Timbre to stop managing One Punggol Hawker Centre, new operator sought in 2026

Timbre + Hawkers, the current operator of One Punggol Hawker Centre, announced on Dec. 29 that it will end its tenancy on Aug. 14, 2026, a year earlier than scheduled.

To ensure a smooth transition, the National Environment Agency (NEA) will begin the process of appointing a new operator for the hawker centre in January 2026.

One Punggol Hawker Centre opened on Oct. 31, 2022.

Its website said there are 31 hawkers.

"Tenancy posed challenges"

Timbre will continue to operate the hawker centre until Aug. 14, 2026.

By that time, the company would have completed its initial two-year tenancy and end its current three-year term one year early.

In a statement, NEA said "Timbre + Hawkers Private Limited had indicated that the tenancy posed challenges for its ongoing operations at One Punggol Hawker Centre".

Seperately, Timbre said the decision was made after considering "overall operational considerations and prevailing market conditions".

The company also added that the early conclusion of the tenancy was mutually agreed upon with NEA.

Timbre has been operating One Punggol Hawker Centre since its opening in 2022, when it launched with 34 stalls.

Its second tenancy began in 2024 and was originally set to run till Aug. 14, 2027.

Mothership has reached out to Timbre for further clarification on the reasons behind the early conclusion of the tenancy.

No changes to rental fees during transition period

According to NEA, Timbre will not be participating in the upcoming open tender for a new operator for the hawker centre.

During the transition period, however, there will be no changes to the stallholders' rentals and ancillary fees, Timbre said.

"In partnership with NEA and the incoming operator, THPL will take steps to minimise disruption to stallholders’ day-to-day operations, by providing timely updates, clear communications, and on-ground support to help ensure business continuity."

Timbre added that it remains committed to supporting stallholders, and will work alongside NEA to "ensure a smooth and orderly transition to the incoming operator, with minimal disruption to stallholders, patrons and the community".

Helping individual stallholders

The incoming operator will be required to retain all existing individual stallholders who wish to continue operating for at least two years, NEA stated.

Current rental rates will be preserved for the first year, with any subsequent increases capped at market-valued rental averages.

The agency also added it remains committed to supporting hawkers and patrons while enhancing socially conscious enterprise hawker centres to better serve the community.

"The well-being of existing individual stallholders is a priority for NEA."

Top photo via NEA/Facebook