Highway Retail is the New Mall
- Levn admin
- May 19
- 3 min read
Rethinking Retail: Beyond the Mall
Malaysia’s retail ecosystem is at an inflection point. Conventional shopping malls, once the undisputed heart of consumer activity, are facing structural headwinds: oversupply, digital disruption, and shifting consumption patterns. In contrast, a lesser-known but increasingly dynamic asset class is emerging — one rooted not in cities, but on highways.
Rest and Service Areas (R&R) along the PLUS North-South Expressway are evolving from their utilitarian origins into high-performance, commercially active destinations. These reimagined stops are no longer just for rest; they are becoming integrated lifestyle nodes, combining EV infrastructure, branded F&B outlets, green-certified buildings, and digital consumer engagement. As the line between infrastructure and retail blurs, highway RSAs are quietly outpacing traditional malls in consistency, scalability, and relevance.
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The appeal of RSAs lies in an overlooked truth: while malls compete for voluntary traffic, RSAs benefit from guaranteed, route-based visitation.
The PLUS Expressway alone moves over 1.8 million vehicles daily, making it one of Southeast Asia’s most important mobility corridors. Well-located RSAs along this route — particularly those with dual access from local and expressway traffic — see vehicle volumes that translate to 50,000 to 100,000 potential patrons per day.
Moreover, the rise of electric vehicles (EVs) is reshaping how travelers use rest stops. Charging dwell time, which ranges from 20 to 45 minutes for most EVs, creates unprecedented windows for customer engagement. In this context, RSAs offer what malls cannot: captive demand with predictable dwell behaviour, reinforced by necessity rather than discretionary spending cycles.
EVCC™ PEDAS RSA: A New Benchmark in Mobility Infrastructure
The transformation is already underway at PEDAS RSA @ KM241 (Southbound) Plus North-South Expressway, the flagship development under the EVCC™ initiative. Designed as Malaysia’s first privately operated and Platinum-certified green RSA, the site integrates Tesla Superchargers, Gentari HPC EV charging bays, curated retail units, and shaded food court seating beneath a striking timber canopy.
Beyond functionality, PEDAS RSA is a proof of concept that merges infrastructure with modern commercial design. It features:
Rainwater harvesting systems and sustainable landscaping
Digitally monitored facilities (smart CCTV, real-time data capture)
Drive-thru buildings to accommodate express retail formats
The site is strategically positioned between Kuala Lumpur and Johor — a high-flow corridor connecting Klang Valley to the southern economic belt. It also benefits from proximity to five higher learning institutions, expanding its relevance beyond motorists to students, local residents, and logistics providers.
A National Trend in the Making
The development of EVCC™ and PEDAS RSA aligns with broader policy momentum. Under the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) and Low Carbon Mobility Blueprint, the government aims to deploy 10,000 EV charging stations by 2025, create green jobs, and embed ESG considerations into infrastructure development.
Additionally, the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030) supports industrial decarbonisation, sustainable logistics, and public-private partnerships — all of which converge in the new RSA model. With infrastructure now treated as a platform for clean mobility, digital retail, and resilient commerce, RSAs stand to play a central role in Malaysia’s transition to a low-carbon economy.
The Broader Shift: Infrastructure as Retail
Globally, countries like Japan, Taiwan, Germany, and the UK have begun to reimagine their highway stops as retail-powered destinations. Japan’s NEXCO RSAs feature department-store-grade retail environments. Taiwan’s Xiluo Service Area offers exhibitions, fashion kiosks, and artisanal products. In the UK, Moto Hospitality’s motorway services record annual turnovers rivaling regional malls.
Malaysia is now entering this league — not by replicating these models, but by leveraging its own unique demographic, climate, and mobility dynamics. RSAs such as PEDAS are proof that infrastructure investment, if designed with consumer experience in mind, becomes economically and socially transformative.
Conclusion: The Future of Retail Moves at 110 km/h
The evolution of highway RSAs challenges long-held assumptions about where retail happens. No longer confined to shopping districts or urban centres, modern commerce is following the flow of mobility. As EVs increase and highway networks remain central to Malaysia’s logistics and lifestyle economy, rest stops will be redefined as permanent revenue-generating ecosystems.
In this transformation, EVCC™ and PEDAS RSA stand as pioneers, proving that sustainable design, high-volume traffic, and consumer engagement can — and must — coexist. The mall of the future may not be vertical, climate-controlled, or located in a suburb. It may, instead, be right beside the expressway — open, electrified, and moving.
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