damn... i will miss buying work shirts and trousers from Robinsons during Christmas and CNY. the discounts can be up to 70% and there is always plenty of stock.
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Chitchat Robinsons Collapsed after 162 Years - FTs and Dirty $$$ Tiongs Indons not Shopping???
- Thread starter Pinkieslut
- Start date
Robinsons shuts its doors in Malaysia and Singapore as it falls victim to Covid-19
Syahirah Syed Jaafar
/
theedgemarkets.com
October 30, 2020 16:36 pm +08
-A
+A
KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 30): Robinsons, the retailer that has been in business for more than 160 years, is shutting all remaining stores in Malaysia and Singapore for good as it falls victim to the Covid-19 pandemic which has sharply reduced consumer demand.
Robinson Co (Malaya) Sdn Bhd will be closing both its Malaysian outlets located in Kuala Lumpur. The outlets at The Gardens Mall has been operating for more than 13 years while the one at The Shoppes at Four Seasons Place opened only two years ago.
Robinsons’ history in Malaysia dates back to 1928 when it set up a department store at the present-day site of the OCBC Bank head office by the Masjid Jamek LRT station on Jalan Tun Perak.
Meanwhile in Singapore, Robinson & Co (Singapore) will be closing its remaining outlets at The Heeren and Raffles City shopping centre, Singapore media reported, citing a statement from the retailer.
These stores will remain open in the next few weeks to facilitate final sales for customers before closing for good, online portal Today reported.
The 162-year-old retailer had earlier closed its department store outlet at the city state’s Jem mall.
Robinsons senior general manager Danny Lim said the changing consumer landscape makes it difficult for the company to succeed over the long-term and the pandemic has further exacerbated the challenges, Bernama reported.
The group acknowledged that the department store concept is no longer popular with demand falling significantly. Reports showed that retail sales recorded a negative growth rate of 8.5% in Malaysia for the first quarter of 2020 compared with the same period last year.
Citing a study on retail trend, Robinsons said large name players globally have exited the industry and over half of mall-based department stores will close in the next five years.
“Similarly, in Malaysia, the retail industry recorded the worst growth rate in 33 years with the outlook remaining negative for the remaining months of the year as consumers are expected to tighten their spending,” the department store operator said.
Datuk Robert Teo Keng Tuan of RSM Malaysia has been appointed as interim liquidator and the provisional liquidator will now take control of the company’s assets and assess options to realise value in order to maximise returns to creditors.
Subject to confirmation, the liquidators are hoping the stores will remain open for the coming weeks to facilitate final sales for customers before they are shuttered.
Concurrently, Robinsons stores in Singapore will undergo a similar liquidation process with the appointment of Cameron Duncan and David Kim from KordaMentha as provisional liquidators.
Read also:
Syahirah Syed Jaafar
/
theedgemarkets.com
October 30, 2020 16:36 pm +08
-A
KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 30): Robinsons, the retailer that has been in business for more than 160 years, is shutting all remaining stores in Malaysia and Singapore for good as it falls victim to the Covid-19 pandemic which has sharply reduced consumer demand.
Robinson Co (Malaya) Sdn Bhd will be closing both its Malaysian outlets located in Kuala Lumpur. The outlets at The Gardens Mall has been operating for more than 13 years while the one at The Shoppes at Four Seasons Place opened only two years ago.
Robinsons’ history in Malaysia dates back to 1928 when it set up a department store at the present-day site of the OCBC Bank head office by the Masjid Jamek LRT station on Jalan Tun Perak.
Meanwhile in Singapore, Robinson & Co (Singapore) will be closing its remaining outlets at The Heeren and Raffles City shopping centre, Singapore media reported, citing a statement from the retailer.
These stores will remain open in the next few weeks to facilitate final sales for customers before closing for good, online portal Today reported.
The 162-year-old retailer had earlier closed its department store outlet at the city state’s Jem mall.
Robinsons senior general manager Danny Lim said the changing consumer landscape makes it difficult for the company to succeed over the long-term and the pandemic has further exacerbated the challenges, Bernama reported.
