Johor Premium Outlets (JPO)

Johor Premium Outlets, or JPO in short, is one of the latest shopping attractions in Malaysia. This is an avenue for people to shop for branded items at relatively cheaper prices. Located in Kulai, within the state of Johor, it's deemed to attract both locals and tourists from the neighbouring country of Singapore. 

How to get there: The JPO building is visible from the North-South highway, particularly from the left should you come from the direction of Kuala Lumpur, heading south. The signboard is pretty distinctive, just look out for: Exit 253, Exit 304, Exit 302A. Although later when we came from the Johor Bahru direction, it wasn't that straightforward finding either of the exits. I dunno, maybe coz we're not locals. 
Anyhow, more directions on reaching the place via other mode of transportation can be found here. GPS coordinate is 1°36'11"N , 103°37'17"E.

Directions as provided by the JPO website

Where to stay: In case you're not a local to Johor and planning to spend the night there, one possible accommodation is the Pulai Springs Resort. It's located around 18 km from JPO, taking about 20 minutes drive. In fact, the last time I was there, the resort was offering a shop & stay package that included free shuttle between JPO and the resort. 

Now, on to the shopping experience here....

The overall outlook of the whole complex reminded me a bit of Harbour Town. the two-storey building, the layout, the colour of the walls...all were faintly similar. 

There were considerably a lot of designer brands available here, with the top of the group be Burberry, Michael Kors, Ermenegildo Zegna, Armani, Tumi, CK and DKNY. Several other brands, like Canali, Oroton and Charles & Keith, were more of the cases of brands that have yet to catch the big market in Malaysia and hence deemed unknown to many. The rest were those familiar to most such as sports brands Nike, Puma and Adidas, Coach, Levi's, Clarks and Fossil.  

Anyhow, brands et. al were not a problem to me. I just walked around, scoured through the shops and bought whatever items I thought was worth the price tags displayed. From my short stint there (I was only lurking around for 2 hours...) here's my humble opinion on the offers in JPO:

• Nike: cheaper by RM20-RM40 for each sports attire, and some good bargains for sports shoes; the designs were of the previous seasons...but that shouldn't matter, the shoes were still hip and stylish (I'm guessing it's the same for other sports brand outlets there)
• Clarks: just like the normal outlets in KL, the display were not that many as opposed to the ones in its home country, UK...and hence not that many choice to begin with...the prices were cheaper in the sense that it's similar to boxing day offers (but if you times the price by 5, still it's not dirt cheap) 
• Samsonite (and other luggage shops): okay...the prices were fair...but if I could wait for megasale in KL, I would... 
• Coach: ahhh, the popular item amongst the majority of ladies out there....those bags were cheaper from normal shops in KL, yet not dirt cheap compared to US price...my guess is the items were mostly from Coach Factory Outlet (CFO), but there were some from Coach Boutique as well...still, the cost of traveling to or shipping it from US considered...it's not bad as long as you know how to choose the best bargain 
• Braun Buffel: not many would think of getting something from here...it all depends on individual taste...the designs were of the near latest season, and at least 30% - 50% discounts were available....and that's a lot from their normal display prices 
• Oroton: testified from an Aussie herself that it's way cheaper than those sold in Australia...perhaps not the latest season, but 'way cheaper' sounded really good
• Cosmetics & Fragrances: definitely cheaper....potentially cheaper than airport prices (I know this very well ;p)

Point of observation: All items at all stores displayed both original and discounted prices, and printed these prices on the receipts. 

Note: I'm just quoting the brands in random order, and my views on what's hot or not may differ from others. Plus, I'm missing out on the remaining available brands at JPO. 

Another note: The matter of cheap vs. expensive is really subjective, as it all depends on how much you're willing to pay, and how much of a discount would you consider it worth buying. That's the basics of economics, and therefore shopping!  

The Verdict 
Some may contest the claim that this place is cheaper than the normal shops out there, while some may be agreeable to the discounted price tags. As I said, it depends on one's expectation of bargains. 

For those that argue that things are cheaper from where the goods come from....all I have to say is "Duh! Of courselah it's cheaper there". Unless one has the luxury to go over to the origin country and buy the goods from the original store, JPO could be an alternative source. You just have to know the worth of the things you're buying. 

As for argument on the latest fashion, dude...if it's the latest fashion, it would be at the flagship store instead. Besides, if you choose wisely the design could be timeless and stands through time. Oh, that's probably only me...I love classics. 

If you don't like it, it's okay. Our friends from Singapore certainly find JPO worth a visit.