Bored of KL malls? The Exchange TRX promises new experiences, like the first ‘Depachika’

“If you build it, they will come” is a 90’s business mantra that originated from a Kevin Coster movie about baseball and ghosts; and became the quote that justified the building of many malls. But with so many malls nowadays, they’ve kinda become…. boring.

Well, The Exchange TRX wants to renew that sense of excitement when they open in the fourth quarter of 2023, promising new experiences and brands opening for the first time in Malaysia.

However, the mall’s centerpiece attraction doesn’t even have anything to do with shopping…

The Exchange TRX has a massive rooftop park with 150k REAL plants

While most malls offer rooftop parking, The Exchange TRX straight up built a 10-acre park on their roof that houses over 150 native plant species to create it’s own ecosystem of over 150,000 plants. Visitors will get to jalan-jalan around in greenery, contemplate on which movie they should watch, or play with their kids in the play area or water features.

Speaking of park, you also won’t have to worry too much about parking or making your way through KL traffic because, as its name implies, The Exchange TRX is situation within the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX), which is the heart of the MRT network that links all major areas within the Klang Valley.

The Exchange TRX brings Japan’s Seibu Department Store and the depachika experience

Depachika is a word that comes from the Japanese words depāto (department store) and chika (basement), which is a concept that became popular in Japan in the 2000’s. Essentially, they are food halls located in the basement of department stores that offer a wide variety of high-end ready-to-eat meals as well as fresh ingredients – kinda like an atas food court/market combo. In Japan at least, depachika were the source of seasonal and specialty items, and were responsible for many food trends in the country.

The Exchange TRX’s depachika will be run by Seibu Department Store, which will also be bringing in the largest selection of luxury watches, jewelry, shoes, and accessories in Malaysia.

There will be over 400 stores for you to shop and makan

Aside from Seibu, The Exchange TRX will house a “new immersive cinematic experience” from GSC, an upscale supermarket by DFI Group (which runs brands such as Giant, TMC, and Guardian) alongside a wide selection of familiar and first-in-Malaysia brand stores including Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, Gucci, and a full-line store from Chanel. New names would include Korea’s Gentle Monster eyewear, Singapore’s Tipsy Collective, and Morocco’s Bacha Coffee.

At over 400 stores AND a park spanning across 1.3 million square feet, that’s A LOT of walking… so you’re gonna get hungry.

With over 100 dining options, you’d have to make some pretty hard decisions for your stomach – with a choice between alfresco dining by the rooftop park, the depachika, outlets within the mall itself, or the “food exchange”; which is an elevated version of a food court that bring traditional Malaysian hawker offerings, international food hall, and live cultural and cooking shows by local chefs. The best part? The food exchange features a rotational concept so you’ll never get bored of the options.