Boulevard group invests RM500mil in projects

KUCHING: The Boulevard Group of Companies, an invesment arm of diversified Miri-based Shin Yang Sdn Bhd, will invest more than RM500mil in two international-class hotel-apartment projects here and in Bintulu, and shopping malls in Bintulu and Miri.

Chief executive officer Yew Hoon said construction work for the proposed Imperial Hotel Apartment project at Jalan Datuk Tawi Sili here would start next year.

The project, which is expected to be completed in 2009, will comprise two towers housing 300 hotel rooms and 400 units of service apartments respectively.

The hotel and apartment towers form part of an integrated development, the other component of which is the newly-completed RM100mil Boulevard Shopping Mall.

The shopping mall, reputed to be Sarawak’s largest lifestyle mall, will have its soft opening tomorrow.

Yew said the mall had over 520,000 sq ft of retail space to cater for more than 230 speciality stores, over 20 specialty eatery outlets and a hypermarket and department store.

The entertainment centre comprises a 32-lane bowling alley, six cineplexes, a children playground and other facilities. There is also a lifestyle spa-yoga-gym-aerobics centre.

Yew said earthworks for the proposed 500-room Imperial Hotel Apartment and Boulevard Shopping Mall project in Bintulu had started.

“The project is expected to be completed in 2010,” he told StarBiz.

In Miri, he said, construction work for the proposed Imperial Plaza project would start next year. The proposed plaza - a one-stop lifestyle mall - will be operational in 2009.

Yew said the Boulevard group now owned and managed the 260-room four-star Imperial Hotel, Imperial Mall and Boulevard hypermarket and departmental store in Miri.

He said the Miri Boulevard Shopping Mall had won several state and federal awards, including Best Supporting Shopping Outlet (shopping complex) in 2001/2002 by Tourism Malaysia, and third placing in the Best Well-maintained Shopping Complex in Malaysia by Housing and Local Government Ministry in 2003.

Yew said timber-based Shin Yang was also involved in oil palm plantations, shipbuilding, property development and quarry operations.

By The Star (by Jack Wong)