Metrojaya
A Malaysian department-store and specialty-retail group serving mainly middle- and higher-income shoppers.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Metrojaya is a Malaysian department-store and specialty-retail group whose principal business is the operation of department stores, alongside property holding, investment holding, general merchandising, and specialty retail through subsidiary companies. The brand began operations in September 1976, when its first store opened at Pertama Complex in Kuala Lumpur. That location provided approximately 18,305 square feet of retail space and established Metrojaya as a department-store operator in Malaysia. The company’s merchandise proposition is positioned above basic discount retail, with a broad assortment aimed primarily at middle- and higher-income consumers. Its stores have traditionally combined apparel, accessories, cosmetics, household goods, and other general merchandise under one roof. The core departments include women’s fashion, men’s fashion, junior apparel for teenagers and young adults, children’s merchandise, home products, and cosmetics and fragrances. This breadth allows Metrojaya to operate as a general department store while also using more focused specialty-store formats. Metrojaya expanded its property footprint through shopping-centre relationships and pre-leasing arrangements. In 1991, it was reported to have pre-leased space at Sinar Kota in Kuala Lumpur and Menara Bakti in Section 14, Petaling Jaya, both of which were expected to be completed that year. The group later developed a network of department stores in major Malaysian shopping centres, including locations in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Sabah, Sarawak, Johor, Penang, and other urban markets. Its store portfolio has changed over time as individual outlets closed, relocated, reduced their footprint, or were replaced by newer formats. The group’s retail activities have included four department stores, a Cosmart hypermarket in Bukit Jambul Complex in Penang, and an MJ by Metrojaya fashion-concept store at The Curve in Mutiara Damansara. The broader Metrojaya group has also operated more than 70 specialty stores occupying over one million square feet in aggregate. Reported specialty concepts include Cape Cod, East India Company, Living Quarters, Reject Shop, and Somerset Bay. These formats extend the group beyond conventional department-store retail into focused categories such as fashion, home-related merchandise, and value-oriented goods. Metrojaya’s more recent estate has been characterized by selective consolidation. The Berjaya Times Square outlet, which opened in 2006, closed in December 2009 after approximately three years. Other reported closures included the large CityOne Megamall store in Kuching in 2019, outlets at The Curve and Komtar JBCC in 2021, and stores at Plaza Merdeka in Kuching and Permaisuri Imperial City Mall in Miri. The Suria Sabah department store in Kota Kinabalu was closed and relocated to a smaller retail lot before reopening in 2023 under the MJ by Metrojaya name. The Mid Valley Megamall store temporarily closed for renovation and downsizing from 27 February 2024 to 28 August 2024, reopening on 29 August 2024. The currently reported department-store network consists of outlets at Mid Valley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur, Suria Sabah in Kota Kinabalu, Brem Mall in Kepong, and Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport BBCC in Bukit Bintang. The group has also been associated with Metrojaya outlet stores at Ampang Point Shopping Centre and Mitsui Outlet Park KLIA in Sepang. Through this combination of department stores, concept stores, outlet stores, specialty businesses, and investment-related activities, Metrojaya remains a Malaysian multi-format retail group rather than a single-format department-store chain.
History
Metrojaya entered Malaysia’s organized department-store sector in September 1976, opening its first outlet at Pertama Complex in Kuala Lumpur. The approximately 18,305-square-foot store provided a broad general-merchandise proposition and established the company’s long-term focus on fashion, beauty, household goods, and other lifestyle categories. Its target audience was principally drawn from middle- and higher-income customer groups, giving the chain a medium-to-high market position rather than a purely discount orientation. During the early 1990s, Metrojaya pursued expansion through shopping-centre developments and property relationships. In 1991, the company was reported to have pre-leased premises at Sinar Kota in Kuala Lumpur and Menara Bakti in Section 14, Petaling Jaya. The group’s corporate activities came to include department-store operations, investment holding, and property holding, while subsidiaries handled specialty retail, general merchandising, and related activities. Over time, Metrojaya developed a multi-format retail portfolio. Its main department stores carried women’s and men’s apparel, junior and children’s merchandise, home products, cosmetics, fragrances, and other general merchandise. The wider group also operated specialty concepts such as Cape Cod, East India Company, Living Quarters, Reject Shop, and Somerset Bay. Reported operations included more than 70 specialty stores occupying over one million square feet in total, in addition to the department-store network. Metrojaya also operated a Cosmart hypermarket in Bukit Jambul Complex, Penang, and introduced the MJ by Metrojaya fashion-concept format at The Curve in Mutiara Damansara. The group’s estate subsequently went through a period of rationalization. Its Berjaya Times Square outlet, opened in 2006, closed in December 2009 after roughly three years. The company later closed the CityOne Megamall store in Kuching in 2019 and reported closures at The Curve and Komtar JBCC in 2021. Stores at Plaza Merdeka in Kuching and Permaisuri Imperial City Mall in Miri were also listed among closed locations. These changes indicate a shift away from maintaining every large-format shopping-centre presence and toward a more selective store network. The Sabah business was also reorganized. The Suria Sabah department store in Kota Kinabalu was closed and moved to a smaller retail lot, reopening in 2023 under the MJ by Metrojaya identity. This illustrates the group’s use of smaller or more specialized formats in response to changing site economics and retail conditions. A similar adjustment occurred at Mid Valley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur, where the store closed from late February through late August 2024 for renovation and downsizing before reopening on 29 August. The currently reported department-store locations are Mid Valley Megamall, Suria Sabah, Brem Mall in Kepong, and Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport BBCC in Bukit Bintang. Metrojaya has also been associated with outlet locations at Ampang Point Shopping Centre and Mitsui Outlet Park KLIA in Sepang. The resulting business is a smaller, more flexible Malaysian retail platform combining department stores, outlet stores, concept stores, specialty brands, and investment-related activities.
