Liang Court at River Valley Road is gradually emptying out.

Departure of Kinokuniya saw tenants following suit

In recent years, the mall saw some of their bigger tenants closing shop, such as Kinokuniya.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, the departure of the bookstore from the mall saw several other tenants following suit, as a result of poor business and their lease expiring.

The Chinese paper reports that roughly half the mall's shops are shuttered,  unoccupied by any businesses.

They also observed that they rarely see customers heading towards the second, third or fourth levels of the mall.

TNP made a similar observation, describing the upper floors as "deserted".

However, there was more footfall on the first level of the mall, which is likely attributed to the bigger tenants such as Starbucks, Uniqlo, and Meidi-Ya, the Japanese supermarket that can be accessed from the first floor via the travelator.

Mall bought over earlier this year

Liang Court officially opened in January 1984, although the now-defunct departmental store Daimaru located at the mall's basement level opened in November 1983.

The mall was initially a joint venture between Goh Cheng Liang Group and Daimaru Inc of Japan.

The mall has since changed hands several times and was owned by Asian Retail Mall Fund II (ARMF II) from 2006 onwards.

In 2019, TNP revealed, CapitaLand and City Developments (CDL) have bought over Liang Court for S$400 million in May 31.

Location and offerings pale in comparison to other malls

According to a professor and a customer TNP spoke to, Liang Court's situation could be attributed to a few factors -- its location, the lack of attractive shops, and competition from other malls nearby and around Singapore.

Although Fort Canning MRT station is located near the mall, there is less footfall in the area compared to other areas of town.

The selection of retail shops within Liang Court also pales in comparison to other malls in the area, such as Plaza Singapura or 313@Somerset.

Once the go-to mall for Japanese goods and restaurants, fewer people now come to Liang Court to get their Japan fix.

After all, shops like Don Don Donki, Tokyu Hands, Daiso, along with a whole array of authentic Japanese restaurants are already located throughout the island.

This, coupled with the lack of shopping options within the premises now, and the absence of regular promotions and sales, probably resulted in the Liang Court you see today.

With the new owners, redevelopment of the mall is expected.

Whether it becomes just like any other mall or it manages to reinvent itself, it seems that this chapter of Liang Court's history is coming to a quiet close.

Editor’s note on July 27, 1 pm: Liang Court’s location has been updated for accuracy.

Top image via the Robertson Quay's website