TAMPINES REGIONAL CENTRE : PROSPECT FOR RETAILING

Abstract

Retail development in Singapore has been influenced not only by socio-economic factors, but also by town planning policies. This can be seen by the fact that the development of retail facilities over the years has been closely linked to the urban renewal programme and the building of satellite towns. This on-going trend is expected to continue unabated in the future, especially with the revised Concept Plan's new policy of decentralizing commercial activities into a hierarchy of centres. As a result of this new planning approach, more retail developments will be located in the suburbs which are accessible by Mass Rapid Transit (MRT). Using Tampines Regional Centre as a case, this study intends to find out whether there will be any change in the shopping pattern of Tampines shoppers with the presence of modern shopping complexes within this housing estate in the future. These Tampines shoppers, typical of Housing and Development Board (HDB) shoppers, exhibit a dual form of shopping pattern. They do their shopping at both the HDB retail centres within their estate as well as at Downtown or other modern suburban shopping complexes. The neighbourhood or town centre is frequently visited by the residents mainly to purchase food and groceries. To a lesser extent, they also buy some shopping goods. This is due to convenience and reasonable prices. However, they prefer to shop in Orchard Road and Parkway Parade because of a wider selection of goods and a more pleasant shopping environment. Moreover, the Orchard Road area also provides numerous facilities for eating and entertainment. This form of attraction is very essential in today's shopping concept which focuses more on the family and leisure. Based on the survey results, the prospect for retailing in Tampines Regional Centre appears to be very bright because the concept of modern shopping is now brought closer to the shoppers' door-steps, thus providing convenience. This suburban retail development, however, is not expected to replace Orchard Road, but merely to provide an alternative for the residents. Orchard Road will still remain as a popular shopping district because of its own attraction.