SHOPPING CENTRE DEVELOPMENTS IN CHINATOWN AREA - AN EVALUATION STUDY

Abstract

Shopping centre developments in the Chinatown area has been well established as an attraction for both locals and tourists. However, tremendous changes of the retail system for the past two and a half decades have changed the retail scene in the Chinatown area. Many suburbah shopping centres have emerged as a result of town planning policies. These shopping centres have gained popularity with the shoppers and made shopping closer to the doorsteps of the HDB residents. In addition, new retailing concepts have also emerged to cater to the changing tastes and preferences of the shoppers. The shoppers of today have placed strong emphasis on ambience of the shopping centres and the quality of goods. Stiff competition is thus experienced for the shopping centre developments in the Chinatown area. The three major shopping centres in the vicinity are Chinatown Point, People's Park Complex and People's Park Centre. This dissertation examined the three shopping centres, in particular their market niche(s) and the sustainability of their retail mixes. Forty shoppers from each of the shopping centre were interviewed for their opinions of the centres and what improvements they would like to see. The shopper survey has shown that most of the respondent shoppers visited the centres in search of a bargain. However, the majority of the shoppers are not satisfied with the promotional activities of the three shopping centres. With the new Outram DGP, Chinatown Area will be revitalised as a major shopping belt. Hence, there is potential for shopping centre developments in the Chinatown area. Thus, the shopping centre developments of the Chinatown area have to enhance their own market niche(s). They have to improve their retail mixes and promotions in order to sustain their share of the market for the long-run.