Anonymous_X: Johor Premium Outlets Grand Opening ... soon (11 December!)

Johor Premium Outlets or JPO will open from 10am to 10 pm 7 days a week. It's in its soft launch stage (opened yesterday)--but it's grand opening will only be on 11 December.

Be prepared for more discounts, you cheapskates. Hur hur.

Anyway, these are ways to go there--quoted from Iskandar Project website?

If you are coming from the north and travelling through the Plus North-South Highway towards Johor Bahru:-

Alternative route A:-

Go into the Kulaijaya/Kotatinggi toll and proceed beyond Kulai until you see the Kulaijaya/Indrapura signboard. Move up the bypass and turn right to Indrapura. Go straight until you meet the second roundabout. Take the 9 o'clock turn on your left. proceed until you pass the Foon Yew High School. You will then see the Johor Premium Outlet signboard.

Alternative route B:-

After passing the Kulaijaya/Kotatinggi signboard, you will next meet the Senai/Nusajaya/Tuas/Pontian signboard. Go pass the Senai Utara toll house and a short distance from there, you will see the Johor Premium Outlet signboard. This is the fastest way though.

Alternative route C:-

Go south and pass the Senai toll(selatan) house and you will see the Senai Airport signboard. Take the left turn and you will proceed until you see the Kulaijaya signboard. Follow the route until you pass Saleng and then the Macdonald signboard on your left. You will then see the Kulaijaya/Indrapura signboard. Take a left turn and proceed straight passing a second roundabout. take the 9 o'clock turn and proceed until you see Foon Yew High School on your left. Proceed a bit further and you will see the Johor Premium Outlet signboard.

If you are coming from the Singapore Second link at Tuas, proceed until you pass the Lima Kedai toll house. proceed further until you see the Senai Airport intersection. Take this route and in a short distance, you will see the Johor Premium Outlet signboard. This is the quickest route from Singapore.

If you are coming from Johor Bahru using the Plus Highway, proceed until you see the Tuas/Pontian intersection. Proceed until you see the Lima Kedai toll house. Do not enter the toll but take a U-Turn back from where you came from. Take the left turn when you see the Senai(utara) Airport signboard and proceed a little bit further and you will see the Johor Premium Outlet.

Or alternatively, use the old road to Kulai town, proceed until you see the Macdonald outlet. Take the left turn to IOI Mall/Indrapura and proceed to Indrapura town. Go straight and when you meet the second roundabout, take the 9 o'clock turn. Go straight and when you pass Foon Yew High School, you will see the Johor Premium Outlet.

Seems promising, huh?

Rows of brand-name retailers among arches, miniature fountains, palm trees and small garden patches greet shoppers as they enter Johor Premium Outlets (JPO).

JPO, located along the highway in Kulaijaya, is only in its soft launch phase but this has not stopped large crowds of Singaporeans from streaming in to "shop till they drop" when it opened yesterday

Legal secretary Suzana Sadip, 43, who was awestruck by the outlets, said she found it a delight to spend time roaming around the area.

"The branded outlets are a major attraction but I also love the general outlook of the place. The architecture and the landscaping are very different from conventional shopping malls.

"The only problem I faced was trying to get here and I hope the authorities will place more signboards along the highway to make it easier to locate the place," she said, promising to bring along her friends from Singapore on her next trip.

JPO, a joint venture between Genting Bhd and Simon Property Group, is scheduled to be officially launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Dec 11.

The stores include those selling top brands like Salvatore Ferragamo, Zegna, Charles & Keith, Armani Exchange, Burberry, DKNY and Oroton.

Another Singaporean, Rosnah Aziz, 41, said she was excited to be one of the first to visit the outlets.

"It's wonderful to have labels such as Michael Kors and Coach next to each other," said the nurse, adding that she took a taxi from Singapore with her friends at 10am just for the occasion.

Housewife Chen Pow Chee said she was impressed with the outlets.

"The place is very pleasant, clean and attractive to shoppers like me," she said, but called for more signboards to be put up.

JPO general manager Jean Marie Pin Harry said the outlets were expected to attract thousands of shoppers even before the official opening.

"We would like to urge shoppers to bear with our minor hiccups during the soft launch and just enjoy shopping for the different brands which are going for 25 per cent to 65 per cent discount," he said.

He said there were also special buses available for shoppers from Johor Baru Central, Kota Raya and the Second Link.

Discounts not as attractive, say some shoppers: report

Singaporean shoppers interviewed by The Straits Times (ST) said that JPO’s discounts were not as attractive, compared to outlet stores in US and Europe.

A 36-year-old teacher told ST that prices at JPO are about the same when there are sales in Singapore, while another shopper said that American brands like Coach are still much cheaper if bought in the US.

Prices of luxury goods were slashed by up to 70 per cent during the opening yesterday.

Salvatore Ferragamo high heels, which cost $790 in Singapore, were being sold at RM1,040 (S$427), while Zenga ties, which cost $290 here, were going for RM315 (S$129), ST reported today.

From Relax, "JPO attracting large crowds of Singaporeans".

Johor Premium Outlets (JPO), a shopping haven joint-venture project between Genting Bhd and Simon Property Group, is scheduled for a grand opening on December 11.

The project, located in Kulai, Johor, is 95 per cent complete, said Datuk Seri Idris Jala, chief executive officer of Pemandu, the government unit that oversees the implementation of the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).

JPO, a project earmarked under the ETP to boost the economy via tourism, is expected to create more than 3,000 jobs.

"It is currently 95 per cent completed. More than 80 designer and brand names have confirmed their presence," Idris said at a briefing here yesterday that marked one year since the ETP was launched.

It was previously reported that the 330,000 sq ft centre will offer savings of 25 per cent to 65 per cent on brands that include Burberry, Coach, Tumi, DKNY, Giorgio Armani, Gap Outlet and Levi's.

On another matter, Idris said Strand Aerospace Malaysia Sdn Bhd (SAM), an Airbus-approved engineering services company, had sealed contracts with European companies, including Germany's Ferchau Engineering and the UK's Spirit Aerosystems. No details were provided.

Strand Aerospace is spearheading an initiative to develop and position Malaysia as a hub for high value engineering services. It is also a project under the ETP.

In Penang, QAV Technologies Sdn Bhd has completed and started operating a light emitting diode and solid state lighting centre, with an expansion plan in the pipeline, Idris said.

This is the first American National Standards Institute-certified facility outside of the US.

The government's Small Retailer Transformation programme, or TUKAR, has benefited 315 shops across the nation, he said.

The programme, aimed at modernising small-time retailers to increase their level of competitiveness, is targeting 500 shops this year.