Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru: The New Southern Belle

By Aiman Azri

Seven floors. 1.3 million square feet. More than 500 retail outlets. Freshly opened for half a year now, Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru is the largest mall in the southern capital city, making it a worthwhile destination even on its own if you enjoy shopping, eating and various indoor activities.

We recently flew from KL to JB to check out the space - when you first step in, you're engulfed in the sheer enormity of it all. Shops tower over you, proudly displaying their brands and beckoning you in. Entire families stroll in tandem, with more than sufficient space throughout the corridors for everyone. Wide-open areas and a simple L-shaped layout makes the mall a breeze to navigate and to remember where everything is.

It's a welcome relief from many of the malls we're accustomed to in the Klang Valley, where endless rows of stores and stalls are cramped together to fit in as many businesses as possible. At Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru, just about every shop secures an ample amount of space to suit its needs. Even the smaller stalls stand separately on their own.

Here's our first impression of the mall's main attractions in this post. We'll be publishing a second piece soon to focus on some of the F&B highlights, many of which can only be found in JB, so keep an eye out for that!

Parkson 

 

 

With four floors to satisfy any shopoholic, Parkson also boasts bonus amenities such as an indoor play area for children and even a yoga studio. This is also reputedly the only Parkson in Malaysia with F&B options available on every floor, such as a Quiznos sub sandwich restaurant.

GSC

On the upper floors of the mall, you might spy an extremely long elevator that seems to reach to the heavens. At the top lies GSC, Johor Bahru's largest multiplex, with a tastefully modern design aesthetic. No need to wait in long lines to buy tickets here; Automated ticketing kiosks near the entrance lets customers freely pick their film and seats of choice.

Befitting the largest cinema around, it also has its very own special 4DX cinema, the first in Malaysia. The 4DX cinema promises a multi-sensory experience, with motion chairs and special effects that make it seem like you're experiencing the events of the film firsthand. This would be a good place to catch a big blockbuster movie.

Selected cinemas also have disabled-friendly zones. There's a Premiere Class Lounge with a kid's zone for families too. And if you're hungry for more than scoops of popcorn, you can bring a chunky burger from The Burger Outpost into the movie.

Skate Park

 

 

At the back of skater apparel store Showroom is "The Backdoor," flanked by beautiful neon lights that catch the eye. Step through the door and you'll be greeted with an indoor skate park, perfect for extreme sports enthusiasts.

There are ramps to jump off, a half-pipe and even some rails to grind - you can do all of these for free. All you have to do to gain access to the skate park is to register with Showroom. You can then jump right in, or should we say, ollie right in?

Blue Ice Skating Rink

 

 

If skateboards aren't your thing, shred the ice instead! The beautiful 45-by-25-metre rink is easily visible from the ring of restaurants that surround it, filled with happy ice skaters spinning and weaving around.

Blue Ice Skating Rink is suitable for families and skaters of all skill levels. Figure skating classes and ice hockey training are available, with more activities to come soon.

Camp5 

 

You can't quite scale mountains here, but you can climb walls! Popular wall-climbing gym Camp5 makes the top of Paradigm Mall its home, with walls that range from nine to 15 metres high. Packages are available for experienced and beginner climbers, and any equipment you need can be rented. More facilities are being built, like a bouldering wall.

Food Courts

 

 

Almost the whole of Level 4M is taken up by the Food Arcade, a halal food court that spans everything from mixed rice to yong tau foo to takoyaki to wok cuisine. It's big, bright and clean, with even some restaurants within. At the entrance is Panen, an Indochinese restaurant that claims to serve the perfect grilled fish. Hailing from Johor Bahru's hangout spot Kilang Bateri is Shalloo, a fresh seafood restaurant, in the heart of the food court.

A non-halal food court, Spoon Classic, will open on the ground floor very soon.

Shopping!

 

 

 

Paradigm Mall is filled with all genres of retail outlets. It has Johor's first Village Grocer, a premium supermarket, as well as the Johorean debut of Homepro. Clothing stores range from sporty streetwear like Puma, Converse, Showroom, and Hundred%, to fashion giants H&M and Uniqlo. There's a Popular Bookstore, a Toys "R" Us, a memorabilia store and video game store next to GSC, and much, much, much more - sufficient for a full day of exploring.

Many thanks to Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru for having us here.

Selected photos in this post courtesy of Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru.

Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru
Jalan Skudai, 81200 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. Open Daily, 10am-10pm.