Freeport A'Famosa Outlet
First it was the JPO - Johor Premium Outlet. Then came the IT retail park near KLIA called the Mitsui. And now the retail outlet fever had properly hit Malaysia with the recent opening of another one near A'Famosa near the Negri Sembilan-Melaka border right along the PLUS highway heading south. Only about 90 minutes form KL, it certainly worth a look. And that was we did yesterday on our way home from our day trip to Melaka.
It was still brand spanking new - I was sure less than 3 months old. Some of the parts were still closed and the road leading to the outlet was still being built. Getting there was straight forward especially those who had visited the A'Famosa Resort before. It was right by the entrance to the resort. And parking was not a problem. The main issue here was exposure to the elements. The pace was hot!
Is it better than the JPO? Unfortunately it was a resounding no. In fact, the JPO is in a different league all together. The absence of many brand names should alert you that retail experience won't be nearly as good. But the facilities was better. In fact, I must say that it was more family-orientated.
Can you get Sacoor? Yes. Can you get Samsonite? Yes. Nike? Yes. But that was about it.
No Tumi. No Burberry. No Armani. No Kate Spade. No Boss. The list goes on! A different place compared to JPO.
But I managed to get some good Under Armour garments from one of the sports outlet. Limited choice but the price was OK. Oh! And better look closely at the items as some of them were not as it seemed. I was looking for a Citizen watch but it turned out it was a different brand in the cabinet. Even the drinks outlet could be copycat. They have "Juicee" here instead of "Boost" although the menu looked almost identical. Sneaky!
Would I go there again? Maybe after another year or so when the place was more established. I would definitely rather go to JPO than here at the moment ....
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