Malls Near Causewayz Square: City Square, KOMTAR JBCC, R&F Mall

One of the strongest everyday advantages of a home near the Causeway is how many malls near JB CIQ you can reach on foot. For residents of Causewayz Square on Jalan Lumba Kuda, groceries, cinemas, fashion and dining are mostly a walk or a short ride away. This guide lists each mall near Causewayz Square and JB CIQ with its opening year, size, connections and what it is best for, plus the new retail coming to the area. It also covers how a nearby mall affects rental appeal.

For the wider neighbourhood, including old-town food, the heritage quarter and the night market, see our living in JB city centre guide. For the retail podium inside the project, see Causewayz Square’s own mall.

Malls near Causewayz Square at a glance

The table below compares the main malls near JB CIQ. Distances are approximate straight-line figures from Causewayz Square based on developer and portal data. Walking routes will be longer.

R&F Mall: the closest mall to Causewayz Square

R&F Mall is the nearest large mall to Causewayz Square, about 900 m away. It sits right next to the CIQ. According to The Edge, it opened on 28 March 2019 with about 532,000 sq ft of net lettable area over three storeys, within roughly 800,000 sq ft of gross floor area. An overhead link bridge connects the mall to JB Sentral and the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar CIQ complex.

Why it matters for residents:

• Weekly groceries: Jaya Grocer is one of the anchors, so you can do a full grocery shop close to home.
• Household basics: MR.DIY covers hardware and home items. This is useful when you first move in or set up a rental unit.
• Entertainment: Emperor Cinemas, a Hong Kong operator, was announced as the cinema anchor.
• Commute fit: because it links to CIQ, you can pick up dinner or groceries on the way home from Singapore.

JB City Square: the classic Causeway mall

JB City Square is the best-known mall for anyone crossing the Causeway. It opened in 1999 and has about 450,000 sq ft of retail space over several levels, with an office tower above. A pedestrian bridge opened in 2008 links the mall to JB Sentral and the Southern Integrated Gateway.

Brands that have traded here include Uniqlo, H&M and Popular bookstore, together with a cinema and a wide range of restaurants and food outlets. A major revamp has been announced that would expand the mall to about 569,000 sq ft, with completion targeted for the fourth quarter of 2027. For city centre residents, this means a refreshed mall within walking distance in the years before Causewayz Square’s targeted completion around 2030.

KOMTAR JBCC: dining and family time

KOMTAR JBCC sits next to City Square. It was redeveloped from the former Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak and opened in 2015. At launch, NST reported about 1,600 parking bays and a target of one million local and Singaporean shoppers a month. The mall has positioned itself as a dining and entertainment destination, and together with City Square it forms a walkable shopping cluster in the heart of JB.

For residents, City Square and KOMTAR JBCC work as one stop. You can go to the cinema in one, eat in the other, and walk between them without needing a car.

Mid Valley Southkey: the big weekend shop

For a bigger shopping trip, Mid Valley Southkey is JB’s large regional mall and only a short drive from the city centre. It opened on 23 April 2019. Its tenants include GSC cinemas, Harvey Norman, Nitori and Village Grocer, alongside hundreds of fashion, dining and lifestyle stores.

Southkey is especially useful when you are furnishing a new home. Furniture, appliances and homeware can all be bought in one trip. It is also about 3.3 km from The Asteriaz in Kebun Teh, so it serves EXSIM’s Kebun Teh buyers as well.

Coming soon: Coronation Square Mall and new city centre retail

JB city centre’s retail scene is still growing. CapitaLand Investment broke ground on Coronation Square Mall on 7 May 2026 and described it as JB city centre’s largest retail mall. The plans include an air-conditioned pedestrian bridge from Coronation Square to the RTS station and another bridge linking towards the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar CIQ complex.

New retail is also arriving within Causewayz Square itself. The project’s podium is planned to include about 90,000 sq ft of retail space, so residents may find daily conveniences such as cafés, minimarts and services right downstairs. The details are in our Causewayz Square mall guide.

Mall hours, parking and getting there

The city centre malls near JB CIQ generally open daily from about 10 am to 10 pm, according to travel guides. Hours for individual shops, supermarkets and restaurants vary. For residents of Causewayz Square, the practical options are:

• On foot: R&F Mall, City Square and KOMTAR JBCC are within walking range, and the bridges around CIQ and JB Sentral give covered routes for part of the way.
• By car: all the malls have basement or multi-storey parking. KOMTAR JBCC was launched with about 1,600 bays. Causewayz Square plans one parking bay for Types A to D and two bays for the 3-bedroom Types E and F.
• By e-hailing: the most common way to reach Mid Valley Southkey from the city centre without driving.

