DIFFERENTIATION STRATEGY OF SUBURBAN MALLS IN SINGAPORE AND THEIR PERFORMANCE

Abstract

The concept of suburban mall originated in the United States with the very first suburban shopping centers,“ Bellevue Square” and “Town & Country Village” both opened in 1946. In recent years, more and more suburban malls rise in Singapore’s various neighborhoods. It brings fierce market competition. Thus, to stand out from the competitors in the market, especially in the same precinct, a suburban mall should find its unique positioning in the market to further attract shoppers in long term. The dissertation focuses on the mid-west region of Singapore with neighborhoods mainly consisting of the youth. Five sample suburban malls in the area are selected and further investigated by conducting both in-depth interview and survey with neighborhood respondents who are less than 35 years old. The findings have revealed that on top of the basic products and services provision, designing a suitable differentiation positioning strategy by identifying the neighborhood population’s demographic features, is essential to survive in the competitive market in the long run. In addition, the findings has also shown that walking distance of a suburban mall to its nearest MRT station would have a strong impact on the mall’s patronage, which is also a complementary criterion to assess mall’s performance.