Tenants at Aperia Mall in Kallang said that the arrival of "Little Thailand" merchants from Golden Mile Complex, such as Thai Supermarket, has helped attract more footfall to the mall.

The owner of Thai Supermarket, Loh Yuen Seng, told Shin Min Daily News that he heard the mall's car park used to be emptier before his business moved to the mall earlier in 2023.

"Now, the car park is full every day," Loh said.

Golden Mile Complex used to be an enclave of Thai business owners and merchants and was visited by Thais residing in or visiting Singapore.

20-30% jump in business for Korean supermarket

The owner of a Korean supermarket, which has been operating at Aperia Mall for nearly six years, also said her business experienced a 20 to 30 per cent increase since the "Little Thailand" tenants moved in.

The owner shared that the footfall at Aperia Mall used to decrease drastically after 8pm, as most of its visitors were office workers.

There also weren't many customers during the weekends.

However, the situation changed after the "Little Thailand" merchants announced their move from Golden Mile Complex:

"Three months before the opening of Thai Supermarket, there were already customers who came by the mall to check it out. After the opening of the two Thai restaurants, even more visitors were drawn to the mall. As our offerings are different, these merchants only help our business rather than create more competition," said the owner.

Concurred by other merchants

A manager of an eatery on the second floor of Aperia Mall also said his business jumped by at least 10 per cent since the arrival of "Little Thailand" merchants.

The manager added that the mall used to have limited visitors, and there weren't many retail options, other than F&B establishments, a Cold Storage supermarket, and a rock climbing gym.

"While the mall is situated in between Lavender and Bendemeer MRT stations, it is not close to either station, so our business had always been so-so," the manager recounted.

A clinic assistant who works at a Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic on the third floor concurred that the Thai Supermarket brought more options for visitors.

"While our patients are waiting for their turn, they would go downstairs, walk around, and purchase the famous fried banana at Thai Supermarket," said the assistant.

Background

In August 2018, more than 80 per cent of the unit owners in Golden Mile Complex formally signed an agreement to proceed with an en bloc sale.

Following the successful en bloc sale in 2022, tenants of Golden Mile Complex were informed that they would have to vacate the premises before the building was handed over to the developers in May 2023.

As a result, a number of merchants, including Thai Supermarket, Nana Original Thai Food, and Dee Tongue Thai by Rung Mama (now known as Im-Em Thai Kitchen), moved to Aperia Mall.

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Top images via Google Maps & Keyla Supharta/Mothership