Why are shopping malls in Singapore so boring? | Singapore Explained
Vložit
- čas přidán 8. 06. 2024
- Ever wondered why shopping malls in Singapore... all seem to look the same?
Have an interesting video idea? Send us an email at video@mothership.sg
LET'S CONNECT!
-- Facebook: / mothershipsg
-- Twitter: / mothershipsg
-- Instagram: / mothershipsg
-- Tiktok: / mothershipsg
-- Telegram: t.me/mothershipsg
🔔 Click on the bell icon to be the first to watch our videos! 🔔
I would like to applaud Mothership for building this content! 👏🏼 The amount of effort to make this video must be crazy! Kudos to the team!!
I did this for my project and only researched on 3 malls, so doing research on that many malls in vid gotta take hours upon hours
A discussion of the actual architecture of the malls would be a valuable addition to this analysis. REITs malls are generic also because of their architecture, and there has been a sad trend towards ever greater uniformity. In recent years, even older malls outside of central Singapore (cases in point: East Point, White Sands) have been renovated to remove most of the features that had once made them visually distinctive. Windows and decoration are removed, skylights covered, density of tenants increased.. among other things. The result are a bunch of featureless boxes without windows, jam-packed with people like insect hives.
Maximizing retail floor space I guess. Nice and unique deco doesn't bring in the cash
What is the point of unique feature, does it make things cheaper? I know quite of a few of my friends goes to the mall just to get what we need. The exterior of the mall mainly tells us if what we need might be inside the mall. E.g. if the mall looks old, you probably wouldn't expect Uniqlo in it.
Also there are unique malls for boutique shops, if people are looking for aesthetics they can go to such malls?
When looking at the footage of Hougang Mall, I could swear I was looking at West Mall
Hives filled with worker bees.yup.
The Jem mall that just recently close down
Has an indoor ice skating ring that used be by proseffional hockey players
Its unquie fitture inside a mall in singapore
But those area that are normal visited frequently by tourist of course has unique features like that the waterways around the whole mall as it immersive and engaging for tourist
Like how the ladypoints out
I think people call these RIETs mall
Cause it lacks special features like this
But its not a verified reason not to visit any neigbourhood malls at all
Those more well known brands like macdonalds, starbucks,Liho, etc is to attract people who use these frequently than those who don't, which is true by the way
However its most used for daily nessecities as these shopping malss are within close proxicity to homes
No need to travel long distances at all just to go there
Thank you. As a tourist, I never visited mall outside of the central area. So we tend to have a view that Singapore has "unique" malls. We only see Paragon, Ion, Vivo City, Funan, Marina etc that offer quite a unique shopping experience. But after watching this video I just realized that Singapore and Jakarta are basically similar. For locals, we prefer to shop at generic malls that provide things we need. Not looking for experience when purchasing daily necessities!
“Stop thinking of yourselves as malls; start thinking of yourselves as lifestyle spaces”. Nice! ❤
Singapore should have more unique theme malls, example IT Malls like Funan SimLim, maybe more Outlet Mall like IMM, or even special malls like Pets mall where it become a 1stop location for all pets needs, clinic etc. There can be a hobby mall where shops can have communities like trading cards, console gaming etc. more sports theme malls like Velocity, queenways with courts for tournaments to host. We can even have malls for overnight where it operate from maybe 5pm to 8am where people can find things to do rather than "boring sg nothing to offer" at night.
mustafa last time operate till late but now no longer after covid :/
@@haziqrosli7103 well, it just a concept. if those locations that sell foods at night like satays stingrays, entertainment like nighttime bowling billiards have no problem working night shift etc, it just means people are willing to work nighttime and bosses are willing to pay those salaries. of course, this had to have government's supports with their subsidies as it provided as a "tourist attraction" too as not to make singapore so boring.
want want want but when it happens these niche malls are the least visited and profitable.
They converted Funan from IT to normal so
@@mechashadow so u won't think of going Funan anymore when u think of getting IT stuff
Because only the major brands can afford to pay the nose-bleeding rentals of these malls.
