KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 24): Pokémon Go has given a boost to footfall and food and beverage (F&B) sales during the non-peak season at Sunway Bhd’s retail malls, which saw a surge in traffic and sales numbers of up to 10% since the launch of the augmented reality game three weeks ago.

The group’s unit Sunway Malls said in a statement today that its four malls — Sunway Pyramid, Sunway Putra, Sunway Giza and Sunway Carnival in the Klang Valley and Penang — saw higher traffic, after the activation of Pokémon Go Lure Module.

“To date, we have seen traffic increase by an average of 10% for Sunway Pyramid, 8% for Sunway Giza, 6% for Sunway Putra Mall, and 4% for Sunway Carnival Mall”, said Kevin Tan, Sunway Malls chief operating officer.

According to the statement, Sunway Carnival located in Penang reported the best results by far, with retailers such as Bread History recording a sales increase of 50% since the campaign began.

F&B operators Mocktail Bar and Blackball saw a 30% increase while Winter Warmers reported a 20% increase in sales. Other F&B operators such as Chatime, Sushi King, Kim Gary, New Zealand Natural and Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks recorded up to 15% increase in sales, while Sakae Sushi, Yoshinoya, Starbucks and Kaffa Signature saw sales increasing by 10%.

In Sunway Pyramid, F&B operator Gong Cha recorded 10% increase in sales, while snacks retailers J&G Chicken and Crispy Crust saw higher than average sales.

Similar trends were also observed in both Sunway Putra Mall and Sunway Giza, averaging an 8% increase.

“We are unable to verify exactly the total amount of overall sales achieved at the moment, but some of our retailers have shared that their shops have been busy, because of the campaign. Currently, it looks like F&B operators have the most to gain, whilst fashion retailers see the traffic, but business is as usual”, Tan explained.

With the retail industry already beset with a 4.4% fall in the first quarter, he opined that the surge in traffic offered a temporary relief for retailers. In comparison, the retail industry grew by 4.6% a year ago, according to Retail Group Malaysia’s figures.

“We saw it as our opportunity to leverage on the game’s immense potential. The one thing unique about Pokémon Go is that gamers are finally coming out of their houses and converging in the outdoors. They have to explore their surroundings and learn the locations of the stops and gyms and familiarise themselves with whichever areas they are in, which is great for us, as it means they explore our mall. All these will ultimately translate into business and sales for our retailers,” Tan added.