Tessa Wong explains why you see the same shops everywhere in Singapore.
STEP into a mall these days, and you pretty much know what kind of shops to expect.
You'll have your low-cost casualwear stores - maybe a Giordano, Bossini or Hang Ten - mixed in with mid-range brands like Topshop or Bysi.
You'll spy the usual SK Jewellery or City Chain watch outlet, and maybe a World of Sports, Times bookstore or Sembawang Music Centre.
If you're tired of seeing the same brands and products everywhere, you're not the only one.
Even the government has noticed it. Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Manpower Mr Lee Yi Shyan on Tuesday called for retailers to diversify and target more niche markets instead of catering broadly to shoppers.
One reason is that retailers here aren't being adventurous enough.
Ms Lau Chuen Wei, executive director of the Singapore Retailers Association, said that the scene could do with more entrepreneurs who refuse to head down well-trodden routes.
"There's a lot of follow-the-leader, so things tend to be same-old, same-old," she told me.
But it takes two hands to clap, and mall landlords who like to play it safe have to share some blame for this state of affairs.
Well-established chains with mass-market appeal are always a good bet when it comes to attracting shoppers to a mall.
Also, there is the assumption that such chains tend to have deeper pockets, so if the business climate turns, they are more likely to be able to cough up the rent and survive than a smaller business.
What this means is that the little guys tend to lose out. One industry player complained that because of this bias, big brands have more bargaining power when negotiating their rent.
Of course, there have been malls that strive for diversity. Newcomers like Ion Orchard and Iluma, for example, are notable for featuring many new brands.
There are themed malls too, like Velocity (sports) and Square 2 (Korean) in Novena, and Century Square (women) in Tampines.
Beyond malls, the Arab Street area has an interesting mix of independent boutiques and carpet and fabric stores, while around Club Street you can find quirky bookstores and niche designers.
But these are the exceptions, rather than the rule. It's no wonder Singaporeans regularly skip over to Bangkok or Hong Kong to browse their more varied racks.
So while retailers should innovate, landlords can help, by giving smaller businesses more of a chance too.
It would go a long way towards saving shoppers from monotony.
Read more: Go for niche segment
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TW has brought up some important points.
Not for the first time this has been said. But is anyone listening, particularly the STB?
The graveyard of failed businesses is already full.
One needs just to look at the insolvency notices in the press to understand that as long as we keep opening new malls and selling the same old....same old stuff...there is only that one dollar to get. Whichever way you go.
So, most and many will fall by the wayside, whilst the newer ones with the big names and big pockets will survive as they move from one mall to another.
But the little feller in the new glitzy mall trying to make his/her fortune is going to go down the tube.
Alas, we never learned the lessons of the 80's.
We just don't have the numbers to sustain what we have.
And with tourist numbers still down, where to from here?
Aren't there already malls around that are like ghost towns and where the only thing one can hear is the drip of a fountain, most days.
Lest we forget, the succcess of any mall is not how many people walk through, if anything to get out of the oppressive heat; but how many bags they carry.
The only winners in this game are the developers who hold the leases, the banks and the lawyers.
By the way, the same will go for the IR's, the Flyer that cannot fly, the Universal Theme Park and any other bird-brain idea in Sentosa.
All will fail because of the shortage of customers.
It will end in tears.
What about the food outlets? It's the same story! Old chang kee, polar puffs, breadtalk, subway, mcdonald's, kfc, long john silver, pizza hut..........the list goes on. Step into any mall and you can bet that these outlets will be there. Even with regards to food, it's getting monotonous! We have to settle for the same kind of stuff time and again, which doesn't do our taste buds any favour.
What's with US and other countries doesn't bother me. Take the US for e.g.their space are big, logically their garden varieties are myraids.Being here most of the time(tho not all the time) what little red dot has/has not matters.
Sky rocket rental, brand sourcing depends very much on how 'adventurous' a.k.a distinguish these retailers are. It
is not the business nor worries of the higher expectation consumer.
Maybe people like us should shop in Europe.
The mall in Singapore is like bye see, sent, bye see,bye
see. Next..men go,zarah,zahra, men go, zahra AGAIN?
The higher end would be loo yee vuitton, prata, prata,Goochi,loo yee vuitto..Goochi AGAIN?.
Ha ha,ha,,so what's there to see?
ay..St.Times do you have a edit button in this segment?
True, even for item like hand cream, I keep seeing the same brands of hand creams sold in supermarkets, watson, pharmacies, many other toiletries stores. and do not produce results. No stores in Singapore seem to bring in hand cream like brand name 'Hycalia" from France which is a miracle cream, works wonder for those with dry hands. Just one application and the result is big enough for anyone to drop other brands of hand creams.
Sadly, this cream is no longer found in Singapore. I have to travel to France to buy it.
This phenomenon is observed throughout the world, if you visit the USA for example, you will find that many shopping malls are occupied by chain stores.
It is easy to blame local retailers for not being adventurous but if you look at the rentals being charged and the terms of lease agreements, it really does not pay to be adventurous.
Singapore's retail scene will become much more interesting if rentals come down and landlords are more flexible about lease terms.
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