Toppen Shopping Centre has unveiled its plans for a new pedestrian bridge that will link its centre to neighbouring retail complex, effectively making the shopping experience for visitors even more convenient. Going over the busy Persiaran Bandar Desa Tebrau, the 86-metre elevated pedestrian bridge will enable the community to travel safely and easily between Toppen and AEON Tebrau.
With early approval from the Johor Bahru City Council, the pedestrian bridge will connect Toppen’s sheltered bus stop to AEON’s outdoor parking space. Construction of the bridge started in early August and is expected to be completed by January 2021. The covered bridge will provide shoppers and employees with a more convenient and safer alternative to crossing the current busy eight-lane roadway.
“As we approach our first anniversary, we remain committed to our vision of being the heart and hub of the Johor Bahru community. We are always looking at new ways to improve accessibility in and around our centre, including Tebrau as a whole,” said Joakim Hogsander, General Manager of Toppen Shopping Centre. “We built this pedestrian bridge of our own accord, and we hope that it will benefit the local community as a public amenity for a safer and better tomorrow.”
In spite of Malaysian’s economic challenges during the Movement Control Order (MCO/CMCO), Toppen continued to welcome 13 new local and independent tenants to offer customers more options in areas of Beauty & Health, Fashion, F&B, Furniture & Household, Electrical & Digital Goods as well as some new services. The new tenants are D’Natural, O’Care, Top Secret, Historia Hair Salon, Shoe City, Prestar Jeans, TW Shoes Station, JIRE, SAY CHIZU Hokkaido Cheese Toast, MyeongDong Topokki, My Digital Lock, Segi Ganjaran Money Changer, and ONEXOX.
In September, Toppen introduced its own Beauty & Health space known as Beauty Stories. The area is designed to house a specially curated selection of independent health and beauty brands ranging from beauty, skincare and nailcare, to overall health and wellness.
With the addition of these new partners, the 1.2 million square feet retail space is now 92% percent leased, complementing the current attractions including IKEA Tebrau, TGV Cinemas, B.I.G Supermarket, Harvey Norman, just to name a few. The Topp, the centre’s unique community hub, features a water splash park, skate park, Zen garden, multipurpose courts, and alfresco dining for shoppers to enjoy.
Toppen has put strict processes in place to help ensure the health and safety of its visitors. There are thermal scanners and MySejahtera contact tracing checkpoints at all entrances, intensified by their cleaning routines and placed hand sanitiser dispensers throughout the centre. With the precautions taken, the community offerings at The Topp have recently reopened to the public.
Opened in November 2019, Toppen Shopping Centre is one of five anchored-by-IKEA shopping centres in Southeast Asia.
