Hextar's Billion-Dollar Bet: Can a New 'Exploratorium' Revive Damansara?

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia – December 02, 2025 – After years of anticipation and speculation, the expansive retail complex once known as Empire City has opened its doors under a new banner: Hextar World. The grand opening on November 29 was a spectacle of culture and community, with parades, multicultural dance showcases, and festive cheer filling its vast corridors. The event marked a deliberate and ambitious attempt to position the destination not merely as a mall, but as “The Pulse of Damansara”—a vibrant hub for sport, leisure, and the arts.

Behind the celebratory noise, however, lies a story of strategic revival and a high-stakes bet on a new model for physical retail. Hextar Group, a conglomerate with deep roots in agriculture, is making an audacious play to succeed where others have faltered, aiming to transform a long-delayed project into one of Malaysia’s most dynamic landmarks.

A Phoenix from a Decade of Delays

To understand the significance of Hextar World's launch, one must look at the project's challenging history. The development, part of the larger Empire City Damansara, has been a fixture on the skyline for nearly a decade, marked by multiple false starts and prolonged delays that fueled public skepticism. Its retail component saw a brief, partial opening in 2017 to host events for the Southeast Asian Games, only to recede from the public eye once more, leaving its vast potential largely untapped.

The turning point came in 2021. Hextar Group, led by the prolific investor Dato Eddie Ong, acquired a significant stake in the mall component, injecting not just capital but a renewed vision into the dormant giant. This strategic move, backed by a valuation of RM1 billion at the time, signaled a clear intent to finally bring the project to fruition. The rebranding to Hextar World at Empire City was more than a name change; it was a declaration of a new chapter, aiming to shed the project's legacy of delays and redefine its identity.

This history provides a crucial backdrop to the weekend's festivities. The lively parades and cultural performances were not just for entertainment; they were a powerful statement that the space is finally, truly, alive. As Dato Eddie Ong, Group CEO of Hextar Group, stated during the opening, the goal is to create a destination that feels connected. "We are creating a destination that feels alive and connected, where culture, creativity and community can grow together," he remarked. "Today's celebration is only the beginning."

The 'Exploratorium' Gambit in a Crowded Market

Launching a 1.8 million sq. ft. retail destination in the competitive Klang Valley is a bold move. The region is already home to established behemoths like 1 Utama Shopping Centre and is bracing for new entrants. Hextar World's strategy for survival and success hinges on a concept it calls 'The Exploratorium'—a fusion of retail with an unusually high concentration of entertainment, art, and experiential attractions.

This is not a traditional mall with an anchor tenant and a food court. A staggering 450,000 sq. ft. of its net lettable area is dedicated purely to entertainment and leisure. The destination’s unique selling propositions are designed to be powerful draws in their own right. These include an Olympic-sized ice rink, the Malaysia National Ice Skating Stadium (MYNISS); the country's largest indoor ski and snowboarding facility, Slope Master; and what is touted as Malaysia's largest indoor water park, Miami Beach, complete with a unique day-and-night cycle.

This focus on unique, repeatable experiences is a direct challenge to the e-commerce wave that has pressured conventional retail. By offering activities that cannot be replicated online—from learning to surfskate at the AB&C Surf and Skate School to watching a professional performance at the new Ballet Theatre Malaysia—Hextar World is betting that experience, not just commerce, will drive foot traffic. The design itself, envisioned as a 'gallery in motion,' aims to integrate art and architecture into the visitor's journey, transforming walkways into spaces of discovery.

Beyond Retail: Building a Community Ecosystem

The vision extends beyond entertainment. The soft launch on November 29 is just a preview, with the full unveiling slated for 2026. The strategy appears to be the careful cultivation of a complete urban ecosystem. The tenant mix revealed so far points to a deliberate curation designed to create a self-sustaining community hub.

Key tenants include not only a premium Village Grocer supermarket and the much-anticipated Malaysian debut of China’s Luckin Coffee, but also innovative retail concepts like Parkson's 'next-generation' department store. Food and beverage offerings are equally ambitious, with a digitally integrated food hall and themed culinary streets like the Japanese-inspired Senkyaku Banrai.

Perhaps most telling of its community-building ambition is the integration of Trin International School within the development. By including a center for education offering a Cambridge curriculum, Hextar World is embedding itself into the daily life of local families, moving beyond a place for weekend outings to a hub for daily life. This strategy, combined with a packed calendar of events like the ongoing 'A Classic Christmas Campaign,' aims to foster a deep-rooted connection with the Damansara community. As the destination moves toward its full opening, its success will be a key indicator of whether this ambitious, experience-led model can truly reshape the future of retail and urban development in Malaysia.