The Johor Premium Outlets started operations officially on December 11th 2011 and there was quite a lot of buzz about it. The concept was simple, create a shopping oasis in the middle of the Oil Palm Plantation housing big brand name shops where they could sell out of seasons apparels and accessories at a deep discount. It is located in Kualijaya in Johor Bahru and is about 30 minutes away from Singapore’s Tuas Checkpoint. This is one of the key initiative to kickstart the Iskandar Malaysia.
Since it was new, I decided it best to join a tour group to the place as it would certainly be a better way to get there then trying to do it on my own. I saw the discounted day trip offered by WTS Travels at S$29.90 which included the transport, insurance and a sit down Chinese lunch. It sure seems like a good deal so I bought the vouchers.
We departed from Singapore at 11am from Hotel Grand Central near Orchard Road and proceeded to the Tuas Checkpoint. The immigration was smooth as this checkpoint is mostly used by trucks and tour buses and those going on the North South Highway. Being Friday, there was not really much of a rush.
At the Malaysian Checkpoint, the local tour guide boarded the bus and we were off to lunch. Lunch was somewhere in Kuali in a nondescript Chinese Restaurant. We entered from the back alley so I have no idea what the restaurant name was. It was not a high end place so everything was self-serve. The tour guide did assign tables so everything works like clockworks. I did noticed the other people from the other tour buses coming in and they look lost as to where to sit and there was a minor hiccups with some sitting arrangements.
Lunch was a 6 courses meal. There was plain rice and tea, of course. If I remember correctly, the meals included
- Crab meat and Egg Drop Soup (No Sharks were harm)
- Braised Pork Belly with Mui Chye
- Fried Crispy Yam Ring with some vegetables
- One Steamed Grouper fish with Soya Sauce
- Buttered Prawns
- Stir Fried Bean Curd Knots with Broccoli
- Watermelon Slices
The Food although simple by restaurant standard was actually good. We had a piece of everything counting that our table had 11 diners.
After lunch, we were off to the Johor Premium Outlets.
Once at JPO, we were given a leaflet which contains additional discounts at certain outlets. This offer is only provided by those who come by tour coaches.
Tour Package Exclusive Discounts
Entrance to JPO
As with any Shopping Complex, JPO has a Food Court
and 4 Restaurants and Snack Stores around the complex
Walk around the Complex
There are security personals armed with shotguns patrolling the area
so you know you are in safe hands.
There is certainly ample parking with some 3000 lots and
currently parking is at RM2 per entry
Since JPO is located in the midst of an Oil Palm Plantation,
it is apt that there are several groomed oil palm trees
located around the complex.
Off to the Coach for a return trip to Singapore
Although I did not buy anything apart from dinner at JPO, it was certainly a worthwhile trip. The place is beautiful and although it was very sunny outside, with the shades and huge fans located around the walking area, the weather remained cool.
At certain outlets such as Cotton On, you could get bargains for as low as RM5 and all the way up to several thousands ringgits at bigger branded outlets like Coach or Burberry. As I mentioned earlier, do not expect to find the latest designs at the JPO and it is basically a What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG) shopping. What I mean by that is that there is no hidden store rooms which holds different colors or sizes of the apparels. What is on display is for sale and if you cannot find your size or color, you are pretty much out of luck. If you do not mind all those, you should be able to enjoy anywhere from 25 to 65% off the retail prices. Do check on the conditions of the items because some items sold may be “rejects” with defects but generally most are just out of season items.
There are some 70 to 80 outlets currently and there are plans to extend the place to include some 60 more outlets with a hotel, an exhibition and convention center and a waterpark in the near future. Some brands includes Armani, DKNY, Esprit, Nike, Lacoste, Guess, Gap, City Chain, Coach, Body Shop, Royal Selangor, Levi, Flow and others. For a complete listing, check out the Johor Premium Outlet Website at http://www.premiumoutlets.com.my .
If you do have a chance, do consider dropping by the JPO for a visit. I understand that the Causeway Link “Yellow Bus” do operate a service call JPO1 from JB Sentral (next to the JB immigration complex) to the Johor Premium Outlet and the ride takes about 40 minutes and cost about RM4.50 one way. I’ve not taken that service so I cannot verify the fare. I understand that JPO is considering a shuttle bus service from Singapore from the Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station in Orchard Road but so far there is no further information about when this service would begin. For the meantime, you could drive, take a tour bus or catch the JPO1 bus to JPO.
Unless the shopping complexes I’ve been too, toilet access is free and are available throughout the complex. They have a family room and Surau, one for female and one for male located in the food court near the toilet facilities.
There are benches along the walkways of the complex so you can rest your tired feet during your shopping adventure or just sit and wait for your significant others while they shop.
The JPO opens from 10am to 10pm daily and that should give you sufficient time to shop.
It would have been nice if the complex is wifi enabled. A few restaurants do offer free wifi access.
Note : I heard from some of the tour buddies that the prices at the JPO may not always be cheaper than when the items are on sale in the retail outlets so do some homework by getting a feel of the local prices and compare them to the items you want to buy at the JPO.
Wear comfortable shoes as you probably be spending hours on your feet around and within the complex. All the shops are air conditioned but the walkways are not so dress comfortably.
I did not include the names of all the stores in the JPO as they may change as some new stores are going to open. You can check them out at the JPO website mentioned above. Also when you are there, stop by the information center and pick up the map of the place so you can strategize your trip there.