Weekend and public holiday afternoons are the busiest, when visitors from Singapore arrive. Residents can shop on weekday evenings, when the malls are calmer.

Malls near The Asteriaz and The Celestz in Kebun Teh

EXSIM’s Kebun Teh projects have a different set of nearby malls. KSL City Mall is about 630 m in a straight line from The Asteriaz, or about 2.2 km by road. Holiday Plaza is about 550 m away, and Mid Valley Southkey is about 3.3 km away. JB City Square is about 2.9 km away. The Asteriaz and The Celestz are not walkable to the RTS. CIQ is about a 10-minute drive, and the developer has proposed a shuttle to CIQ and RTS.

For more on daily life there, see living next to KSL City at The Asteriaz. Buyers choosing between the two areas can use the Kebun Teh vs JB city centre comparison.

Supermarkets and fresh markets beyond the malls

Malls are not the only place to shop in JB city centre. The old town around Jalan Trus, Jalan Segget and Jalan Wong Ah Fook still has provision shops, bakeries and traditional traders that sell fresh produce, dried goods and household items. Many residents combine the two: a weekly supermarket run at R&F Mall or City Square, and smaller top-ups of bread, fruit or local snacks from old-town shops on the walk home.

For a family, this mix keeps costs flexible. You can choose imported brands at the mall supermarket, or local produce and everyday items from smaller shops.

How the city centre retail scene will change over the next few years

Retail around JB CIQ will keep changing over the next few years, and most of the changes favour residents. Based on public announcements, the main developments to watch are:

• JB City Square revamp: planned expansion to about 569,000 sq ft, with completion targeted for Q4 2027.
• Coronation Square Mall: groundbreaking in May 2026, with a planned air-conditioned bridge to the RTS station.
• RTS Link opening: passenger service targeted for February 2027. This could bring steadier footfall to malls around the station.
• Causewayz Square podium retail: about 90,000 sq ft, arriving with the project’s targeted completion around 2030.

For buyers entering now, the neighbourhood’s retail offer is likely to be broader by the time units are handed over. Each timeline is subject to the latest official updates.

Using nearby malls to furnish a rental unit

For investors, nearby malls also cut the time between handover and the first tenant. A new unit usually needs curtains, beds, basic furniture, appliances and kitchenware. A simple sequence many owners follow:

1. Choose large furniture and appliances at Mid Valley Southkey and arrange a single delivery.
2. Pick up hooks, storage, light bulbs and small items at MR.DIY in R&F Mall.
3. Stock cleaning supplies and kitchen basics at a mall supermarket, then photograph the unit and list it.

To estimate returns, see our rental yield guide for JB condos.

Which mall for what? A resident’s cheat sheet

Each mall near JB CIQ serves a slightly different everyday need. Here is how a typical Causewayz Square resident might use them:

1. Daily top-up groceries: the podium shops at Causewayz Square once open, or R&F Mall’s Jaya Grocer.
2. Dinner after crossing from Singapore: R&F Mall or City Square, since both are linked to the CIQ/JB Sentral area.
3. Movie night: City Square, R&F Mall or Southkey.
4. Fashion and errands: the City Square and KOMTAR JBCC cluster.
5. Furnishing the unit: Southkey for furniture and appliances, and MR.DIY at R&F Mall for small items.
6. Local food instead of malls: the old town around Jalan Tan Hiok Nee and Jalan Wong Ah Fook. See our JB city centre living guide.

Why living near malls supports rental appeal

Being close to malls tends to make a unit easier to let, because many tenants near the Causeway are cross-border workers and young professionals who value convenience. A tenant who can walk to groceries and dinner does not need a car for daily life. Historically, this has been one of the reasons completed projects near CIQ draw steady rental interest.

For current asking rents at completed projects around Bukit Chagar, see JB condo rental prices near the RTS and CIQ. To compare Causewayz Square with other homes near the station, see the condos near the JB RTS shortlist.

Causewayz Square (also searched as Causeway Square JB or “Exsim CIQ”) is a freehold development about 600 m from JB CIQ and about 800 m from the RTS Bukit Chagar station. The developer has proposed a pedestrian link to CIQ/RTS. RTS Link passenger service is targeted for February 2027, and Causewayz Square is targeted for completion around 2030. For floor plans or the latest SPA price list, WhatsApp us.

Sources

• The Edge Malaysia: R&F Mall Johor Bahru opens March 28
• Wikipedia: R&F Mall
• Wikipedia: Johor Bahru City Square (shopping mall)
• NST: KOMTAR JBCC eyes one million shoppers
• Wikipedia: Mid Valley Southkey
• CapitaLand: Coronation Square Mall breaks ground in Johor Bahru
• TheSmartLocal: JB neighbourhood guide

This guide is general information, not financial advice.