KPFB will leaseback the 8-storey retail and office space to Jastamax with the latter guaranteeing rental returns for that period.

Southgate was awarded five stars for ‘Best Office Development Malaysia’ in the Asia Pacific Property Awards 2009 sponsored by CNBC Arabiya.