Bookmark & Share
After the rodent incident in 2015, tenants at Marina Square mall have been grappling with slower business.
The Maternity House, a store selling maternity wear within the mall for over 15 years, saw sales fall year after year. In fact, there was an instance when not a single sale was done for four consecutive days, reported TodayOnline.
“You can play bowling outside (along the corridors),” said a 43-year-old The Maternity House employee, referring to the near-empty corridors. “You’ll have to pray… every day that there’ll be somebody who comes into the shop.”
She attributed the slower sales to the mall’s rat problems and the departure of major tenants like bowling alley SuperBowl and cinema operator Golden Village.
In 2015, a tray of vegetables at Hotpot Culture was found to have a rat. Rodent activity was later detected by the authorities in the false ceilings of 14 of Marina Square’s food-and-beverage (F&B) establishments as well as at a bin centre.
Retail experts, on the other hand, attributed the poor business at the mall to stiff competition from nearby shopping malls and to its retailers, most of which are long-standing tenants.
Dr Michael Chiam, a senior tourism lecturer with Ngee Ann Polytechnic, noted that while having long-standing tenants help build a loyal customer base, “some shoppers may not find it attractive since it is the ‘same-old, same-old’”.
Responding to media queries, mall operator Marina Centre Holdings revealed that tenant sales grew by 14 percent from 2016 to date, while mall traffic climbed eight percent.
As for its occupancy rate, it noted that over 90 percent of the mall’s shop spaces are taken up, “which is in line with the market rate”.
Its spokesperson said the mall conducts promotions and activities at its atrium level to lure shoppers and move sales.
It also helps tenants with their thematic merchandise displays and features their offerings on the mall’s mobile application, social media channels and website. It has even hired a team tasked at engaging its followers on Facebook and Instagram.
“We are working to launch an enhanced app with more perks and rewards for shoppers at the end of the year,” added the spokesperson.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
Related Articles:
CapitaLand to open eight malls in 2017
AsiaMalls Management, UnionPay to launch QR Code payments across six malls