Nilai 3 will be revamped

By Nur Natasha Aida Ismail

This is the last of a two-part article of the Nilai 3 Wholesale Centre, which is said to be suffering from lacklustre sales compared to when it first opened nearly two decades ago.

SEREMBAN (Bernama) -- The Nilai 3 Wholesale Centre (Nilai 3) was once declared by the Malaysian Book of Records as the largest wholesale centre in Malaysia.

People from all over the country would go to Nilai 3 to get a bargain on wedding supplies, household décor items and carpets. Traders enjoyed brisk business not only during the weekends, but on weekdays as well.

There were 750 premises at the wholesale centre when it first opened in 2001, but only 331 of them are still in operation today.

Business has been steadily decreasing at Nilai 3 over the past decade and one of the reasons is the proliferation of supermarkets and malls nearby.

Nilai Municipal Council (MPN) President Datuk Zazali Salehudin said that the MPN has found that the main reason Nilai 3 is losing out to the newer malls was that it could not keep up with the lower prices and variety offered by the latter.

There are currently a number of establishments in the area employing the same concept as Nilai 3 but offering even more competitive prices. Their presence creates competition not only among wholesale centres within the area but those in the Klang Valley as well, such as the Kenanga Wholesale City and the GM Klang Wholesale City.

“There are also few offerings for men, children and youths so these groups of visitors feel unenthused about coming here. When a family comes, not every one of them wants to shop. Some will want to unwind or relax at an air-conditioned café, the youths would want to look for activities to do and children would want places to play – none of which are available at Nilai 3,” he told Bernama.

INCONSISTENT HOURS

Nilai 3 is divided into blocks A to G. Among it are Bintang Walk Nilai 3, Suria Nilai 3 and Sentral Bazar Nilai 3 – but not all the businesses are fully in operation. Some premises look unattended and even abandoned.

Half of the businesses in Nilai 3 sell curtains and carpets while the rest sell clothing, furniture, house décor items and light industry products.

Nilai 3 used to be known for businesses that offer curtain-making services in an hour. Although the service can cost up to thousands of ringgit, it still attracted plenty of customers to the area.

A recent Bernama visit to Nilai 3, however, revealed that many of the shops have yet to open even at 10am. It was learned that this was a normal practice in Nilai 3 as opening hours were at the convenience of shop owners and were not determined by the local authorities.

The situation has certainly affected the number of customers to Nilai 3 as many visitors feel inconvenienced by the uncertain operation hours.

When potential customers travel as far as 290km from Johor Bahru to Nilai 3 - only to find most of the shops closed - the likelihood of those customers returning would be slim.

In addition to that, there were few activities promoting the wholesale centre, unlike when it first opened. As such, there were only an increase of visitors during festive or wedding seasons.

PRIORITISING CLEANLINESS

Zazali said that MPN had always prioritised hygiene and cleanliness. In 2014, the council and the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) launched a zero waste campaign in Nilai 3.

Firm action was taken on anyone found committing illegal disposal of waste. Illegal dumping sites were cleaned and sealed off to prevent further of such activities.

“As of 2018, some 528 tonnes of bulk waste were collected and disposed of at landfills in Tanah Merah, Port Dickson. MPN and SWCorp are still conducting scheduled monitoring to date.

“We are also focusing on ensuring hygiene at all public toilets. All toilets under MPN are audited for cleanliness and a supervisor has been appointed to check on the level of cleanliness at each toilet,” Zazali said.

He asked that the business operators at Nilai 3 engage in gotong-royong activities to spruce up the area instead of relying solely on the efforts of the local authorities.

REVIVING NILAI 3

Zazali believed that Nilai 3 needs to be restructured to meet the needs of people today who prefer a more comfortable shopping experience.

He said that the Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun has called for a revamp of the wholesale centre.

“When it comes to shopping, people today are spoilt for choice. They have the option to go to air-conditioned malls that sell the very same thing found at Nilai 3, which at the moment are only selling products that appeal to women and do not cater for the entire family.

“There should be other attractions like a playground, baby-friendly facilities, an extreme games centre, comfortable cafes and eateries and restaurants selling exotic or state specialties,” he suggested.

Operation hours also needed to be standardised, as is done in malls.

To ensure that the promotional activities at Nilai 3 are not reliant on seasons, there should also be a monthly activity to attract a constant stream of visitors, he said.

The Menteri Besar has recently announced that Nilai 3 would be revived as a main tourism destination in the state and to get the ball rolling, a local company has been appointed as the developer for the redevelopment of Nilai 3.

“The agreement has been finalised and I was made to understand that the developer will be bringing in several investors to jointly develop Nilai 3.

“In addition to that, Nilai Square that is located some 7km from Nilai 3 will also be redeveloped to include a night market and food trucks reconstructed from containers. This project will be a private undertaking,” he said.

Translated by Sakina Mohamed

BERNAMA