Property firm linked to Malaysia’s richest man Robert Kuok to revamp Johor Bahru City Square mall

By Hien Nguyen November 4, 2025 | 08:40 pm PT

Allgreen Properties, a member of Malaysian billionaire Robert Kuok’s Kuok Group, plans to revamp Johor Bahru City Square, a mall near the Singapore-Johor Causeway that attracts both locals and Singaporean day-trippers.

Allgreen, which owns JBCS, on Monday announced a major multi-phase redevelopment plan that will boost the mall’s floor space from 547,076 square feet (50,825 square meters) to 568,927, as reported by the New Straits Times.

The project will also add a 15,000-square-foot children’s adventure park, a 41,300-square-foot health and wellness hub, a large-format event space, and hotel apartments.

Construction begins this month and is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2027, with the mall expected to stay "fully operational" throughout the revamp.

The Johor Bahru City Square. Photo from the mall's website

Located just steps away from the Causeway, which links Johor Bahru in Malaysia’s Johor state and Singapore, the mall was opened in 1999 and has since served as a retail landmark popular with both locals and Singaporeans across the border.

The Causeway is one of the world’s busiest land crossings with over 350,000 travelers daily, ranging from Malaysians heading to work to Singaporeans crossing the border in search of more affordable shopping and services.

The mall’s revamp comes as the upcoming Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System is expected to improve connectivity and drive up cross-border retail demand, The Business Times reported.

Slated to begin service by late 2026, the service is expected to carry up to 10,000 passengers per hour in both directions, reducing travel time between the two cities to under 10 minutes.

"We are investing in City Square’s future to ensure it continues to thrive as the vibrant heart of retail, leisure and lifestyle for generations to come," The Straits Times quoted Tho Leong Chye, Allgreen’s managing director, as saying.

Allgreen acquired a stake in the mall last year from the real estate division of Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC.

The Singapore-based developer manages several prominent retail properties in the city-state, including Great World, Tanglin Mall, Pasir Ris Mall and The Seletar Mall. It has also partnered with Kerry Properties to develop major mixed-use projects across China.

It is a member of the Kuok Group, a multinational conglomerate owned by Malaysian tycoon Robert Kuok, who was named Malaysia’s richest man by Forbes in April with an estimated net worth of US$11.4 billion.