Agreed 100%. Small time owners, unless they come from rich families, cannot afford those $10 000 a month rental for one small squarish space that's no bigger than your living room. You need to make $20 000 a month to make a profit!
Cotton On did rationalisation programme from 2020 (COVID-19). Starting with the closure of Cotton On Bishan Junction 8, then in Delta we have closed Rubi Jurong Point and then another lockdown we have closed Rubi Compass One and Cotton On Compass One; among Cotton On Hougang Mall, Rubi Great World, Rubi Causeway Point and Cotton On Lot One. Omicron has accelerated the retirement process.
Also, the demand for Macdonald's seems to be virtually unlimited. Tampines Central has like 1 at Tampines Mall, 1 dine-in outlet + 1 takeaway koisk at the interchange, and 1 in Tampines Hub, all within like 500m of each other, and all are super crowded.
WTAF
Same with punggol. One at waterway point, one at One punggol, one at SAFRA. Not to mention at the LRT malls like Oasis Terrace, Northshore Plaza, Punggol Plaza
@@jq6641 My theory is that Macdonald's is so ingrained in our psyche that it creates, rather than fulfills, demand.
Boycott these monopolies
tampines west also have, tampines greenview also have.
god the comment section really didnt pass the vibe chek... had to pop in to say good job mothership! Really enjoyed the fun slightly scientific approach you took here, along with the bit of data science and business knowledge sprinkled in there. It was actually a really insightful and interesting video. I really liked the way you approached the question from different perspectives. ngl its better than some CNA insider videos LMAO. Also shout out to the editor?? love the humorous editing choices. keep up the good work!
Fark the cringey vibe check crap lah. Vibe check can eat?!
Lol u a employee in mothership? sounds like u got triggered
Malls in Singapore in the '70s used to be like Katong Shopping Centre. Each has their unique favor and strengths. Now with online shopping, I hardly get to spend anything in the 'generic' malls. The only time I visited them was for the air-con.
fLavour lah ahhah. Ya online shopping kills the brick and mortar shops. one day, if shipping stalls or war or something that disrupts shipping, there will be no shops around to sell and fewer jobs for people to either sell at the shops or just 7/11 choices for urgent needs.
Used to go Katong Shopping Centre to buy pirated floppy disks PC games. Missed the good old days haha. I really hated them for destroying the old Plaza Singapura. It had such a unique vibe.
@@K3nM3g Wait isn't the old Plaza Sing still around? They just added a new wing IIRC
@@ntnchua It was completely revamped this plaza Singapura
@@K3nM3g If you want to visit those kind of malls you can still do it nearby at Malaysia, some malls really remind me of my childhood and the good old days. Not saying all malls are old, there are also some good malls like MidValley Southkey in JB. The Exchange TRX I visited last week at KL was also very good, with a spacious botanical garden on top of the roof, in the midst of a big city.
Thoroughly enjoyed this video! Intro was sharp and engaging, good job mothership!
thanks sushi kor kor
some of the more unique and modern malls are like GrID and Funan... But it's also good to have these "generic" malls because it means that Singaporeans have ready access to facilities in different parts of Singapore. It's not just about being more "interactive" or "immersive" but infusing some culture and creativity into our architecture (while not necessarily changing the types of brands there)
ya I like Funan and what's the one at Dhoby Ghaut by the Fort Canning Green coz got proper sheltered bicycle racks 😆
Peninsula shopping centre and Queensway are some of the most unique/interesting malls imho
Let's be honest, people all over South East Asia go to the malls to escape from the heat and have some meals in comfort. Window shopping is just to pass the time.
Very good video. You can really appreciate the hard work that went into it
Very well done. Yes, the malls are pretty boring. I agree with the professor, the designers and managers of the malls need to create a lifestyle experience that makes it attractive to young and old. No sitting areas to relax; no art work to enjoy; and nothing really to discover or explore.😢
ION has a grand total of one wooden bench, hidden downstairs. And it's crowded with people 24/7. They actively stop people from sitting or relaxing in that place.
There's lots of space that they could use for seating but they prefer to stop people and keep them continuously walking around in circles.
but honestly lots of "lifestyle malls" are also not very populated, like Funan has a rock climbing wall or what, right? not very crowded even though there's lots of space and areas to sit around...and the whole place feels abit clastrophobic and dark. + the shops there are not super interesting collectively.
