News
Neue Fit gym in Kallang Wave Mall claims lack of support amidst rising rental
Rent hikes force some businesses to shut down, the gym co-founder said.
May 08, 2025, 11:54 AM
Over the past seven years, Neue Fit, a martial arts and fitness gym in Kallang Wave Mall, has seen its rent increase from S$13,000 to over S$20,000.
The Sports Hub says on its website that the gym spans 4,000 square feet.
Co-founder of the gym, Grace Huang, took to Instagram Apr. 30 with an appeal, sharing her struggles as an owner of a small business that has been around since 2018.
In her post during the 2025 general election season, she wrote:
"While the politicians argue, small businesses like mine are being priced out of our own country."
Rent started at S$13,000/month
Speaking to Mothership, Huang shared that Neue Fit first opened at Kallang Wave Mall in February 2018, with a base rent of around S$13,000 per month.
With a space about 4,000 square feet, it worked out to slightly over S$3 per square feet.
This was before operating and staffing costs, and utilities.
Increase in rent
Currently, Huang is paying slightly over S$20,000 per month for rent.
However, she has learned that other "sports tenants" had their rent increased by approximately 20 per cent and is worried her own costs could escalate.
Her next lease renewal is in December 2025.
"It's difficult to plan for growth or long-term sustainability when we're constantly bracing for the next hike," she said.
Huang added that the business tries to absorb as much of the cost increases as possible.
Their mission, she said, has always been to make martial arts and fitness accessible to everyday Singaporeans.
However, with inflation and rising rental costs, they had no choice but to make small price adjustments to stay operational.
Recovery painfully slow after Covid-19 pandemic
And Covid-19 brought on more challenges for the fitness industry, Huang said.
The tight restrictions from 2020 to 2022 made it hard to run classes, especially for martial arts.
"It was a slow and painful recovery, even after reopening, due to all the rental arrears that stacked up," she said.
Huang gave a shoutout to her team, describing them as passionate individuals who "sucked it up and made the sacrifices", sometimes "financially", just so that they could "balance not having to raise costs" and "still stay alive".
Subsidies not enough
In her Instagram post, Huang also shared about the Covid-19 support she got, such as how subsidies only covered half the rent.
She explained how it worked to Mothership.
SportSG subsidies were meant to cover 50 per cent of rent for eligible sports businesses.
In Neue Fit's case, the monthly bill for leasing the space in 2020 was about S$14,400, but about S$7,400 of that was labelled as service charge and advertising and promotion fee, while the rest was classified as base rent.
The rental relief became diluted as the subsidies were applied to the base rent and did not fully cover the service charge, advertising, and promotion fees.
In Huang's case, the service charge, advertising, and promotion fees ended up still forming the bulk of expenses.
Sports in Singapore
Huang also shared with Mothership that she felt disappointed, given how the authorities have been saying that they want to grow a sporting culture and develop national athletes.
"We're told we're in the sporting district of Singapore, yet this is the reality on the ground," she noted.
She pointed out that medals are won from years of work in small gyms like Neue Fit.
She said:
"If we really believe in sport as a national priority, then support must go beyond stadiums and slogans. It has to reach the people doing the work on the ground.
Right now, that support feels absent — and it's discouraging."
On Instagram, Huang asked if Kallang was "really alive" for sports businesses like hers, or was it "only alive if we can afford to keep it alive"?
She explained that Neue Fit does more than fitness classes.
"We serve people who are burned out, anxious, overworked — people who need a safe space to breathe, to heal, to feel strong again," she explained.
"But passion alone can't pay the escalating rent."
One rent hike away from closure
Citing the impending closure of Flor Patisserie in Siglap Drive, Huang said the bakery had a loyal customer base that included herself, "a beautiful brand," and "a great product", but clearly it was not enough.
"A lot of people don't realise how many small businesses are just one rent hike away from shutting down," she said.
While Huang is exploring all options to keep Neue Fit alive, she said she knows that she has to be realistic about sustaining the business: "We're constantly adapting — but that takes a toll."
Huang also appealed to the landlords and policymakers to "stop treating small local businesses as disposable".
"We are part of what makes this city worth living in. Gyms, cafés, studios, shops — we don't just fill space. We create belonging. We make a difference in people's lives every day," she said.
As her post was put up during the 2025 general election, Huang appealed to those contesting to stand up for small businesses.
"If you want to talk about building a better Singapore, small businesses must be part of that conversation," Huang said.
In response to Mothership's queries, a spokesperson for Kallang Wave Mall pointed out that the "54 per cent" increase stated in Huang's Instagram post compared the rent that began in 2017 with the current rent, which was the accumulation of pre-negotiated yearly rent increases over the past eight years.
In addition, the spokesperson said there have been no official discussions with the gym regarding future rental rates for the unit.
"We recognise that every tenant's business needs are unique. We will continue to engage and work with tenants to deliver quality offerings aligned with the mall's vision as a vibrant destination for sports, entertainment, and lifestyle," the spokesperson added.
Top photos via Grace Huang/Instagram & Neue Fit/Instagram.
