Businessman Vincent Tans shoe shop at Dhoby Xchange is eight
times as large as his outlet at Bugis Junction. And yet, it sells
just 250 pairs of shoes a month, compared to the 1,000 pairs that
fly off the shelves at his smaller establishment.
Another Dhoby Xchange tenant, Ms Wong May Lai, owns a shop selling
handbags but says it is common to register zero sales for
consecutive days.
Said Ms Wong: I can roller-skate from one end of this shopping
area to the other without bumping into people. I sell just one or
two handbags a day.
She and Mr Tan are not alone. Two weeks ago, 28 tenants submitted a
petition to SMRT, which manages Dhoby Xchange.
In the petition, the tenants say they were initially promised three
F&B outlets in the shopping mall. At present, there is only one
and they are blaming the lack of eateries as a major reason for
the low human-traffic.
They also want more publicity material to attract customers to
Dhoby Xchange and are requesting a reason for the areas delayed
launch.
The official launch, initially set for May, has been pushed back
thrice and is now set for the end of the year.
When TODAY visited the 15,600-sq-ft shopping mall yesterday during
the evening rush hour, there were fewer than 50 shoppers.
Tenants say that commuters from the MRT station simply bypass the
mall on their way to popular haunts such as Plaza Singapura, Park
Mall and The Cathay.
And on Sunday, its a dead town, lamented Ms Priscilla Chew, who
runs a fashion accessory shop at Dhoby Xchange.
According to SMRT, 46 out of the 54 units are occupied. Shops
selling fashion accessories dominate the space. The problem seems
to be that the shopping centre is easily missed as it has only two
access points. Although it was pened in April, tenants estimate it
draws just 2,000 people daily, compared to nearly 40,000 at Wisma
Atria.
In response to the petition, SMRT told the tenants in a letter
dated Sept 4 that its publicity efforts and the increase in
shopper-traffic may have gone unnoticed by the tenants.
While SMRT rejected the tenants request to hold a joint meeting,
it has arranged to meet them individually.
Responding to media queries, an SMRT spokesperson said the sluggish
business is common with all new commercial spaces and
businesses.
She said: Although SMRT as landlord is not contractually bound to
promote and market the Xchange, it is in our interest to have our
tenants do well. More time is needed to create awareness and
shopping traffic.
With regard to the amount of human traffic, we would like to
clarify that from January to July, the usage at Dhoby Ghaut Station
has increased by 30 per cent.
The spokesperson added: We recognise that while human traffic in
the station is high, people are passing by Dhoby Xchange.
Furthermore, due to construction work on the Circle Line and
landscaping works for the IMF and World Bank meetings, there were
road hoardings around Dhoby Ghaut area which were only removed
recently.
Some tenants appreciate SMRTs efforts.
Said Mr C H Lim, who manages a bakery that did not join the
petition: At first, business was quite bad. Then, my boss went to
SMRT and they spent money from their own pockets for promotion and
marketing efforts. Business has improved slightly but is still not
up to expectations.
SMRT is listening to us. But it needs time. For example, it
promised to seriously look into our suggestion to broaden the
walkway.
SMRT has also placed signs to divert human traffic to the shopping
mall, its spokesperson said.
We would like to clarify that we have been communicating with the
tenants and working with them on promotions, she said.
We have offered to meet up with them individually, as we believe
it would be more fruitful to address the specific concerns of each
tenant. Although some tenants have declined our offer, we will
continue to communicate with them to discuss solutions if they are
facing difficulties.
The spokesperson added that SMRT would develop commercial spaces in
another 18 MRT stations next year, including another two Xchanges
in Choa Chu Kang and Tanjong Pagar. - TODAY/ra