I think lifestyle malls really have to do stop with the whole "casino" darkness effect with no natural light and think about how people always feel better when there's natural light and greenery around, rather than try to trap consumers into a timeless blackhole of consuming. People go to spaces that are bright, airy and with greenary, invest in what makes a space feel good!!
See, the indoor fountain at Jewel - always crowded. So nice.
@@THEremiXFACTOR Ion got several shapely seats like bean and got side table, on the upper floor. 3rd or 4th floor. Plaza Sing also got seats at the connection to the annex building. Funan is good with lots of seats and I don't know if still there but Bernina got sewing machine for use if you buy a package like $100 for don't know how many hours use. Good.
Thanks for this video!! The timing is literally so perfect :’) I’ve been doing research for my uni project on shopping malls. This really helps!!
Bangkok has great malls. According to my daughter in law who is from Myanmar. I agree with her.
The editor and the host here are great, very well produced with a snarky style. Much more in line with great youtube productions than the boring mainstream media documentaries. Some of the transitions were so seamless.
the lady at the end is SO right! Like instead of popular bookstores, bring in Artfrined? Maybe the community would like a space to go when they want to be creative with many options to choose from and grow with? OR maybe bring in stores Basheer Bookstore where they bring in many types of books like Artbooks to Encyclopedia of Plants, Anime art books to Comic arts, Cooking to Gardening, Fashion to photography....and more!...................OR have some hobby stores like the Gashapon outlets in Citysquare Mall and Plaza Sing or Hakken? Maybe even a Record store where they sell New and Used records? A place beside it could be a store that sells Turntables with Amps or ones built in with Speakers too....along with home theatre systems or just casual music set ups from Bose or JBL etc. Or an interactive area where it could be a Cafe or sorts that invite local artist to open a small booth to sell their merch that also help the footflow of the cafe and cross promoting? omg SO many ideas lololol
I’m perplexed as to how ANY mall in Singapore can run without a bookstore such as Popular or Times. Especially ones near schools! I live next to East Point Mall in Simei, and the Popular bookstore that’s been in the mall for over 20 years shut this year. That’s ridiculous to me as there’s a Primary and Secondary school, as well as multiple learning centres within the mall itself. How can there not be a store for students to buy basic studying needs and books??!!
This is because alot of people don't read books nowadays. The era of physical book reading is over...everyone's glued to their phones for ...everything. Sad isn't it? Why do you think all the big time book stores (and small time bookstores) are closing one by one? Even the Popular bookstore owner himself said in an interview, if not for the electronic products that they sell, they will be making a loss.
inside schools got bookshop also, got sell stationary and books. Plus nowadays u can buy stationary from many places like supermarket, muji, etc. If Popular/ bookstores doesnt reinvent itself or keep up with changing needs, more wld close down
@@kevin-op4jw I'm curious, who buys electronic products from Popular? I thought everyone gets them from online or dedicated stores.
Hello to you from the good old 80s.
Bookstores have been losing interest for a long time, we can see that from the type of goods that are being sold in Popular.
In the case of Simei, it is pretty interesting. Due to the size of Simei, no longer having a stationary shop (besides the ones within school) is inconvenient, especially when you consider that there is one primary school, one secondary school, and one ITE within walking distance. This doesn't take into account the number of child care services around nor considering the needs of people in the area near Expo (Simei was the closest Popular to them without using a car).
However, I guess, you could say that there is a Popular in Bedok, and a Popular in Tampines and White Sands (who goes there?)
Then again, people from Simei "migrate" to Tampines, and Bedok on a frequent basis, so....
I like to visit those unique low profile malls sometimes but after a while you would also find them sharing the same characteristic like having collectors shops, hobbies, hairdressers, old records, massage parlours, night clubs, and some pai chabo...
Great job with this video!
Really informative and something you would miss if you don't really take note.
