Foreign brands flock to Singapore's shopping districts amidst tepid retail environment

Manpower curbs to have a negative impact on demand.

According to Jones Lang LaSalle, occupancy rates remained firm in 4Q13, due to newly completed projects opening at full occupancy.

In the Primary submarket, Robinsons Orchard, formerly The Heeren, opened with six floors of retail and F&B space and 380 new brands, of which more than 280 are exclusive to Robinsons Orchard. Bedok Mall and Westgate Mall, two malls by CapitaMalls Asia, opened just in time for the Christmas holiday in the Suburban submarket, at full or near full occupancy, respectively.

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Both malls welcomed new entrants into the Singapore retail market. Some of the new-to-market retailers in Bedok Mall include Sembonia, a Malaysian leather brand that opened its flagship store, and Korean fashion store Roem.

Retail sales excluding motor sales increased marginally by 1% m-o-m and 0.4% y-o-y in November due to an increase in general sales and F&B. This accords with the increased momentum of visitor arrivals – 14 million as at YTD November – which aligns with the Singapore Tourism Board’s attempts to increase arrival numbers to 17 million by end-2015.

The lowering of foreign dependency ratios is expected to continue affecting retail and F&B businesses, at least in the short term. The TDSR framework may continue to discourage investors, as potential buyers are now adopting a wait-and-see attitude toward property purchases.

However, the current low unemployment rate, moderating inflation and increased momentum of visitor arrivals should support demand and the rent environment in 2014. However, the continual tightening of foreign labour policies could have a negative impact on retail and FB demand if the growth in the labour force is limited in the longer term.

Capital values are likely to show muted growth as tighter financing requirements put a dampener on investments, allowing overall yields to expand.