A STUDY TO EXAMINE THE ROLES OF NEIGHRBOURHOOD MARKETS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Food retailing in the Housing and Development Board (HDB) housing estates exists in various formats such as neighbourhood markets, supermarkets and mini-marts. Many of these food retail forms provide similar goods and services to the residents. With growing affluence and increase in mobility, consumer horizons widen and consumers' taste and preferences change. Neighbourhood markets have gone through several evolutions to stay in tune to consumers' demand. However, its market share continues to drop while supermarkets' share of market increases. Besides its economic role in grocery retailing, neighbourhood markets are also considered to have a social role in community building. This dissertation examines the roles of neighbourhood markets and assesses its relevance to today's context. Findings have shown that neighbourhood markets are still popular amongst grocery shoppers. However, residents do not regard neighbourhood market as the focal point of their community. The analysis indicates that while its role is still relevant, but more efforts would be required to ensure its long term sustainability