Appreciate the content
does peninsula plaza and Queensway shopping centre count as unique malls?lots of second hand fashion shops, some sports shops in both, but peninsula plaza had jamming studios and music shops. I observed huge crowds always at bugis and vivocity, suntec city. yah there are those generic shops like Guardian, watsons etc in these malls, but they are popular cos close to mrt stations and most people tend to stick to familiar shops. Interesting video, by the way.
I used to love Peninsula Plaza for its guitars and streetwear and the funny paths the buildings connect to each other. Missed the good old days.
@@K3nM3ggd it's still around. Though i think a renovation is long due.
I've dreamt for years the Govt would allow stalls and niches at void decks so residents can run tiny trial businesses for a month or so. Constant footfall and decent social media could help bring Singaporean imagination to market. The details can be worked out. I can imagine planning a short itinerary across different blocks to see different things. Tourists would also get many more chances to interact with locals. This would birth new competition for the REITs, who raise rent annually without creating new value. The only other typology that competes with malls as "destinations" are walking scale neighbourhoods like Holland Village, Simpang Bedok, and Joo Chiat, and these are mostly tenanted/owned by larger interests. Giving every heartland resident a shot at entrepreneurship could provide a much-needed spark of innovation and interest.
superb idea. Try Tharman Jurong heheh
Sadly I only see china beauty salons, massage parlors and loan shark money firms coming up in HDB estates. They should actually set a quota on the variety of shops
Siao. Breed competition for capital?! Raise a generation of entrepreneurs instead of a mindless "workforce" that will be content with receiving a tiny fraction of the value they generate while capital makes away with the rest? That's not the Singaporean way!
@@ntnchua 😓 human capital is the truest capital.
@@danielyapesque hope you realize that was satire...
great video! imo the best malls are the ones that have 'outlet stores', cause of the discounts. So my pick for best, least boring mall is IMM. Best prices around. When you think of it, malls are seen as expensive so being a cheaper mall that has all the generic chain stores is the unique proposition to customers. Downside to IMM is you need walk relatively long from JE mrt.
The stores at IMM are also much larger than the heartlands.
Interesting how Jurong E ended up 1st building malls further away from the MRT (IMM) instead of malls nearer to the MRT (WestGate, JCube, JEM)
Doesnt IMM have a lot of furniture.shops and bathroom and kitchen accessories shops?. ? Can be quite boring.
The worst malls are those without air-con (looks at the new malls). Singapore weather, you think people want to hang out at a mall without air-con?
nice coverage on the topic……..im not a SG native (East Malaysian) but been in n out of Spore since i was a kid n is our 2nd home since the 80s after we bought our own place. i’ve noticed since growing up, malls from mid-80s till late 90s are very very similar in designs (same in Malaysia)..my guess is back then was down to management companies…who owned n runs the malls… so this video basically answered my curiosity..
Almost every mall has the same shop. It’s just monopolised by the big players that’s why it’s so boring. Should look at how Japan has so many different kind of shops, it’s never boring there.
Don't have to travel so far. Just go JB and see the malls there -- Aeon Tebrau/Toppen, Mid Valley, etc.
@@purplecrayon7281these malls you suggested, do you go by car or their buses? I actually dont know how to go there by public tpt
@@SuccessforLifester i order Grab to get to the JB malls. What I do is i walk to R&F Mall and order Grab from there. You can also do it from City Sq but the wait is longer due to traffic.
@@purplecrayon7281 Hi thanks. This means my phone needs to use data roaming ? I have not done this before 😓
@@SuccessforLifester Yes, you will need to have data on your phone while in malaysia. I'm sure your local carrier can sell you a roaming plan before travelling to JB.
The comparison to suburban malls versus city "boutique" malls also applies to most cities in the world. And for the same reasons. You can even see miniature inverted versions of this in outer suburban areas: in my city (Sydney), I see big malls in major satellite suburbs that are on the generic side and are thriving, with small malls nearby that are much more unique. But these attract people to their distinct shops for specific purposes.
i love the filming style in the beginning and throughout the video! great job for this kind of content mothership :)
Very well made video about malls in Singapore. Basically, it is driven by market forces of supply and demand.
