MARKET
Perlis Finally Has a Shopping Mall
MALAYSIA – Perlis has finally joined Malaysia’s shopping mall map.
While shopping malls are a common sight in most states, often found within walking distance in urban areas, Perlis has long stood out as the only state without a single shopping mall.
The opening of its first shopping mall (Kangar Jaya Mall) marks a small but notable shift in Perlis’s retail landscape. In this blog, we take a closer look at the total number of malls, broken down by state, region and the footprint.
Number of Shopping Malls: By State
As of December 2025, with the addition of Kangar Jaya Mall, Perlis now has a shopping mall.
Selangor still leads with 93 malls (22.4%), followed by W.P. Kuala Lumpur (18.5%). Sarawak with 59 shopping malls (14.2%).
How to read this:
This chart shows the total number of shopping malls by state. Higher bars indicate greater retail concentration.
Number of Shopping Malls: By Region
The Central region dominates by a wide margin (42%). Driven largely by Selangor and W.P. Kuala Lumpur, this region accounts for the majority of malls nationwide.
East Malaysia ranks second in terms of the total number of shopping malls, where Sarawak contributes significantly to the total count. (Also read: Sarawak breakdown (Shopping Malls)
The Southern region follows behind. While states like Johor show a strong individual presence, the combined regional total still falls below East Malaysia.
Within the Northern region, Perlis has long been an outlier. Even as other northern states contributed meaningfully to the regional total, Perlis recorded zero shopping malls for years. With the opening of its first mall, Perlis now contributes to the region’s overall count.
Mapping Perlis’ First Shopping Mall, and Its Footprint
To put Perlis’ first mall into spatial context, the map below shows the exact location of the mall along with its building footprint.
It is important to note that this analysis only measures the building footprint: the area covered on the ground. It does not represent the store’s total floor area, which may be larger once multiple levels or internal layouts are taken into account.
The building footprint covers approximately 210,000 sq ft. For reference, IOI City Mall (The largest shopping mall in Malaysia) is around ~ 2 million sq ft.
