Great World City positions itself as neighbourhood destination to homes in districts 9, 10 and 11

Marks & Spencer at GWC

Great World City positions itself as neighbourhood destination to homes in districts 9, 10 and 11

Monday • August 25, 2008

Pearlyn Tham

Come mid-October, retail chain Marks & Spencer will be opening an 8,000-sq-ft store at Great World City that will feature its new frozen foods range in Singapore. The move is its first major expansion step after its franchise holder Robinson & Co was acquired by Dubai-based Al-Futtaim Group in April.

Marks & Spencer already has a 23,000-sq-ft flagship store at The Centrepoint and six other stores islandwide. Mr Dean Loh, its head of operations, said the chain will continue to source for suitable locations to grow its business.

“Great World City is on the fringe of Orchard Road, which means shoppers do not have to pay ERP charges in the evenings. It is an ideal alternative to Orchard Road,” he said.

Indeed, while it does not boast ION Orchard’s duplex facades and it isn’t strategically located near an MRT station like Somerset Central will be, Great World City is holding its own against the Orchard Road buzz. Besides Marks & Spencer, other big names such as Island Shop and StudioTangs will be opening stores at Great World City in the next two months.

A spokeswoman for Allgreen Properties, which owns Great World City, said the mall had been reconfiguring its tenant mix since early last year. “We want to focus on our position of being a neighbourhood mall to the high-end residential districts of 9, 10 and 11.”

Tangs-owned retail concept store StudioTangs and Island Shop will each take up about 1,000 sq ft. StudioTangs, which will carry shoes and handbags in a sleek and minimalist setting, will close its store at The Centrepoint. The Great World City outlet will be its only standalone store here.

Ms Angie Hooi, assistant vice-president of merchandising at Tangs, said Great World City has “great potential and opportunity” with its catchment area of neighbouring offices and condominiums.

Known for its resort-inspired apparel and accessories, Island Shop is targeting expatriate shoppers at Great World City. Earlier this year, the brand held a one-month sale there to test mall traffic.

Other tenants who have moved in to Great World this year include microbrewery-and-bistro The Pump Room, clothing brand British India, Burger King and Fish & Co.

Mr Colin Tan, director and head of consultancy and research at Chesterton International said rental rates at Great World City would probably be more affordable than those for Orchard Road malls.

“Great World City is in a neither-here-nor-there situation because it’s not in a suburban area with heartlander masses but it’s also not along Orchard Road. If a brand like Marks & Spencer can take off at Great World City, it will be a great opportunity for the mall to prove it can attract crowds too,” he said.

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