The group acknowledged that the department store concept is no longer popular with demand falling significantly. Reports showed that retail sales recorded a negative growth rate of 8.5% in Malaysia for the first quarter of 2020 compared with the same period last year.
Citing a study on retail trend, Robinsons said large name players globally have exited the industry and over half of mall-based department stores will close in the next five years.
“Similarly, in Malaysia, the retail industry recorded the worst growth rate in 33 years with the outlook remaining negative for the remaining months of the year as consumers are expected to tighten their spending,” the department store operator said.
Datuk Robert Teo Keng Tuan of RSM Malaysia has been appointed as interim liquidator and the provisional liquidator will now take control of the company’s assets and assess options to realise value in order to maximise returns to creditors.
Subject to confirmation, the liquidators are hoping the stores will remain open for the coming weeks to facilitate final sales for customers before they are shuttered.
Concurrently, Robinsons stores in Singapore will undergo a similar liquidation process with the appointment of Cameron Duncan and David Kim from KordaMentha as provisional liquidators.
Read also:
History[edit]
Spicer & Robinson was established on February 25, 1858 by Philip Robinson formerly from the west of England and a brother of Elisha Smith Robinson [1] and his business partner James Gaborian Spicer, who was a former keeper of the Singapore jail, and a partner in the shipwright business, it was located at Commercial Square. However, on October 5, 1859, less than two years after the partnership, James Spicer pulled out from the partnership in 5 October 1859, and the company was known as Robinson & Co.. Robinson found a new partner, George Rappa Jr.. At this point of time, Commercial Square was renamed Raffles Place. Robinson & Co. moved to the corner of North Bridge Road and Coleman Street.
Robinson developed his business a different way. He employed travelling representatives to canvass the Malay Archipelago and Borneo. Many of the Malay Rulers were among his customers, as well as King Mongkut of Siam.
Near the end of 1864, there was a financial crisis, firms crashed and hundreds of shops closed down. Robinson managed to survive during this period of time. A new shop was opened at Battery Road, and the company's first assistant was appointed from England, T. C. Loveridge, which took charge of a newly opened tailoring department. Loveridge took lessons in Singapore from an experienced cutter and first tried out his skill by cutting out a frockcoat for a colleague. It fitted well and the latter became a partner in the business. Robinson offered to sell out for £1,000 (which was a huge sum of money then), but Loveridge rejected the offer.
1881 was when Robinson died. His son, Stamford Raffles Robinson took over the business. In 1886, he employed A. W. Bean as assistant, eight years later making him his partner. The 1890s saw the company doing more business than ever before in the Malayan states (now Malaysia). The company launched a large advertising campaign in the Malay Mail and increase the number of travelling representatives. In 1891 the company moved to a bigger shop in Raffles Place.
Robinsons also stocked musical instruments in the early 1900s as most homes had a piano, gramophone among many. Robinson & Co. became a limited company in 1920, when Robinson and Bean were still partners. The carefree days of Singapore and the then Malaya were gone when the Great Depression came. The company's main store in Kuala Lumpur, which was located next to the Whiteaway Laidlaw department store, the present-day site of the Malaysian head office for OCBC Bank by the Masjid Jamek LRT station on Jalan Tun Perak,[2] opened in 1928 just before the start of the Depression. For many years the company operated at a loss until 1936 when it made a profit.[3] Stamford Robinson died in 1935 at 83 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The company moved to a newer and bigger store at Raffles Chambers in November 1941. The building was air-conditioned at the café, men and women hairdressing salons. The Japanese bombed the building on December 8, 1941, but business opened as usual the next day. It suffered damage when it was attacked again on 13 February 1942. The last days of the British fell to the Japanese, saw only one person running the cafe. Allied troops fighting in Malaya were unable to find supplies, and the Manager of the Kuala Lumpur branch could get camp beds for them.
Both stores were looted in the final days of the war. However, the company's $5,000 worth of silver and other valuables could not be retrieved. Even the best locksmiths or oxy-acetylene torches could not open the room.
The Raffles Place store was used as the headquarters of NAAFI and Ensa, the Services' entertainment organisation when the British returned to Singapore in 1945. Robinsons reopened in April 1946, business flourished and earned a profit of $1 million, the first time in history.
John Little's Marina Square store.
