Kuala Lumpur, September 4, 2009

With the glowing success of the already growing empire of YTL, Managing Director Tan Sri (Dr) Francis Yeoh is not satisfied with merely maintaining his stretch of property on Bukit Bintang. The savvy businessman is set to expand and reinvent the lifestyle concept properties under the YTL arm starting with the repositioning and re-launching of one of Bukit Bintang’s oldest malls – the Lot 10 Shopping Centre.

The iconic green building which first made its mark in 1990, is undergoing massive renovation from its basement right up to its rooftop in keeping with the times and catering to the new breed of urbanites who are today, a more knowledgeable, tech-savvy and environmental conscious bunch.

“Lot 10 will be the new urban playground for youth of today. With Lot 10, YTL can fulfill its desire and social responsibility that has always been close to our hearts and that is to bring an entire ‘Forest In The City” – right here on the Rooftop at Lot 10,” said Tan Sri (Dr) Francis Yeoh at the press conference which highlighted some of the changes taking place in the mall.

With more and more forest being cleared to make way for concrete jungles, YTL’s ‘Forest In the City’ initiative helps to reverse this process by bringing back a bit of greenery to the city.

The Rooftop of Lot 10 which was formerly a car park, has since undergone a major transformation and now houses a fitness club, a dance club, a restaurant and The Actors Studio (formerly in Bangsar Shopping Centre) set amidst lush greenery of overhanging ferns and emerging foliage and a variety of tropical plants.

The Rooftop Fitness Club which is already in full operation, is filled daily with energetic crowds of fitness and health enthusiast working out in a glass-encased studio which gives them a breathtaking view of the KL City skyline.

Finding a new home for The Actors Studio was tough for Dato’ Faridah Merican and Joe Hasham but they have finally found a home in their brand new theatre set right in the heart of The Golden Triangle. Spanning over 8,000 square feet, the new premise will feature a 250-seat theatre and highlights the country’s first and only Hanamichi style T-Shape stage inspired by the Kabuki Tradition.

“We have a host of exciting brands coming your way. From celebrity heiress Nicky Hilton to pop icon, Justin Timberlake with his fashion line – William Rast, it’s going to be very exciting on the fashion front,” said Yeoh.

Also opening its doors exclusively at Lot 10 is UK’s Debenhams which will feature a range of young brands and young designers. And from the owners of Jogoya, the highly successful chain of restaurants comes Shabu One Steamboat Buffet Restaurant, Taiwan’s first global outlet in the world.

Isetan, at Lot 10 will also be renovated and revived with a new energy and will introduce a new concept of its Food Market featuring fresh and cooked foods and a fine selection of Japanese fare.

Another highlight is the Lot 10 Hutong at the lower ground floor, where Malaysia’s social character and rich heritage of culinary delights will be revived. The world’s first heritage gourmet village features about 20 food outlets that have survived over three generations serving the best in local Chinese cuisine.

An exciting new addition to Lot 10 will be the National Geographic store and café. This will undoubtedly be a star attraction as proved by its London and Singapore stores. National Geographic is widely popular among Malaysians as it embraces all aspects of global culture. The store will most likely feature National Geographic Society products, from the magazines, books and merchandise.

“... With the support of all our tenants who are with us here today from Debenhams and Isetan to Shabu One and Hutong as well Nicky Hilton, William Rast and National Geographic, we hope to give you a world class lifestyle experience that is unique and exclusive to Lot 10,” concluded Yeoh.

The Lot 10 official launch will be a ten-day celebration spanning from the 10^th to the 19^th of October 2009. Various boutiques will be officially opening its doors during that period and an exciting array of exhibitions will take place on the concourse floor of Lot 10 Shopping Centre.

Catch the exhibition by National Geographic themed ‘Colours of Africa’ and Lot 10’s very own Photography Exhibition themed ‘Faces of Bintang Walk’.

SPEECH BY TAN SRI DR FRANCIS YEOH, CBE

LOT 10 NEW POSITIONING

PRESS CONFERENCE – 3 SEPTEMBER 2009

Good evening Yang Bahagia Dato’ Faridah Merican and all our valued partners of Lot 10 who are with us here today.

Respected members of the media.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

It is my joy to see all of you here this evening on the rooftop of Lot 10  which a few months ago was just a parking lot, filled with rows and rows of parking bays.

