Comments on: Staying Afloat in a Shopper’s Paradise

By: Daniel

Daniel — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:18:00 +0000

Interestingly Parkway Parade doesn't have a cinema (but it has great food!).

High rentals will spell the death small businesses in Singapore. Only big retail chains with deep pockets can continue investing in spaces in new malls.

I've given up shopping for many things in Singapore. With $500 I can go to Bangkok over the weekend, stay in a decent hotel, eat good food and get great shoppoing loot to boot. And I get to buy from small retailers that offer unique and a wide variety cheap goods that I can't find here in our malls.

Just waiting for the retail scene here to implode. You've been warned. ^^

By: Cool Insider

Cool Insider — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 15:19:00 +0000

paddy, agree with you on the positioning of malls. Sim Lim Square is certainly still packed to the gills with people. Similarly, Tiong Bahru Plaza focused itself on shoes and footwear and it is still doing rather well.

By: Victor

Victor — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 08:33:00 +0000

For drivers, offering free parking at least for the first hour during lunch time, is a very nice gesture and costs next to nothing to a megamall like VivoCity. Recently, I think it revoked this incentve. I drove there last week and ended up paying $2.20 for slightly over 1 hour parking. (It used to be free or $1.10 at most). That is one of the contributing factors to the thinning crowd at VivoCity, in my opinion.

By: Paddy Tan - BAK2u.com

Paddy Tan - BAK2u.com — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 02:24:00 +0000

The positioning of these malls have to be as clear as possible and be different from each others too.

For example, when you wanna buy dinner and dance clothes ... you should go to this XXX mall, cos it has many stores selling them and gives you choices to select from. And not the, lets go walk walk and see how lor. Which is the common problem where consumers are lost on which one to go to.

If we want to get a printer and a place where there's wide selection, does Sim Lim Square rings a bell? Or Jurong Point Entertainment centre comes into mind? I believe SLS is the place to be.

By: Cool Insider

Cool Insider — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 14:52:00 +0000

eastcoastlife,

I'll go check it out.

By: Cool Insider

Cool Insider — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 14:48:00 +0000

paddy,

I can't agree more with you! As I blogged in a recent post about Bangkok here, our shopping centres just don't have that same variety as what they have. Similarly, other Asian cities like Tokyo, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and even Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam have a more varied, eclectic and interesting mix of retail, F&B and service (massage, spa) outlets that we can ever hope to achieve. Their cafes are also much more chic and the cakes tastes better too!

By: Cool Insider

Cool Insider — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 14:44:00 +0000

ivan and jason,

Food FABULOUS food is certainly a numero uno reason for many people to visit the malls. The cinemas also help although sometimes the right combination and mix can be a tricky matter. I love to visit Ngee Ann City precisely for the food not only at the restaurants but at Basement two of Takashimaya where the food fair section always have something special - especially during Christmas!

By: eastcoastlife

eastcoastlife — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 13:16:00 +0000

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Don't shoot me! It's for a good cause!
Protect children on the internet. Write a post on that leh! Go read my blog for details.

By: Paddy Tan - BAK2u.com

Paddy Tan - BAK2u.com — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 10:31:00 +0000

One thing that my wife and I observed is almost all the shopping malls here are offering the same products or services by the same big boys.

Bigger, nicer malls may be attractive when it opens its door but the sustaining factors have to be there to convert those first time shoppers to someone that seek thrills to find out what new offers of products or services are there.

I believe many will agree with me that in bangkok MBK, there are always a lot of different things to see, to be enticed with and just get it going for the shoppers. Here in Singapore, the scene is just the same for all malls. :(

By: Jason Ho

Jason Ho — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 04:19:00 +0000

yeah yeah I agree with Ivan tho…good food like food court and perhaps a cinema or like a supermarket can attract crowd. Look at The Cathay for example…I think the reason why they ain’t doing so well is because they dun have a good food court..and whenever I go watch a movie there…I M HUNGRY AND I WANT FOOD!! 😉