This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on December 15, 2025 - December 21, 2025

HCK Capital Group Bhd (KL:HCK) is stepping in again as a white knight, this time to revive a long-stalled project known as Empire Remix 1 in Subang Jaya’s USJ 1. Prominently located along the Kesas Highway, the project — which is about 30% completed — has sat dormant since 2019.

HCK, controlled by businessman Tan Sri Clement Hii, had previously taken over the Remix 2 project just across from Remix 1. Remix 2 has since been renamed Edumetro and was completed in 2023. HCK had said back then that it decided to take on the task of reviving Empire Remix 2 because the group had bought three towers in the development en bloc.

Empire Remix 1 and 2 were originally launched in 2012 by True Renaissance Development Sdn Bhd (TRD), a unit of Mammoth Empire Holding Sdn Bhd (MEH). The development orders for the projects were obtained in 2014 and 2016 respectively. When launched in 2012, they had a combined estimated gross development value (GDV) of RM2.3 billion.

Financial challenges faced by MEH, which was also the developer of Empire Subang (now Nu Empire) and the original developer of Empire Damansara, led to project delays and eventual abandonment. Projek Muara Sdn Bhd (PMSB), the landowner that got into a legal tussle with TRD in 2019 because of the delays, took over Remix 1 but also failed to complete the development.

Notably, TRD was wound up by an order of the Insolvency Court dated May 15, 2024.

An HCK spokesperson tells The Edge that several parties had approached the group over the past two years to ask it to step in after seeing the successful completion of and subsequent high transaction prices at Edumetro. All 1,500 units were handed over to the purchasers, many of whom had already paid TRD up to 90% of the purchase price. The condos, with built-ups of 711 sq ft to 928 sq ft, are now said to be transacting between RM780 psf and RM920 psf, almost double their original purchase price.

Recently, discussions were held between HCK and TRD’s liquidator, Chin Mee Shang, who expressed confidence in the developer’s ability to rescue the project.

This is not the first time HCK has been tipped as the white knight for Empire Remix 1.

In 2022, The Edge reported that HCK was set to revive the project under a joint-venture deal with landowner PMSB.

For background, in October 2011, TRD entered into a joint-venture agreement (JVA) with PMSB to develop Remix 1 and 2. The JVA was terminated in January 2019 because TRD failed to complete the project. HCK Builders was then appointed that month as the new developer for Remix 2 (now Edumetro). In August 2022, HCK Sentral Sdn Bhd (HSSB) signed a JVA with PMSB for the revival of Remix 1. Owing to legal issues, however, including disputes among liquidators of TRD (see “Timeline of Remix 1 legal wrangle”), HCK was unable to proceed with the revival of Remix 1.

Meanwhile, HCK completed the abandoned Remix 2, with Kerjaya Prospek Bhd (KL:KPPROP) as the main contractor, in 2023. Fast forward to June this year, PMSB and HSSB entered into a new JVA to facilitate the completion of Remix 1, with HSSB appointed by the landowner as the new developer.

The HCK spokesperson said at that point, in 2022, TRD had not yet been liquidated but had filed a corporate voluntary arrangement (CVA) in the High Court. The scheme was approved by 90.7% of creditors to allow a white knight — HCK — to step in and revive the project. Some buyers appealed against the CVA, however, seeking compensation under the Developer Interest Bearing Scheme (DIBS) and liquidated ascertained damages (LAD). HCK decided not to pursue the matter further, viewing the claims as unreasonable.

By April 2024, TRD had gone into liquidation, leaving HCK to deal solely with the liquidator. “The current liquidator, Ms Chin, has agreed to work with HCK and to secure all consents, where applicable, from the buyers as soon as possible,” the spokesperson says, adding that, legally, HCK and the landowner can proceed to complete the project and hand over the units to buyers as long as the original SPAs are not altered. “The buyers, however, have to pursue the DIBS and LAD — if they want to — directly with the original developer, True Renaissance Sdn Bhd.”

HCK is said to be very close to finalising the appointment of one of the top public-listed contractors for Remix 1, to be renamed Subang Sentral. The project will be integrated into HCK’s portfolio of current and upcoming development projects, which are mostly in the Klang Valley and have a combined GDV of about RM15 billion.

Subang Sentral will be developed in four phases at an estimated cost of RM1 billion. HCK will complete the first two phases — in which most existing buyers’ units are — within three to four years, while the new towers with unsold units will be launched later. The entire project is expected to be completed in six to seven years, with UOB Malaysia providing about RM250 million as bridging finance for the first phase.

Several major developers were reportedly approached to revive Remix 1, but all declined because of the high risks of taking on a massive project abandoned for more than a decade.

The HCK spokesperson says: “Our efforts, despite the challenges and risks involved in revising a long-abandoned project with very low possible margins, are driven by a desire to help clear the area of an eyesore and health hazard, and alleviate the hardships of those who have been deprived of their hard-earned money.”

More than 2,500 buyers may finally see a resolution to their nearly 13-year wait after purchasing units during the 2012 launch at RM450 psf to RM550 psf. Collectively, they are understood to have paid the previous developer about RM500 million, excluding down payments and monthly interest. HCK is expected to contribute more than RM450 million to fund the completion of the more than 3,000 units sold.

Given the number of years Remix 1 has been abandoned, HCK says, the public’s concerns about the project’s structural integrity are valid. Independent, accredited structural engineers and consultants have been appointed to conduct a comprehensive assessment of all buildings, with the project’s original structural consultants engaged as advisers.

“This is not just about reviving an abandoned project. It is about rebuilding trust in the crowded property industry, delivering a safe and high-quality home, and building a renewed development that the community can take pride in,” HCK says.

The revival of the long-abandoned Remix 1 will be a welcome relief, not only for the buyers but also for residents in the surrounding area. 

Save by subscribing to us for your print and/or digital copy.

P/S: The Edge is also available on Apple's App Store and Android's Google Play.