But tonight, we are blessed that there is so much life and energy here – with so many bright and beautiful lights all around us, and so many people going about their work-outs and activities, as we look forward to be partying on top of the world at Lot 10 soon.

In the 90s, Lot 10 used to be the “happening” place but over the years, has changed with the evolvement of Bukit Bintang. Hence, it is time for Lot 10 to be repositioned from its rooftop right down to its basement – to target a new niche segment of the market which I would refer to as the “Greenagers” of the new generation.

These “Greenagers” who are a new breed of urbanites as we can see in KL – are youthful and full of energy. Not only are they health and fitness conscious with the proliferation of gyms today, but also increasingly aware of the environment and the world around them because they are well educated and well read. They are also highly intelligent, tech-savvy, design and creative driven.

With such a psychographics in mind, we are impassioned that with Lot 10, YTL can fulfill our desire and social responsibility that has always been close to our hearts, and that is to bring an entire “Forest In The City” – right here on the Rooftop at Lot 10 in Bukit Bintang. 

Specially-commissioned trees are planted which in time will gradually mature with extended foliage. As a backdrop against the concrete jungle of the city, we have also enacted towering planters that emulate natural cliffs – overhanging with tropical ferns and a variety of flora to refresh the eyes and soul.  

In the midst of this Forest in the City, Lot 10’s new positioning indeed gels with the sensibilities of this niche of “Greenagers” in the market – offering them a microcosm of their lifestyles – from a gym for health and fitness to chilling out with fine dining and the café culture, and also avenues of artistic expressions and appreciation.

All our new tenants who are with us here today have been pre-selected to be an integral part of this “Greenager’ movement – from The Actors Studio and Debenhams to WiMAX, Isetan and Shabu One. All have been specially selected for sharing our common objective in driving the momentum of this new and energetic movement, which will be exclusive to Lot 10.

An example of this affinity is with the doyens of Malaysian Performing Arts – Dato’ Faridah Merican and Joe Hasham – founders of The Actors Studio which had over the years been uprooted with numerous re-locations from Plaza Putra to Bangsar.

Once again, YTL is delighted to bring nature and the artistic community together with The Actors Studio in the forest of Lot 10 – like we had done with KLPac in our 35-acre Sentul Park. So it is in our prayers that The Actors Studio will thrive as the first “Theatre in the Forest” where creativity is inspired by a flourish of nature so close to the skies of KL. This represents a significant direction in promoting the arts as opposed to the rapid emergence of so many cinemas in the city today.  

In fulfilling the needs of our “Greenagers”, Teeq Brasserie is specially created to be the ideal hang out for urbanites, serving the perfect meal after an energetic work out or a night out at the theatre, while Rootz Club which is inspired by Russian museums and palaces will offer the pulsating energy for a night of partying in the forest very soon.

In the spirit of preserving our heritage, Lot 10 Hutong will also be launched with 27 restaurants and food kiosks this November, bringing together the golden oldies of Malaysian eateries that have survived the 2^nd and 3^rd generations with brands like Hong Wing Kee wanton mee to Kum Leen Kei Fukien mee – all in one “heritage gourmet village” at the lower ground floor of Lot 10.

In synchronising all these with high-tech communications for our Greenagers, we have also partnered with Samsung to bring to Malaysia the first converged mobile Internet services with WiMAX from the dining tables of Teeq Brasserie at the rooftop all the way down to the tea houses of Lot 10 Hutong.

In concept and architecture, the multi award-winning Yuhkichi Kawai of the iconic Design Spirits in Japan has masterminded the entire renovation of Lot 10 from the rooftop right down to the basement. Hence, ensuring that there is an integration of design and concept for a visual and experiential progression that is of world class standards at Lot 10.       

Since the announcement of Lot 10’s new positioning, we have received a lot of enquiries from many international brands, among which includes National Geographic – a brand which highly reflects the sensibilities of Greenagers with its concerns for the environment, traditional arts and culture.

With an Asian database of subscribers that’s among the highest in Malaysia, the National Geographic store and café will indeed be another one of our pre-selected tenants exclusive to Lot 10 – for an experience never to be repeated anywhere else. Thus, reinforcing our new positioning to bring on a new age of awareness for a new generation of urbanites in a Forest in the City at Lot 10.

Thank you.

May God bless all of you!