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Choosing Sim LIM Square

Controversy

We have all heard of the infamous Jover Chew. In October 2014, Jover Chew, the owner of Mobile Air, refunded a customer $1,010 in coins. In November 2014, he scammed a Vietnamese tourist and made him kneel to beg for a refund.

 

This high-profile cases cast a dark shadow over the mall’s reputation. We wanted to know if this was an accurate depiction of Sim Lim Square.

aftermath

How did the past scandals and the advent of online shopping affect business in Sim Lim Square?

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What are retailers doing to ensure that they continue to stay relevant to consumers?

beginnings

Strata-titled

Sim Lim Square is a strata-titled mall. Retailers own their individual stores, rather than renting it from a mall management. This gives retailers freedom in running the business.

 

Does this freedom entail more benefits or problems?

en bloc

There was news in March 2018 that Sim Lim Square was going en bloc. If such plans come through, it might spell the end of Sim Lim Square. As such, visual mapping Sim Lim can become our group’s project to preserve Sim Lim Square for future generations, before it is lost to the sands of time.

 

Where would all the stores go if Sim Lim goes en bloc? How do the shops feel about an imminent en bloc?

Niche Market

Sim Lim Square is one of the few malls in Singapore that specialises in electronics. We wanted to find out how stores in Sim Lim Square are able to continue their business despite selling similar products.

 

Apart from that, what else does the mall have to offer apart from electronics?

Image

Funan

Before Funan closed in 2016, it was the closest competitor to Sim Lim Square as an IT mall. With Funan’s projected opening in 2019, our group wanted to find out if there would be potential competition between the two malls, as well as the retailer’s future plans.

 

We were also interested to find out if a mass exodus of businesses to Funan may occur in the near future, whether it be due to the en-bloc of Sim Lim Square, or the reopening of Funan.

outdated?

The archaic exterior of Sim Lim Square is prominent compared to its more modern looking neighbours like LaSalle and National Library of Singapore.

 

In this era of online shopping, we are also curious to know how Sim Lim Square manages to keep up with quick-changing electronic trends, while relying mainly on physical sales through their brick and mortar stores.

References

  1. Mock, A., & Yi, T. H. (2017, March 17). It's time for payback - with coins. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/its-time-for-payback-with-coins

  2. Hussain, A. (2016, January 19). Jover Chew and Mobile Air staff charged over cheating cases at Sim Lim Square. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/jover-chew-and-mobile-air-staff-charged-over-cheating-cases-at-sim-lim-square

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