International Stores Debut in Avenue K for the New Year

The newly-refurbished Avenue K is pulling in the crowds with more of its tenants opening their doors, welcoming renewal and rebirth with another year in the Chinese zodiac, celebrating the Horse.

Sue Wang, General Manager of Avenue K, stated, “It is our first Chinese New Year as the new AK. As friends and family gather to celebrate new beginnings, shoppers will be thrilled to see international shopping varieties as well as local Chinese cultural traditions come to life so that our customers will be able to soak up the festive spirit while ushering in the New Year.”

AK has continued to march forward in securing the most sought-after names in retail, offering trend-setting as well as a host of classic brands. It now claims choice tenants who boast largest outlets and several new arrivals in the Malaysian market, including Korea’s popular lingerie store, Yescode, and ELLE lingerie, the first outlet store in Malaysia.

Swedish mega brand H&M opened its flagship store positioned over 3 levels, theSkintopic, The Mod House as well as Original Classic in AK, are the largest of their outlets in the country, while Japanese fashion and household brand, Muji (opening March 2014) and Australia’s Cotton On are largest in Southeast Asia and Asia respectively.

Shopping haven for the hip and trendy

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ith brands like Headline Seoul, Nichii, Dressing Paula, Kitschen and G2000 among others, AK promises to provide the fashion savvy, a myriad of new outfits and looks for the New Year. Those traveling during this festive period can also get equipped in style at luggage specialists, Leather Avenue and Cosas United.

A diversity of F&B outlets featuring cuisine from the East and West have also piqued the curiosity of foodies. Tsukemen & Izakaya Ieyasu, award winning Bankara Ramen, Marutamen Ramen, Grappa, Sushi Zanmai, Swensen’s, Witches and Brew with its gluten-free breads and Snow Factory, introducing all-natural desserts from Taiwan, are following in the success of recently launched Taste Enclave Food Atrium (a selection of 15 delectable stalls and 4 mini restaurants) having drawn crowds of repeat customers by their taste buds. Also opening soon is Library Coffee bar and Johnny Rockets with an all-American menu of specialty burgers, shakes and fries. Coffee lovers will be spoilt for choice as they can have a sip at Starbucks, Espressolab, Urbean, Delifrance and even The Loaf.

“Our tenants have come up with special Chinese New Year bargains for our shoppers on top of the additional offers in conjunction with their newly opened outlets. This, combined with the variety of entertainment and activities, our Presto supermarket, the Taste Enclave Food Atrium, already a food aficionados’ paradise since opening, makes AK an ideal one-stop-shop for everyone this Chinese New Year,” Sue added.

Presto supermarket has deliberately stocked-up and the aroma coming from its bakery is a clear sign that they are prepared for the coming Chinese New Year celebrations.

Located on level 3, Ayer’s Rock Butcher and Grill, Fat Boys and Black Bull with its trendy bowling alleys will be among mouth-watering options diners have to satisfy their appetites for top dishes and more.

Soon on Level 4, world-renowned EMS entertainment will bring larger-than-life themed amusements for the whole family, beginning with Dinosaurs Live, a 3D interactive experience especially designed to engage the young.

In addition, for convenience and peace of mind while they get their shopping done, parents working in the area are delighted that they are now able to drop their children off at London-based Primrose Hill Nursery for their development and wellbeing.

Shoppers are being WOWed through the month of January and February with spectacular themed performances including traditional fan dances, Chinese instrumental bands, appearances by One FM radio DJs, interactive games, fun quizzes and singing performances by special guests. A regal figure of a golden horse, as well as eight pagodas have been erected on the Ground Floor Atrium represented by different vendors; the number chosen for its auspicious symbol of prosperity. That’s not all – the legendary “God of Fortune”, whose outfit is open to a tenant design contest and voted on by visitors, will also be featured to bring an abundance of prosperity and wealth to all present.

British couple, Adam Monroe, 32 and Jill Ward, 30 exclaimed, “This is our first time in Malaysia and we did not know what to expect. We walked across the road from KLCC looking for the LRT and it was a nice surprise to find such a fresh, lively outlet with so much going on. It has been a great introduction to the local Chinese culture for us during this festive period. They even have an interactive iKiosk for information and a game to win prizes. It is such a mix of traditional and modern all at once.”

Over the Chinese New Year period, there will also be an orange counting contest, lucky draws and Avenue K cash vouchers, including a RM3,880 grand prize, RM2,880 and RM1,880 for 2nd and 3rd prize respectively, which will be given away to shoppers who participate in the festivities.

While the main activities start from 6 January to 14 February 2014, one of the highlights of the celebrations features a must-see Lion Dance performance at the main entrance on 4 February, with costumes specially designed in fuchsia pink, reflecting AK’s logo.

Sue explains, “Our new AK logo is stylized in distinct fuchsia pink. Coincidently, Pantone, the global authority on colour, has just declared Radiant Orchid, which is a harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink derived from orchids, as the hue for 2014 and it is supposed to encourage expanded creativity and originality, the very fundamentals on which we developed AK. We’d like to think of this as a good omen for things to come.”

“In keeping in line with our tagline of ‘Make Friends, Create Trends’, we want to share our joy of new beginnings with our customers and we have infused this celebratory period with an energy and spirit that we hope will be the talk of the town,” enthused Sue.

Details of AK’s Chinese New Year promotions, activities and performances can be found at http://www.facebook.com/#!/AvenueKMY.