Robinsons acquired a 76% stake on John Little and the whole company in the end of 1955. The Raffles Place store was fully air-conditioned by then and was the first in the region. Robinsons got the franchise for Marks and Spencer for Singapore in 1958. On 21 November 1972, the Raffles Place outlet caught fire.[4] As a result, the building was reduced to rubble. Nine people died in the blaze. The store moved to Specialist's Shopping Centre on Orchard Road.
Robinsons at Centrepoint, Orchard Road during Christmas 2004.
Robinsons moved again to Centrepoint in June 1983 with 130,000 sq ft spread over five floors. The store went through a refurbishment in 2001 with a brand new look. It opened another store at Raffles City that same year in March. The Raffles City store used to be a Sogo outlet but closed down shortly after it filed bankruptcy.
In 2003, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation and Great Eastern was planning to sell away their joint stake in the company to remove its non-core assets. A few companies had plans to buy the group. In the end, OCBC and Great Eastern did not sell the 37% stake away. The company used to house their headquarters on the fifth floor of Centrepoint in the department store but has since moved to Orchard Building for more retail space under the lead new CEO.
Meanwhile, probably as a result of the 1973 crisis, the Kuala Lumpur branch on Jalan Tun Perak (Masjid Jamek) also closed around 1975.[3] The building was acquired by United Asian Bank in 1976, and it was demolished to make way for the bank's headquarters (now called Menara UAB).[5] The store however made a comeback in Kuala Lumpur in 2007 after a thirty-two year absence when its new store opened at The Gardens, Mid Valley City. A second store is opened at Four Seasons Place (next to the Petronas Towers), thus marking Robinsons' return to Kuala Lumpur's central business district since its Masjid Jamek store closed in 1975.[6][7]
Sale to Lippo Group[edit]
In 2006, OCBC sold its 29.9% stake in the group to Indonesia's Lippo Group (under Auric Pacific Singapore) for S$203 million as they could not own more than 5% in non-core assets.[8] In October 2006, there was a controversial board meeting, with new owner Lippo booting out long serving chairman Michael Wong Pakshong. Another board member, Chew Gek Khim, who narrowly retained her seat in the board, resigned on 30 October 2006, after serving the board for 18 years. Chew was the chairman of its remuneration and nominating committees of the corporation. She is the granddaughter of the late Tan Sri Dr. Tan Chin Tuan, the latter invested in the company when he was at OCBC. Days later, the two remaining independent directors resigned from the company's board. They are Cham Tao Soon and Winston Tan. Stephen Riady told the media that he was interviewing candidates for new independent directors back in September. Stephen has been a board director of the company since Auric Pacific acquired the company. The fallout at the AGM has questioned several retail investors questioning the manner of how OCBC sold its stake in April 2006.[9]
Sale to Al Futtaim Group[edit]
In April 2008, the Al Futtaim Group bought 88% of the shares of Robinsons & Co. at S$7.20 per share.[10][11]
Under the new owners, the chain tried to go upmarket, opening a 20,800 square feet concept store at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands in September 2011. It was not successful, however, and closed just two years later in May 2013, with Mr Kraatz saying that the space was insufficient as "customers expect a full-fledged department store which sells everything when they step into Robinsons".[12] In June 2013, the store opened its first suburban branch with four floors of retail space at nearly 85,000 square feet,at Jem in Jurong East[13] and in November 2013, the Centrepoint flagship store closed when the lease expired. It moved to its current location in the Heeren, with an even bigger space of 186,000 sq ft spread over six floors of retail space.
