Forest City

What Forest City does

Forest City is a master-planned real estate development in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, adjacent to the Singapore border, originally conceived as a US$100 billion mega-project and backed by China's Country Garden, one of China's largest property developers. The development sells residential apartments, commercial spaces, and hospitality units to international buyers and investors, with marketing historically targeting overseas customers seeking Singapore-adjacent real estate. Per the developer, the project has contributed over RM790 million in taxes to the Malaysian government and created more than 10,000 jobs, and has accumulated nearly 40 international awards and certifications including LEED-CS Gold pre-certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and GreenRE Gold ratings for sustainability and green building design.

The business model relies on one-time real estate sales executed through direct-to-consumer and enterprise field sales motions. Primary customer segments include international property buyers from multiple countries seeking residential or investment properties near Singapore, and more recently a repositioned segment of overseas technology talent, digital nomads, and local entrepreneurs targeted through a proposed technology campus revival. Government-backed incentives include duty-free status and inclusion in the Johor-Singapore Special Financial Zone, intended to attract cross-border commercial and financial tenants.

Despite scale and government backing, Forest City is widely characterized as a 'failed' mega-development or 'ghost city' with largely vacant residential units and sluggish sales. Major setbacks include the shutdown of Network School, a co-working and co-living community led by former Coinbase CTO Balaji Srinivasan, by Malaysia's Immigration Department on licensing grounds, followed by Network School's relocation to Kazakhstan and Balaji's US$122 million in planned investments placed on hold. Malaysian police additionally raided alleged cryptocurrency scam call centres operating from Forest City residential units, arresting 335 people. A revival initiative proposed in August 2026 by Malaysian crypto investor Jeff Yew aims to establish an AI and blockchain hub on the abandoned tech campus to stimulate occupancy. Data quality note: the website domain forestcitycgpv.com currently resolves to an unrelated Australian vape wholesale business (Alibarbar9000shop) and does not appear to represent the development project.

Name

Forest City

Legal name

Forest City

Website

https://forestcitycgpv.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Forest City is a US$100 billion master-planned real estate development in Johor Bahru, Malaysia near Singapore, backed by China's Country Garden, selling residential and commercial properties to international buyers while struggling with sluggish sales and significant vacancies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vaping Products Wholesale and Retail

NAICS

Tobacco, Electronic Cigarette, and Other Smoking Supplies Retailers (459991), Tobacco Product and Electronic Cigarette Merchant Wholesalers (42494)

akta.pro primary industry

Vape & E-Cig Accessories Retail (Mods, Pods, Coils, Batteries, Chargers) (CRANAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Alcohol, Tobacco & Cannabis Inventory-led Online Retailers (CRAFADAO)

Keywords

• Disposable vape wholesale
• Alibarbar vapes
• Australia vape retail
• Bulk vape supply
• Nicotine vape products

Headquarters

HQ city

Johor Bahru

HQ country

Malaysia

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Real estate sales: Forest City generates revenue through the sale of residential properties, commercial spaces, and hospitality developments within the master-planned community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Forest City operates an Australian online wholesale and retail store selling ALIBARBAR disposable vape products to adult customers aged 18 and over. The company offers both direct-to-consumer retail purchases through its e-commerce website and bulk wholesale supply to resellers and businesses via WhatsApp contact, specializing in the ALIBARBAR 9000 series, ALIBARBAR UPLOAD 25000, and ALIBARBAR INGOT 9000 product lines with a 100% authenticity guarantee.

Product overview

Forest City is a master-planned development project in Johor, Malaysia, backed by China’s Country Garden. As a real estate development initiative, it does not offer a technology product portfolio with distinct software modules, APIs, or AI-powered features. The available source data pertains to the development project's sustainability certifications, controversies regarding technology campus operations, and potential revival efforts by crypto investors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ALIBARBAR 9000 Disposable Vape Series Disposable vape product line in multiple flavors including Banana Buzz, Black Forest, Blackberry Ice, Blackberry Pomegranate Cherry, Blueberry Blast, Blueberry Mint, California Sunset, and Chupa Chups Strawberry, sold at A$54.90 per unit (originally A$95.00) to adult consumers and wholesale buyers across Australia.
• ALIBARBAR UPLOAD 25000 High-puff-count ALIBARBAR UPLOAD 25000 disposable vape product line featured in the company catalog and promoted on the storefront as a featured product offering for adult retail and wholesale customers.
• ALIBARBAR INGOT 9000 ALIBARBAR INGOT 9000 disposable vape product featured in the company catalog and promoted as a featured offering on the storefront for retail and wholesale customers.
• Wholesale Bulk Supply Service Bulk wholesale supply of authentic ALIBARBAR disposable vapes with tiered pricing and competitive bulk supply tailored for business growth, ordered via dedicated WhatsApp contact for Australian vape resellers and small businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• RM790 million+ in tax contributions to Malaysian government
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jeff Yew (Malaysian Crypto Investor)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 August 2026Malaysian crypto investor Jeff Yew is proposing to revive the abandoned Forest City technology campus following the closure of Network School. The initiative aims to establish a local digital hub for AI and blockchain, addressing Forest City's sluggish sales by attracting overseas talent while nurturing local entrepreneurs.
• Balaji Srinivasan / Network SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork School was a tech-focused co-working and co-living space operated by former Coinbase CTO Balaji Srinivasan at Forest City. It was shut down by Malaysia's Immigration Department on grounds of lacking proper licensing. The company has since relocated to Kazakhstan. Had invested over RM100 million and placed US$122 million in planned investments on hold.
• Malaysian GovernmentcoreOthersThe Malaysian government has provided extensive incentives including duty-free status and inclusion in the Johor-Singapore Special Financial Zone. However, regulatory scrutiny has also led to the shutdown of Network School and ongoing investigations into scam operations.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Iget: Disposable vape brand already referenced on the subject company's site. Comparable because it competes in the same disposable-vape shelf space and overlaps on customer demographic.

Direct peers

• VapeKing Australia: Long-running Australian online vape retailer stocking disposables, pod kits, and e-liquids across major brands. Comparable on Australia-wide DTC distribution and broad disposable-SKU coverage.
• Vapemate: Australian online vape retailer with multi-brand disposable and pod inventory and age-verified checkout. Directly comparable operating model to the subject company.
• Vapestop: Australian vape retail chain selling disposable and refillable devices online and in-store. Closely comparable in geography, channel mix (retail + wholesale), and product category to the subject company.

Broad incumbents

• Vuse (BAT): British American Tobacco's global vape brand. Comparable as a deep-pocketed incumbent whose Australian distribution competes for the same adult-vaper demand pool.
• Elf Bar: Global disposable-vape brand that dominates the same category the subject company sells into. Comparable as the upstream brand competitor that any disposable-vape retailer must position against.
• Puff Bar: Established disposable-vape brand widely sold in Australia. Comparable because it occupies the same price-point disposable segment that Alibarbar competes in.
• RELX: Large vape brand with pod-system and disposable products sold in Australia. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose retail footprint overlaps with the subject company's category.
• Lost Mary: Major disposable vape brand from the same parent ecosystem as Elf Bar. Comparable as a brand competitor fighting for the same shelf and end-consumer attention in Australia.

Others

• GeekVape: Vape hardware manufacturer whose devices and coils are stocked by Australian vape retailers. Comparable as an upstream supplier/ecosystem participant shaping the subject company's assortment options.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/forestcity2018

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Forest City