LOCATION IN THE VIABILITY OF PUBS

Abstract

The movement of the pubbing scene in Singapore has been a common occurrence, but recent times have shown a slight difference in this trend: pubs are beginning to locate in relatively remote suburban areas, a perplexing phenomenon given the consumer intensive nature of the trade. With these suburban pubs gaining popularity and doing well, the role of location in the viability of pubs needs to be re-examined. The key objectives of this dissertation are to investigate the visitor profiles of the central area and suburban pubs, the factors that attract people to these pubs, as well as the role of location in a pub’s viability. This is sought through a look from the operator’s point of view through interviews coupled with a survey with pub patrons to examine consumer profiles, usage patterns and behaviour. The survey was conducted on 100 pub patrons,and tallied for comparison. Based on the findings, the central pub and suburban pubs catered to different user groups and served different clienteles. Location played an important role in the viability of both the central pub and the suburban pub, albeit in ifferent ways. These subsets of locational economics took on different aspects of accessibility, proximity, economies of scale and exclusivity that all played a role in each site location.