In 2016, Robinsons & Co launched its first e-commerce website alongside the Autumn Winter 2016 Campaign. In 2017, Robinsons expands to Middle East, by opening a three-level store at Dubai Festival City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates[14][15]. In 2018, a three-level store at Kingdom Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was opened.[16][17]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Robinsons announced that it will close its Jem location in August 2020,[18] subsequently going to remaining stores on 30 October 2020, joining the list of closures such as Topshop, Hotwind and Esprit Holdings, and the store operating had been put under a creditors' voluntary winding-up. As of 31 October 2020, 22 staff will be transferred to Cotton On Group, 15 staff will be transferred to Fast Future Brands, and most of the staff will be transferred to other brands within the Al-Futtaim Group. 15 staff will be given early retirement.[19] Robinsons Malaysia also issued a similar statement on the same day.[20]
Spicer & Robinson was established on February 25, 1858 by Philip Robinson formerly from the west of England and a brother of Elisha Smith Robinson [1] and his business partner James Gaborian Spicer, who was a former keeper of the Singapore jail, and a partner in the shipwright business, it was located at Commercial Square. However, on October 5, 1859, less than two years after the partnership, James Spicer pulled out from the partnership in 5 October 1859, and the company was known as Robinson & Co.. Robinson found a new partner, George Rappa Jr.. At this point of time, Commercial Square was renamed Raffles Place. Robinson & Co. moved to the corner of North Bridge Road and Coleman Street.
Robinson developed his business a different way. He employed travelling representatives to canvass the Malay Archipelago and Borneo. Many of the Malay Rulers were among his customers, as well as King Mongkut of Siam.
Near the end of 1864, there was a financial crisis, firms crashed and hundreds of shops closed down. Robinson managed to survive during this period of time. A new shop was opened at Battery Road, and the company's first assistant was appointed from England, T. C. Loveridge, which took charge of a newly opened tailoring department. Loveridge took lessons in Singapore from an experienced cutter and first tried out his skill by cutting out a frockcoat for a colleague. It fitted well and the latter became a partner in the business. Robinson offered to sell out for £1,000 (which was a huge sum of money then), but Loveridge rejected the offer.
1881 was when Robinson died. His son, Stamford Raffles Robinson took over the business. In 1886, he employed A. W. Bean as assistant, eight years later making him his partner. The 1890s saw the company doing more business than ever before in the Malayan states (now Malaysia). The company launched a large advertising campaign in the Malay Mail and increase the number of travelling representatives. In 1891 the company moved to a bigger shop in Raffles Place.
Robinsons also stocked musical instruments in the early 1900s as most homes had a piano, gramophone among many. Robinson & Co. became a limited company in 1920, when Robinson and Bean were still partners. The carefree days of Singapore and the then Malaya were gone when the Great Depression came. The company's main store in Kuala Lumpur, which was located next to the Whiteaway Laidlaw department store, the present-day site of the Malaysian head office for OCBC Bank by the Masjid Jamek LRT station on Jalan Tun Perak,[2] opened in 1928 just before the start of the Depression. For many years the company operated at a loss until 1936 when it made a profit.[3] Stamford Robinson died in 1935 at 83 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The company moved to a newer and bigger store at Raffles Chambers in November 1941. The building was air-conditioned at the café, men and women hairdressing salons. The Japanese bombed the building on December 8, 1941, but business opened as usual the next day. It suffered damage when it was attacked again on 13 February 1942. The last days of the British fell to the Japanese, saw only one person running the cafe. Allied troops fighting in Malaya were unable to find supplies, and the Manager of the Kuala Lumpur branch could get camp beds for them.
Both stores were looted in the final days of the war. However, the company's $5,000 worth of silver and other valuables could not be retrieved. Even the best locksmiths or oxy-acetylene torches could not open the room.
The Raffles Place store was used as the headquarters of NAAFI and Ensa, the Services' entertainment organisation when the British returned to Singapore in 1945. Robinsons reopened in April 1946, business flourished and earned a profit of $1 million, the first time in history.
John Little's Marina Square store.
Robinsons acquired a 76% stake on John Little and the whole company in the end of 1955. The Raffles Place store was fully air-conditioned by then and was the first in the region. Robinsons got the franchise for Marks and Spencer for Singapore in 1958. On 21 November 1972, the Raffles Place outlet caught fire.[4] As a result, the building was reduced to rubble. Nine people died in the blaze. The store moved to Specialist's Shopping Centre on Orchard Road.
Robinsons at Centrepoint, Orchard Road during Christmas 2004.
Robinsons moved again to Centrepoint in June 1983 with 130,000 sq ft spread over five floors. The store went through a refurbishment in 2001 with a brand new look. It opened another store at Raffles City that same year in March. The Raffles City store used to be a Sogo outlet but closed down shortly after it filed bankruptcy.