- 2024
Mid Valley Megamall store reopens after renovation
[1]The Mid Valley Megamall store reopened on 29 August after renovation and downsizing.
- 2023
MJ by Metrojaya reopens in a smaller Sabah location
[1]The Suria Sabah business returned in a smaller retail lot under the MJ by Metrojaya format.
- 2021
The Curve and Komtar JBCC locations close
[1]Metrojaya’s reported stores at The Curve and Komtar JBCC were closed.
- 2019
CityOne Megamall store closes
[1]The reported 130,000-square-foot CityOne Megamall store in Kuching closed.
- 2009
Berjaya Times Square outlet closes
[1]The Berjaya Times Square store closed after approximately three years of operation.
- 2006
Berjaya Times Square outlet opens
[1]Metrojaya established an outlet at Berjaya Times Square, a location that later closed in December 2009.
- 1991
Expansion through pre-leased shopping-centre locations
[1]The company pre-leased planned premises at Sinar Kota in Kuala Lumpur and Menara Bakti in Section 14, Petaling Jaya.
- 1976
First Metrojaya store opens
[1]Metrojaya opened its first department store at Pertama Complex in Kuala Lumpur in September, occupying approximately 18,305 square feet.
Products and positioning
A Malaysian multi-format department-store and specialty-retail group offering broad lifestyle, fashion, beauty, home, and general-merchandise assortments at a medium-to-high price positioning, with formats adapted for department-store, concept-store, hypermarket, and outlet environments.
Department-store retail · 1976
Metrojaya Department Stores
The core Metrojaya format combines women's and men's apparel, junior and children's merchandise, home products, cosmetics, fragrances, accessories, and other general merchandise. Stores are designed as broad lifestyle-shopping destinations for middle- and higher-income Malaysian consumers. The format has appeared in major shopping centres and has been adjusted over time through closures, relocations, renovations, and downsizing.
Fashion concept store
MJ by Metrojaya
MJ by Metrojaya is a more focused fashion-oriented concept used for smaller or reconfigured locations. It has been associated with The Curve in Mutiara Damansara and with the relocated Suria Sabah business, which reopened under the MJ by Metrojaya name in 2023. The format reflects Metrojaya's move toward more compact and specialized retail footprints.
Hypermarket
Cosmart
Cosmart was a hypermarket format operated by the Metrojaya group at Bukit Jambul Complex in Penang. It extended the group’s activities beyond department stores into larger-scale general merchandising and everyday retail. The available reference material identifies the operation but does not provide a complete current status or detailed assortment profile.
Specialty retail
Specialty-store portfolio
The wider group has operated more than 70 specialty and general-merchandising stores under concepts including Cape Cod, East India Company, Living Quarters, Reject Shop, and Somerset Bay. These businesses complement the department stores by concentrating on particular fashion, home, lifestyle, or value-merchandise propositions. The supplied material does not specify the current status of every individual concept.
Brand decisions
2024
Renovation and downsizing of the Mid Valley Megamall storeStrategyBackground
The Mid Valley Megamall outlet underwent a temporary closure for renovation and a reduction in retail footprint.
Action taken
The store closed from 27 February to 28 August 2024 and reopened on 29 August in a renovated, downsized form.
Aftermath
The outlet resumed operations in a smaller format; the supplied material does not report financial results or customer-response data.
2023
Relocation and reformatting of the Suria Sabah businessStrategyBackground
The former Suria Sabah department-store operation was closed and moved to a smaller retail lot.
Action taken
Metrojaya reopened the business in 2023 using the MJ by Metrojaya fashion-concept format.
Aftermath
The change preserved a Metrojaya presence in Kota Kinabalu while reducing the size and changing the format of the location.
Sources3 sources
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