For those commenters that asked for more unique malls, have you visited Katong Mall in the last 10 years? if you were SO interested about uniqueness, stop visiting and spending money at generic malls and shops, stop buying at Watsons or Macdonald's or Owndays. Spend your money in the non-big brand shops. Market forces will do the rest.
If you are supporting the generic shops, then you are part of the "problem". 🤭
totally agree with you!
This was a surprisingly great and imformative video about things that every singaporean uses often but dont think much about. Keep up the great work mothership
Yeah they got rid of the arcade in the basement at Bugis and put another Challenger in...
Singapore malls are rubber-stamp copies of each other. Visit one, visitef all. The unique malls that can win would be the ones that bring in quality variations and artisan brands.
Mothership is just smashing it out with interesting videos
This episode is nice! Want to watch more like this
Can we have more such episodes on local interesting topics like these? I love how the episode was kinda designed similar to those INSIDER videos explaining stuff. Keep them coming!
This report and analysis are very good and most welcomed.
damn mothership becoming like the vice of singapore with contents like this. keep it up!!
I think northpoint city and causeway point is very fun one it yishun one in woodlands❤both have waterplay(if you have children)really reccomand you to go there if you are a tourist if not go have fun!🎉
It's a rather interesting topic. Thanks for the effort to research this!
Compass One used to be unique. Once called “Compass point” it had a theme around maritime exploration - I remember the pillars in the main atrium having the sterns of pirate ships protruding out. The main atrium even had a very interesting world map decal! It was extremely unique for a Heartland Mall.
However, it was shut down for renovation, and turned into another boring mall with the same boring stores, all for the property developers to make a quick buck…
I think the last part gives you the answer. The major malls can keep their generic major tenants but intersped these will smaller retail areas for less well known shops. The problem is whether the mall owners and operators want to bother with giving out retail spaces to smaller operators that may not generate that much income per tenant even though it's possible they may generate more rental per square foot.
Very insightful video. Thanks Mothership!
as a tourist, i am still amaze of how busy singapore’s malls is. like, who are these people, how can it be that they’re all shopping 😱all of them😮
People hang out in malls to avoid the daytime heat waves.
Whenever I go shopping at the usual Setia City Mall which is in Malaysia, typically there's a Starbucks where most people go to studying or just sleeping, most food chains were packed with customers and delivery riders, a convention event smack dab in the center, a Rotiboy shop with a long line and when inside sounds like a mini city. But Iliked it.
Well documented clip, informative and analytical presentation. Good jov
REITs is why everything getting more expensive.
lovely piece. thank you!
This is a very good video.....thumbs up to all the people who puts in the efforts to doing the researches for this video.
I would like to salute the amount of work put into MANUAL data entry. 1:14
Just an outsiders comment; Kuantan itself has one mall owned by CapitaLand, and a new REIT was built right next to it, with the hope that it would be bought by CapitaLand. It has most of the same tenants and gets a crowd from the overspill.
The other malls are strata owned and most of them are dead. They almost all have leather shops, bowling alleys, and phone shops. Kuantan Parade has specialised into a goldsmith marketplace but its still dead at the top floors.
They have this smell of leather and cigarettes that i find nostalgic somehow.
Wow this is an actually really good piece. Look forwards to more unique videos like this.
I strangely enjoyed this video so much. I think A level students struggling with writing essays can refer to this for their intro 3 paragraphs conclusion and PEEL 🤣 host did a good job too
Great reporting and analysis 👍
Hey Katong shopping ctr has great chicken rice, zi char, ice cream and old sch bakery. There is also Japanese wana be spectacle, hobby, jewellery, budget electronic, personal care and plenty of maid agency. Very unique indeed.
Very interesting & unique content. Love it🎉
Quality content indeed thanks!
Loved this video!
Quit the statistics . A more "unique" mall I discovered was The Rail Mall at Hillview downtown station . It has some nice eateries including two vegetarian cafes , one which is a Mala place . Also situated along the nostalgic Upper Bukit Timah tracks , the ambience would be amazing day or night . Hope this helps .