In 2003, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation and Great Eastern was planning to sell away their joint stake in the company to remove its non-core assets. A few companies had plans to buy the group. In the end, OCBC and Great Eastern did not sell the 37% stake away. The company used to house their headquarters on the fifth floor of Centrepoint in the department store but has since moved to Orchard Building for more retail space under the lead new CEO.
Meanwhile, probably as a result of the 1973 crisis, the Kuala Lumpur branch on Jalan Tun Perak (Masjid Jamek) also closed around 1975.[3] The building was acquired by United Asian Bank in 1976, and it was demolished to make way for the bank's headquarters (now called Menara UAB).[5] The store however made a comeback in Kuala Lumpur in 2007 after a thirty-two year absence when its new store opened at The Gardens, Mid Valley City. A second store is opened at Four Seasons Place (next to the Petronas Towers), thus marking Robinsons' return to Kuala Lumpur's central business district since its Masjid Jamek store closed in 1975.[6][7]
Sale to Lippo Group[edit]
In 2006, OCBC sold its 29.9% stake in the group to Indonesia's Lippo Group (under Auric Pacific Singapore) for S$203 million as they could not own more than 5% in non-core assets.[8] In October 2006, there was a controversial board meeting, with new owner Lippo booting out long serving chairman Michael Wong Pakshong. Another board member, Chew Gek Khim, who narrowly retained her seat in the board, resigned on 30 October 2006, after serving the board for 18 years. Chew was the chairman of its remuneration and nominating committees of the corporation. She is the granddaughter of the late Tan Sri Dr. Tan Chin Tuan, the latter invested in the company when he was at OCBC. Days later, the two remaining independent directors resigned from the company's board. They are Cham Tao Soon and Winston Tan. Stephen Riady told the media that he was interviewing candidates for new independent directors back in September. Stephen has been a board director of the company since Auric Pacific acquired the company. The fallout at the AGM has questioned several retail investors questioning the manner of how OCBC sold its stake in April 2006.[9]
Sale to Al Futtaim Group[edit]
In April 2008, the Al Futtaim Group bought 88% of the shares of Robinsons & Co. at S$7.20 per share.[10][11]
Under the new owners, the chain tried to go upmarket, opening a 20,800 square feet concept store at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands in September 2011. It was not successful, however, and closed just two years later in May 2013, with Mr Kraatz saying that the space was insufficient as "customers expect a full-fledged department store which sells everything when they step into Robinsons".[12] In June 2013, the store opened its first suburban branch with four floors of retail space at nearly 85,000 square feet,at Jem in Jurong East[13] and in November 2013, the Centrepoint flagship store closed when the lease expired. It moved to its current location in the Heeren, with an even bigger space of 186,000 sq ft spread over six floors of retail space.
In 2016, Robinsons & Co launched its first e-commerce website alongside the Autumn Winter 2016 Campaign. In 2017, Robinsons expands to Middle East, by opening a three-level store at Dubai Festival City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates[14][15]. In 2018, a three-level store at Kingdom Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was opened.[16][17]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Robinsons announced that it will close its Jem location in August 2020,[18] subsequently going to remaining stores on 30 October 2020, joining the list of closures such as Topshop, Hotwind and Esprit Holdings, and the store operating had been put under a creditors' voluntary winding-up. As of 31 October 2020, 22 staff will be transferred to Cotton On Group, 15 staff will be transferred to Fast Future Brands, and most of the staff will be transferred to other brands within the Al-Futtaim Group. 15 staff will be given early retirement.[19] Robinsons Malaysia also issued a similar statement on the same day.[20]
angmoh time to close shop
time to bow down
time to repent
time to pay back
time to bow down
time to repent
time to pay back
KNN its subsidary Marks&Spencer is very high crass and most items are very expensive also up lorli KNN
If I remember, the lift is manned by a staff and can only accomodate about four persons?
Same sort of lifts used in Sinkieland in all high rise building
Wiki told my uncle KNN
Robinsons & Co. Pte Ltd is a retail company which has department stores in Singapore and Malaysia. The company owns the Robinsons department store, John Little in Singapore and has franchise outlets of Marks and Spencer in both countries.
