Geylang Serai Bazaar can't help selling hipster food because rental is S$17,000

If not, how to recoup rental?

Belmont Lay | June 11, 2017, 02:44 PM

The annual Geylang Serai Bazaar returned this year to mixed reviews.

It won the approval of pasar malam enthusiasts as the traditional night market has moved along with the times, bringing newfangled food items to the mass market led by young entrepreneurs.

It has also been panned in some quarters for upending tradition and mainly criticised for selling out by having way too many multi-coloured unicorn-centric food that is not representative of Malay-Muslim culture.

However, now we know why the days of hawking just Ramly burgers and dendeng are over.

S$17,000 rental a month

According to The Straits Times on June 11, stall rental for a 9-feet-by-9-feet space at the month-long bazaar can be as high as S$17,000 for food stalls.

Rental amount varies according to location, but clothing stalls can still commend rentals of S$7,000 a month.

This has resulted in stallholders, especially those selling food, getting creative to bring in the crowds to ensure that they at least recoup their rental.

The escalating rentals can be explained as market forces at work -- good location, massive crowd size -- and traced to increasingly high bids placed for the rights to run the Geylang Serai Bazaar.

ST reported that this year's trade-fair organisers, Ability Trade Fair and Venture Trade Fair, won two tenders to run the bazaar, with winning bids of S$1.79 million and S$1.56 million respectively.

This is more than double the amount compared to last year, where Venture Trade Fair won with an S$800,000 bid.

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The Geylang Serai Citizens' Consultative Committee (CCC) called for the two tenders, which are then approved by the People's Association.

There are about 900 stalls at the bazaar that stretches along Geylang Road and Engku Aman Road.

The bazaar lasts till June 24, the day before Hari Raya Puasa.

Related articles:

Man claims cat & dog meat satays sold at Geylang bazaar because everything on the Internet is true

Huge crowds expected at Geylang Serai Hari Raya Bazaar from May 25 – June 24, 2017

1,000 stalls at Geylang Serai Bazaar from May 25 – June 24, 2017, to feature poke bowl

Top photo via youthdotsg