The Rail Mall is more of a row of shophouses than a real mall. Even that, most of the shops are chain stores -- Subway, Cold Storage, Starbucks, Toast Box, etc,
Where can I find a place in sg that do not have a mala stall?
i like its informative and shows awareness on this things
Another reason I can surmise for why malls in central Singapore tend to be more unique: a lot of them are bunched together. 313, orchard central, Ngee Ann, Far East, ION, they're all practically neighbors along Orchard Rd. Big brands probably wouldn't see the need to open up the same store within minutes walk of an existing big one. Just open one in the vicinity.
This is a very informative video. It’ll help many startups.
ah so thats the differences between a REITs vs the Strata malls which i came across in news article, my fav mall is Funan mall cuz i like those unique decorated malll unlike the typical boring type of malls
No. Most or some shopping malls have libraries, waterplay for kids and occasionally there will be shows or performances besides the usual eateries, shops and cinemas.
Great research on the data to quantify how generic the malls are 😊
This is investigative journalism 💯
Really interesting content!!!
Host practically visited more than 10 malls? Good work
Really good and interesting research
They need to model after JB's "the mall" at mid valley Southkey
Those with strata-titled stores are usually owned by individual store owners selling their own services and products. Unique but difficult to manage.
Bangkok's malls are several levels over Singapore's malls. Emquartier and Terminal 21 are fine examples.
I used to frequent Funan Center and Sim Lim Square on a weekly basis in the 80s and 90s.
It's been more than 20 years since I last visited them. I think Funan Center had went through at least 2 major renovation changes? Not sure about Sim Lim Square.
For us working people...we hardly spend time in malls except to eat or take away. And in fewer occasions, get some necessities.
damn mothership really upped their content with this one
Yes, but have you been to Tampines?
They have back to back to back malls and it feels the same.
Great editing !!!
Great effort for this content. Now can do next content, the hawker centers and coffeeshops. .. 😂😂
Agree. You go to one, you go to all... more importantly, please have many benches on every floor for shoppers to rest. People's friendly malls will attract people to stay longer and probably do more shopping and spend more money there...
This I greed more benches for older people and husbands/boyfriends or kids who do not want to walk around with their wives/girlfriends or mum also this way mums or Girlfriends or anyone can shop at ease.
Mall management do NOT want people to hang around playing with their phones and enjoying the air-con for free. Management wants people to shop and spent money. It prefers people to rest in restaurants and pay for food and drinks.
There is a reason why malls are designed with inconvenient escalators and such. It is to force people to walk pass all the shops.
videos like this are awesome
why does this channel not have 3 million subscribers
my fave would be city square. beside mustafa has donki has value shop has japan home has daiso and then aston chains of chikaboo and aston saizeriya and decathlaton follow by a cinema
Denifinition of a shopping is to find somthing interesting to be enjoy and explore inside
Look at unique mall such as Cineleisure vs generic malls. Which closed down?
How was it unique?
KATONG SHOPPING CENTRE GANG. Let's freaking goooooo
Good good journalism 👍🏽
OMG Mothership just did a free analytics for us.
I need The cat and the fiddle to one day expand to Australia and open up in Hobart, we have the perfect place for it.
I want to see this kind of analysis for other countries. Like how do thse things change between countries?
Essentially, our malls are boring because the rentals freaking ridiculous
From a REIT management perspective, having a generic mall design, construction and material bring cost efficiency to the company, its like ikea where you can use the same materials and mass produce it to churn profit out from these revenue centres
they're not boring at all -all great. All.
dont need excel, this for sure we can sense it or feel it, that is why nothing to look forward....this include the pasar malam as well
thr effort 💯🙌
they should do more outlet malls.
As a Hougangster I’m just glad HG mall got a feature position in the video, even if it’s for being the most “generic”.
I’m surprised Capitol Singapore and CHIJMES isn’t part of the unique list
I didnt know Chijmes got shops. I thought mainly restaurants?
ofc its located outside of central sg, evryone usually work at cbd so having a mall there is so useless unless its lowkey orchard shopping mall district?
Rather than building small and generic malls. We should have a few permanent night markets with lower rental fees to make the country more vibrant and unique.
Good video, you can check the mall in Shanghai. The moment i saw bread tlk.. i ran out.