You said Marks and Spencer is Robinsons subsidiary lah
Marks and Spencer’s , remember ?
M&S was founded in 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer in Leeds.[4] M&S currently has 959 stores across the U.K. including 615 that only sell food products, and through its television advertising, asserts the exclusive nature and luxury of its food and beverages; it also offers an online food delivery service.[5]
In 1998, the company became the first British retailer to make a pre-tax profit of over £1 billion,
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marks_&_Spencer
KNN my uncle need some advice what this statement actually mean KNN
Is it mean M&S franchise to Robinsons or Robinsons franchise to M&S ? KNN
Or franchise outlet of M&S simply rent Robinsons space KNN
Do department stores still have a future in Singapore?
A man walks past a window display of Robinsons retail outlet
A man walks past a window display of Robinsons department store in Singapore. (File photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)
Bookmark
SINGAPORE: In its 162 years of operations in Singapore, department store Robinsons survived bombings, a three-year closure during the Japanese occupation and a massive fire that burned down its S$21 million premises in Raffles Place.
But on Friday (Oct 30), Robinsons announced it was closing its last two outlets here at The Heeren and Raffles City Shopping Centre, joining the likes of Sogo, Daimaru and John Little in a list of department stores that have shuttered over the years.
Just two months earlier, it closed its seven-year-old, 85,000 sq ft outlet at Jem shopping mall.
The venerable retailer – which was acquired by Dubai-based Al-Futtaim Group for S$600 million in 2008 – cited weak consumer demand as one of the reasons for its closure. It also described the business model of department stores as “outdated”.
READ: Robinsons' customers in limbo over unfulfilled orders as suppliers await payments
The department store format as a one-stop shop for fashion, household products and other items has lost its appeal, said Singapore Management University associate professor of marketing education Seshan Ramaswami.
“The growth of e-commerce is one major cause of the decline, as many e-commerce sites can serve as that one-stop shopping destination on a 24/7 basis without the costs associated with hiring sales staff and renting prime space,” he told CNA.
Robinsons' outlet at Jem
File photo of Robinsons at Jem shopping mall before it closed in August 2020.
“Brick-and-mortar retailing is also somewhat of a real estate business – and making every square foot pay off in sales, while paying high rents and maintaining an uncluttered ambience is not easy for these sprawling department stores,” Dr Ramaswami said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has only hastened their decline, he added.
Retail rental in Singapore is unlikely to ever come down due to its being tied to real estate investment trusts (REITs), said Singapore Polytechnic School of Business senior lecturer Amos Tan.
It might only be a matter of time before more department stores join Robinsons, he said.
In August, Japanese department store chain Isetan recorded a net loss of S$317,000 for the quarter ending Jun 30, compared with a net profit of S$1.6 million during the same period last year.
Dr Ramaswami noted the Orchard Road shopping belt as well as other tourist-oriented malls like Marina Bay Sands have been particularly affected by COVID-19, due to both fewer local visitors and no tourist traffic.
READ: Goodbye Robinsons: A look at the department store's 160 years in Singapore
It does not help that some of Singapore's major sources of tourists – such as China, Indonesia and India – are now less keen on Singapore as a shopping destination, Dr Ramaswami said.
“The domestic retail scene in all those countries has improved dramatically in the last two decades, both online and physical formats,” he added.
john little
A John Little outlet at Plaza Singapura before it closed in 2016. (File photo: Tang See Kit)
Commenting on Robinsons’ closure last week, Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo noted that many feel a sense of loss at the closure of a long-standing retail institution. But for the younger generation, e-commerce platforms such as Shopee and Lazada have become the equivalent of department stores, she said.
In this vein, Robinsons had earlier this year set up shop on Lazada’s LazMall platform.
But it may not simply be a matter of establishing an online presence for department stores, said Singapore Polytechnic's Mr Tan. Online consumers tend to be more utilitarian in prioritising price over intangibles like brand history, he said.
“All these e-marketplaces allow you to compare prices, and that is one of the core behaviours of consumers today,” he said.
metro centrepoint
A view of Metro's Centrepoint store before it closed in 2019. (Photo: Facebook/Metro Singapore)
In order to entice customers, brick-and-mortar retailers going online have to enhance the overall shopping experience so buyers look beyond just dollars and cents, Mr Tan said.
