PARKWAY Parade, one of the first suburban malls in Singapore, is
undergoing an extensive $15 million revamp. The renovations will
add an annex block and an alfresco dining area to the popular
shopping centre in Marine Parade.
The revamp, which began three months ago and is set to be
completed in October, will integrate part of the mall's
ground-floor area - previously occupied by tenants like fast-food
restaurants Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken - with its 720
sq m outdoor refreshment area.
Before the changes, the outdoor area housed food outlets and
cafes such as Long John Silver's and Starbucks.
When completed, the new wing will be air-conditioned and will
feature new tenants, including an outlet of the Western casual
dining chain New York New York and Pu Tien Restaurant, which serves
Heng Hua cuisine.
To cater to Singaporeans' love affair with food, more food and
beverage outlets will be added and the alfresco dining area will be
set up on the second level of the new wing. The rest of the mall
will also be spruced up.
New floor tiles will be added to make it look brighter, while
waterless urinals will be installed.
Parkway Parade, which turned 25 in March, sees about 1.7 million
shoppers each month.
The main reason for the revamp, said its property manager Lend
Lease, is to allow the mall to 'stay ahead of the
competition...especially in the face of increasing competition from
malls in the East and the others in the Orchard belt'. Several new
shopping centres have opened this year, including Tampines 1,
Orchard Central and Ion Orchard.
Parkway Parade, which has six floors of shops and a 17-storey
office tower, opened in 1984. Once touted as the biggest shopping
complex here, with a total floor area of 123,000 sq m, it was very
popular at the start. However, when MRT trains began running in
1987 - making it much easier for Singaporeans to travel from the
suburbs to areas like Orchard Road or to other suburban malls - the
centre lost some of its sheen.
Lend Lease, which took over management of the mall in 2000,
carried out development works seven years ago, bringing in new
tenants like Giant Hypermarket and upgrading parts of the centre.
Retailers at the mall are hoping the latest upgrade will give
business a shot in the arm.
--ST
