Controversy Over The Rapid Development Of Shopping Centres In Singapore

In the second half of last year alone, there were 4 shopping centers on Orchard Road: 313 313@Somerset, ION Orchard, Mandarin shopping mall and Orchard Central.

In addition, the first four storey building of Grand Park Orchard will be converted to high-end shopping malls. The new shopping mall with the same name as "Knightsbridge" in the London high grade shopping district Knights bridge area is a gathering place of the international high-end brand flagship store. The current rental rate is more than half, and it will open in the first half of this year.

Over the past 14 years, no new shopping malls have been opened on the orchard road. The new shopping centre was built in 1996 by The Heeren.

In such a golden shopping street, a lot of new shopping malls have been launched in a year. This does not include new shopping centers outside the Orchard Road, such as Illuma in Baisha floating area, City Square Mall, Tampines One, etc.

Who is the big winner for the owners, tenants and consumers? Is this the way to keep Singapore as a shopping paradise? Can Singaporeans digest these new brands and services?

Where are the local shopping centres?

Li Ruzhong, managing director of Owell Bodycare health care chain store, said at the latest branch store in 313 Somerset, "many years ago, my first branch was selected in the forest square, where the product features were very strong. It focused on selling computer hardware and software products. Looking around the island, there was no shopping mall of this type. It can still be welcomed by customers both at home and abroad today, and it must be successful."

Developers manage more restrictions.

He analyzed that most of the local shopping centers were restricted by developers.

In contrast, the forest square is operated independently by individual tenants or shopkeepers, with high degree of freedom and limited restrictions.

"Before, this is the Electrical City, then slowly pformed into a computer science city."

He asked, "how many shopping malls in Singapore are like the forest square, and the rate of cognition of foreign tourists is so high that many people are attracted to buy computer products here.

"Japan, Korea and other places have many themed shopping centers, such as the South Gate of South Korea, which monopolizes women's clothing. The developers here are more conservative and do not dare to set up a theme shopping mall, which is also related to location."

Operate locally

Chen Ruifeng, who owns the Sense and Forntieer brand, has 14 branches in 10 local shopping centers.

Chen Ruifeng said: "our family set up the first clothing store in the Queen's town shopping center in 70s of last century.

In the middle of 90s, it officially entered the retail market. In 1996, the Sense brand was established. After 2 years, Forntieer was also released. The two costumes locked the female consumption group from 20 to 40 years old.

His latest Sense store is located in 313 Somerset, because there are many brands here, which belong to medium and high grade.

He said: "we are going to take a strategic approach to business and pay attention to market share, so long as there is potential market and reasonable rent can be considered.

313 in the golden shopping section of Orchard Road, the rent is reasonable, so we came in.

In addition to locations, the management of developers is also a consideration.

Chen Ruifeng, who often travels to Hongkong and China, points out that local shopping centers can be regionalized, and shopping centers in the shopping area can provide people with daily consumption convenience.

Although Orchard Road is a tourist shopping area, compared with the tourist shopping area in Hongkong, the local brand choice is much less.

"Why is there a lack of some international brands in Hongkong, because the high consumer group is still weaker than Hongkong, where customers are willing to spend money.

The rent is high, the cost is high, and the sales performance is not up to a month, so these brand manufacturers simply don't come in.

For example, Gucci bag, Hongkong sells fast, because the local people's high consumption consciousness is strong, if a month can sell 1000, Singapore may sell only 100, the branding certainly will leave the best and latest products to Hongkong people to buy! "

Zhao Meiluan, general manager of retail business (Singapore), said: "on the Orchard Road, there is a flagship shopping mall standing in ION Orchard; in the urban area, there are commercial and residential" Raffles square "; the Clarke wharf is a themed shopping mall, mainly based on night life and entertainment; the Funan The IT Mall is a digital world city; the white sand commercial city (Bugis Junction) is a building under the reservation scheme, which is a feature of Singapore shopping center.

Shopping centers are good things?

The new shopping center in uzu road has springing up, and Chen Ruifeng thinks it is a symbol of social prosperity and prosperity, but the monopoly of the developer in the local shopping center is too high.

He said: "the developer is holding the brand that the package wins. No matter what the economy is good or bad, they are still collecting the rents, the rent is up and down, and every month they have to pay their" GTO "(the rentals on the basis of revenue, Gross Turnover).

Developers believe that their shopping centres can attract crowds. As for business, this is a matter for individual businesses.

"I think

If there are fewer retailers, developers will not be able to do so.

The local shopping center can do it, but how to do it well is the responsibility of both sides. "

Li Ruzhong thinks shopping centers are good things. Customers have more choices of consumption. Besides, they are also helpful to small and medium-sized enterprises like him.

He said: "it is more difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises to enter the mall of Orchard Road, because the rent is relatively expensive, and the developer pays attention to the famous brand effect, and the international brand occupies a larger advantage.

Now, the more shopping centers there are, the more opportunities we will have to expand our business and enhance our brand. "

Owell has 10 branches in the country, distributing all over the island.

Li Ruzhong said that the local shopping center merchants must have a good ability to maintain, because the rent is too high, in his 10 branches, the average 1 million of the deposit in the hands of developers, so he chose to set up a new branch is more cautious.

He believes that local consumption of food is not expensive, public pport is well-developed, and the cost is inexpensive, which is the reason for attracting foreign tourists.

As for shopping centres to attract consumers at home and abroad, he took Hongkong Tourism Bureau as an example: "local tourism bureaus often hold exhibitions with different organizations to promote economy and tourism, and bring more people into shopping malls. These can be used as local reference."