{"id":42,"date":"2025-04-03T07:04:55","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T06:04:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wonderfulmalaysia.com\/shopping\/?p=42"},"modified":"2026-04-08T16:21:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T15:21:20","slug":"the-exchange-trx-a-wonderful-shopping-center-with-lots-of-great-shops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wonderfulmalaysia.com\/shopping\/the-exchange-trx-a-wonderful-shopping-center-with-lots-of-great-shops.htm","title":{"rendered":"The Exchange TRX \u2013 A Wonderful Shopping Center with Lots of Great Shops"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Exchange TRX is a hypermodern shopping center just outside the center of Kuala Lumpur, but still within walking distance of the popular tourist district of Bukit Bintang. It\u2019s part of the new Tun Razak Exchange business hub, which is set to grow into a huge urban center, with the shopping mall and the Exchange 106 Tower at its core, surrounded by several office and residential towers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Exchange TRX is comparable in luxury to other popular malls like Pavilion, The Gardens (two of our favorites), and Suria KLCC. It mainly features ultra-luxury brands, mixed with many familiar international names. TRX is now one of our favorite shopping centers \u2014 and thanks to its strategic location, it’s definitely worth a visit, even if shopping isn’t really your thing.<\/p>\n

The massive TRX City Park on the roof is also unique, with fun areas for kids, like a playground and a water play zone. There are also many F&B outlets with great food and drinks, along with several very popular restaurants inside the mall.<\/p>\n

A common criticism is that most shopping centers tend to have the same shops \u2014 and that\u2019s somewhat true here too. Every year, another mega-mall opens in KL, while the older malls remain just as busy. But that doesn’t seem to be a problem \u2014 The Exchange TRX has been packed every day since it opened, and we don\u2019t see that changing anytime soon. That\u2019s mainly because TRX is Kuala Lumpur\u2019s new business hub. The massive tower houses dozens of multinationals, and all those employees need places to eat, shop, and hang out. That\u2019s exactly the target audience for this mall. Plus, it\u2019s practically located on two of the city’s busiest MRT lines, so even if you\u2019re not working there, it\u2019s super easy to stop by for a bite, a drink, or some retail therapy.<\/p>\n\n

The Exchange TRX really takes the luxury shopping mall experience to the next level. Sure, you\u2019ll find the usual luxury brands in beautifully decorated stores, but what really stands out is the spacious layout, brilliant modern design, premium materials, and the abundance of comfortable seating areas \u2014 some with cozy lounge chairs and sleek marble floors. Everything about this place screams luxury.<\/p>\n

Famous and lesser-known brands<\/h2>\n

The centerpiece is Seibu, a Japanese department store focused on luxury products. Downstairs, there’s a Food Market with exceptionally high-quality goods. Prices are high, of course, but we were still amazed.<\/p>\n

Naturally, a high-end mall like The Exchange TRX has all the exclusive brands \u2014 Armani, Boss, Burberry, Alexander McQueen, Coach, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Gucci, Kenzo, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and many more. These stores are mainly located on the ground floor in prime spots.<\/p>\n

If you’re into these ultra-luxury brands, this is the place to be.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also find a Dyson store, phone brands like Samsung, Honor, and Xiaomi, a big Apple Flagship Store, several high-end jewelry and watch shops, a large Muji, several drugstores and pharmacies, and more familiar brands like Dockers, Lululemon, Onitsuka Tiger (great sneakers), Tommy Hilfiger, H&M, Uniqlo, The North Face, Under Armour, and Mango.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a big MPH Bookstore, but to be honest, it doesn\u2019t quite match the beautiful Kinokuniya in Suria KLCC.<\/p>\n

TRX City Park<\/h2>\n

You\u2019ll find TRX City Park on the third floor \u2014 a huge rooftop park. There are a few restaurants with outdoor terraces where you can relax with a meal or a drink in the open air.<\/p>\n

Kids are well catered for, with the Play City playground and a kids\u2019 water play area right next to it. There are showers and changing rooms, and there\u2019s even a small climbing park called Play Cave. If you’re heading directly to the park, it’s best to take a Grab to the main entrance of the Exchange 106 building \u2014 it’s closest to the stairs leading up to the park.<\/p>\n

There are also walking paths and some quieter garden areas with ponds for a bit of peace and quiet. The whole place is beautifully landscaped with plants and flowers that give it that distinct Malaysian touch. It\u2019s a modern park, but it still feels refreshing and offers something different from the typical shopping center experience.<\/p>\n

Around holidays and special occasions, there\u2019s an event area, and you\u2019ll also find fun Malaysian-style kids\u2019 attractions, like mini electric cars that kids can ride around in.<\/p>\n\n

Delicious food and drinks<\/h2>\n

The Exchange TRX is trendy, modern, and everything there is brand new. It\u2019s fun to try out new places, even though many of the restaurants also exist elsewhere. That said, newly opened restaurants often have great service and better food quality, as they\u2019re still building their reputation.<\/p>\n

Some great dining spots in TRX include Absolute Thai, Torii Teppanyaki, Shake Shack (amazing burgers), Quivo, Madam Kwan\u2019s, and Empire Sushi (take-away).<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a basement food court called Food Exchange, featuring about 30 restaurants surrounding a spacious hall filled with tables and chairs, plus some cozy seating corners. Everything is set up to feel spacious and luxurious. It\u2019s a bit sterile and brightly lit, but that also makes it feel clean and modern. Food-wise, expect Char Koay Teow, Chili Pan Mee, Chicken Rice, Nasi Padang, Yong Tau Foo, Nasi Kandar, and more \u2014 pretty much the same stuff you’d find at Pavilion\u2019s Food Republic (but equally delicious).<\/p>\n

There are several coffee spots in TRX too. We had a great drink at Reborn Coffee on the second floor and later at Eight Ounce Coffee on the first floor. You can grab a good takeaway coffee at ZUS Coffee. For pastries and snacks, Paris Baguette (a popular South Korean chain) is excellent. You\u2019ll also find amazing treats at Seibu\u2019s Food Market \u2014 the Japanese cream puffs are especially good!<\/p>\n

Snack lovers can visit familiar favorites like Dunkin’ Donuts, Famous Amos, Garrett Popcorn, Street Churros, and Ben\u2019s Cookies. On weekends, expect long queues \u2014 Malaysians love their sweets. Kenny Hills Bakers, which we\u2019ve loved for years, also has a branch here now. We used to visit their original spot for the most amazing sandwiches.<\/p>\n

Downstairs, there’s a large Mercato supermarket, open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. There’s also one at Pavilion, and it was our go-to when we lived in KL \u2014 especially for imported European products we really missed. The range of luxury goods here is massive, but so are the prices.<\/p>\n

What else is there to do?<\/h2>\n

The Aurum Theatre here is something special \u2014 there are only three in Malaysia (The Gardens, TRX, and one in Johor Bahru). The TRX location is even bigger and more luxurious than the one in The Gardens. You\u2019ll see it when you reach the third floor \u2014 the design is stunning. The most expensive tickets cost around RM150 per person, which is pretty steep for the average Malaysian. Luckily, there are also standard cinema options with regular pricing.<\/p>\n