i-City CityWalk Taps Savills to Build an AI and Robotics Retail Hub

Shah Alam’s i-City CityWalk is getting a fresh new direction. i-City has appointed Savills Malaysia to operate and reposition the open-air retail destination, as part of a bigger plan to turn the township into an AI and robotics urban centre anchored by i-Ris, AI Living @ i-City, a 500-unit residential tower.

Under the collaboration, Savills will lead mall operations, leasing, tenant mix and activation at CityWalk. It will also explore how the mall’s future retail positioning can support i-City’s wider AI Living environment, combining Savills’ retail and placemaking expertise with i-City’s established ecosystem of residences, offices, hotels, attractions and technology initiatives.

Dato’ Eu Hong Chew, Director of i-City (right), and Datuk Sr Paul Khong, Group Managing Director of Savills Malaysia, mark the collaboration to develop CityWalk as the AI and robotics retail and lifestyle centre supporting i-Ris, AI Living @ i-City.

What Is i-City CityWalk?

i-City CityWalk is an open-air retail destination of approximately 180,000 sq ft, complemented by a further 120,000 sq ft of space for events and activation. It already offers grocery, fitness, food and beverage, and entertainment options.

The mall sits right beside the planned i-Ris tower, which is set to be connected to CityWalk by an overhead link bridge. That puts retail, dining, fitness, wellness, leisure and everyday services within easy reach of future residents.

Directly opposite i-Ris is Central i-City mall, the regional shopping mall jointly developed by i-City and Thailand’s Central Pattana Group. Together, the two malls will give residents complementary open-air lifestyle and regional shopping experiences.

AI Living Beyond the Front Door

“AI Living is not intended to end at the front door of the residence. i-Ris is the residential expression of that idea, but the home is part of a wider urban experience. Through CityWalk and Central i-City mall, we have an opportunity to bring together the services, activities and experiences that will make AI Living more useful and relevant to residents in their daily lives.”

Dato’ Eu Hong Chew, Director of i-City

How Savills Plans to Refresh i-City CityWalk

Savills will build on CityWalk’s existing base by curating a more distinctive retail and lifestyle mix that complements Central i-City mall and responds to the needs of i-City’s growing residential, business and visitor communities.

“Savills will be looking at curating and refreshing both dining as well as other experiential retail offering to make it more current and forward looking in order to enhance repeat visits as well as dwell time within CityWalk.”

Murli Menon, Head of Retail Service, Savills Malaysia

The repositioning will also look at technology, wellness, learning and lifestyle concepts, including AI and robotics-related retail, demonstrations, services and experiences. The idea is to give residents and visitors practical, engaging ways to experience the technologies shaping urban living, similar to how humanoid robots are moving closer to Malaysian homes at i-City . Specific concepts will be introduced progressively, based on customer demand, occupier interest and commercial viability.

“Retail destinations thru their theme, concept and tenant mix must reflect the people they serve and gives them reasons to return. At CityWalk, our first aim is to improve the fundamentals of this retail destination and its commercial performance. We will work with i-City to identify where ‘AI and Robotics’ related concepts can value add and enhance demand & experience for visitors, residents and also retailers.”

Datuk Sr Paul Khong, Group Managing Director, Savills Malaysia

The Retail Link Between Home and Township

i-City’s longer-term goal is to establish i-City CityWalk as the retail centre for AI and robotics within the township. Rather than treating it as a standalone mall, i-City intends to position it as the retail and lifestyle link between AI Living and the wider urban community.

“i-City has spent more than two decades building the physical and digital foundations of the township. Savills brings the specialist retail capabilities to help us shape the next phase of CityWalk and determine how it can contribute to our transformation into an AI and robotics urban centre.”

Dato’ Eu Hong Chew, Director of i-City

i-Ris, AI Living @ i-City, is targeted for completion in 2030. By starting the CityWalk repositioning while the tower is still being developed, i-City can progressively build up the surrounding retail and lifestyle environment that future residents will access directly from their homes.

Why It Matters for Malaysians

For Malaysians, it signals a homegrown township bringing future-facing technology into everyday spaces like the neighbourhood mall. Developed by I-Berhad, i-City is a 72-acre integrated development in Shah Alam, Selangor, and home to SnoWalk, the City of Digital Lights and SkyCity.

As the i-City CityWalk refresh rolls out, it will be exciting to see how AI, robotics and retail come together to shape the way Malaysians live, shop and play.

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