“We developed it with a view to making it a catalyst for growth in Cheras,” Sunway Malls and Theme Parks CEO Chan Hoi Choy told FMT in an interview.

The complex is composed of a shopping mall, a hotel, residence suites, shop offices, an office tower and a medical centre. The mall opened its doors to shoppers on Dec 8. The hotel will be opened next year and the medical centre in 2018.

“The mall alone has created 5,000 jobs while the hotel and hospital will provide an additional 5,000 jobs,” Chan said.

Two MRT stations that are under construction are a walking distance from Sunway Velocity.

There are already several malls in Cheras, but Chan said the area was still relatively under served.

“There are an estimated one million residents living in more 200 housing estates in Cheras and we feel Sunway Velocity can fill a real need,” he said.

He claimed that the complex, which has 6,500 parking spaces, would serve as a one-stop centre for all the shopping and lifestyle needs of Cheras residents.

“Aside from numerous household brands, we also have the biggest IMAX cinema in Malaysia, with a screen which is four stories high,” he said.

“We also have Malaysia’s first ever Aeon MaxValue Prime, which offers shoppers 18,000 choices of goods as well as a 20,000 sq ft Chi-X Fitness gym.”

So far, he said, the response from both shoppers and retailers had been “overwhelming”, with some food and beverage outlets selling out completely in the week following the soft opening.

“Some 95% of the one million sq ft in retail space has been taken up,” he added. “We expect all the retail space to be taken up by the end of 2017.