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If you haven't already heard, JCube is closing down in August 2023 to make way for a residential development.

The mall's last day of operations is on Aug. 6, and the announcement was made in February this year.

Shin Min Daily News visited the mall on May 25 and noted that more than 90 per cent of the businesses were operating as per normal and footfall to the mall has not decreased.

However, most of the tenants interviewed said they will be moving out or closing down at the end of July.

Watch shop pays S$1,056 to terminate contracts

The owner of a watch shop, Chen Xiuyue (transliteration), shared that the business opened in 1997.

It was previously located next to Jurong East MRT, but moved into JCube in 2021 as station will be under construction for the upcoming Jurong Regional Line.

She signed a three-year contract until early 2024.

Chen said she did not expect the mall to close down before the end of the contract at the time she signed it:

"After signing the lease, I also signed a contract for a security system and a wireless network with a third-party operator for three years. Now, I have no choice but to break the contract in early August."

To terminate the contract, Chen had to fork out S$1,056.

She said she had sought help from the mall management to resolve this issue, but is still awaiting their response.

Won't be continuing the business

Another store owner told Shin Min her business has gone from bad to worse since the pandemic.

She has been running a small clothing store in JCube for 10 years.

When business was at its poorest, she made tens of dollars a day and lost about S$5,000 in operating costs each month.

She will close the store on July 31 and will not continue.

There used to be many small clothing stores on the second floor of the mall but there are only seven left now.

Another clothing store owner said: "It would be too expensive for me to move anywhere now. So I'm just not going to do this anymore."

According to one clothing store owner, JCube's management had referred them to move to the neighbouring Westgate mall.

However, the mall's rent is more than double of JCube's. The owner said she won't be able to afford it.

Music school loses students due to new location

A music school on the fourth floor of JCube told Shin Min they lost 30 per cent of their students after moving to the nearby Bestway Centre just across the road.

The school will move at the end of July and business will resume at the new location in August.

Despite offering a free pick-up service on Fridays and weekends, some parents felt that it is too far away and prefer a shopping mall like JCube.

Five tenants have moved out

A JCube spokesperson told Shin Min that a total of five tenants have moved out since the closure was announced.

The mall currently has no plans to replace the businesses that have moved.

JCube currently has more than 100 commercial lease contracts.

The spokesperson also said the mall has issued an official notice to the tenants about its closure in August as per their contract agreements.

They added that the mall's management is working closely with tenants to provide the necessary assistance in this process.

Top image via Google Street View.