This is more sustainable than competing on price, he said. “There's only one direction if you were to go into a price war, and that is southwards.”
A man walks past a window display of Robinsons retail outlet
A man walks past a window display of Robinsons department store in Singapore. (File photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)
Bookmark
SINGAPORE: In its 162 years of operations in Singapore, department store Robinsons survived bombings, a three-year closure during the Japanese occupation and a massive fire that burned down its S$21 million premises in Raffles Place.
But on Friday (Oct 30), Robinsons announced it was closing its last two outlets here at The Heeren and Raffles City Shopping Centre, joining the likes of Sogo, Daimaru and John Little in a list of department stores that have shuttered over the years.
Just two months earlier, it closed its seven-year-old, 85,000 sq ft outlet at Jem shopping mall.
The venerable retailer – which was acquired by Dubai-based Al-Futtaim Group for S$600 million in 2008 – cited weak consumer demand as one of the reasons for its closure. It also described the business model of department stores as “outdated”.
READ: Robinsons' customers in limbo over unfulfilled orders as suppliers await payments
The department store format as a one-stop shop for fashion, household products and other items has lost its appeal, said Singapore Management University associate professor of marketing education Seshan Ramaswami.
“The growth of e-commerce is one major cause of the decline, as many e-commerce sites can serve as that one-stop shopping destination on a 24/7 basis without the costs associated with hiring sales staff and renting prime space,” he told CNA.
Robinsons' outlet at Jem
File photo of Robinsons at Jem shopping mall before it closed in August 2020.
“Brick-and-mortar retailing is also somewhat of a real estate business – and making every square foot pay off in sales, while paying high rents and maintaining an uncluttered ambience is not easy for these sprawling department stores,” Dr Ramaswami said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has only hastened their decline, he added.
Retail rental in Singapore is unlikely to ever come down due to its being tied to real estate investment trusts (REITs), said Singapore Polytechnic School of Business senior lecturer Amos Tan.
It might only be a matter of time before more department stores join Robinsons, he said.
In August, Japanese department store chain Isetan recorded a net loss of S$317,000 for the quarter ending Jun 30, compared with a net profit of S$1.6 million during the same period last year.
Dr Ramaswami noted the Orchard Road shopping belt as well as other tourist-oriented malls like Marina Bay Sands have been particularly affected by COVID-19, due to both fewer local visitors and no tourist traffic.
READ: Goodbye Robinsons: A look at the department store's 160 years in Singapore
It does not help that some of Singapore's major sources of tourists – such as China, Indonesia and India – are now less keen on Singapore as a shopping destination, Dr Ramaswami said.
“The domestic retail scene in all those countries has improved dramatically in the last two decades, both online and physical formats,” he added.
john little
A John Little outlet at Plaza Singapura before it closed in 2016. (File photo: Tang See Kit)
Commenting on Robinsons’ closure last week, Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo noted that many feel a sense of loss at the closure of a long-standing retail institution. But for the younger generation, e-commerce platforms such as Shopee and Lazada have become the equivalent of department stores, she said.
In this vein, Robinsons had earlier this year set up shop on Lazada’s LazMall platform.
But it may not simply be a matter of establishing an online presence for department stores, said Singapore Polytechnic's Mr Tan. Online consumers tend to be more utilitarian in prioritising price over intangibles like brand history, he said.
“All these e-marketplaces allow you to compare prices, and that is one of the core behaviours of consumers today,” he said.
metro centrepoint
A view of Metro's Centrepoint store before it closed in 2019. (Photo: Facebook/Metro Singapore)
In order to entice customers, brick-and-mortar retailers going online have to enhance the overall shopping experience so buyers look beyond just dollars and cents, Mr Tan said.
This is more sustainable than competing on price, he said. “There's only one direction if you were to go into a price war, and that is southwards.”
Subsidiary vs Franchise
subsidiary is part of YOUR company
Franchise is not your company but an authorisation granted to your company
eg , John Little was acquired by Robinsons , therefore a subsidiary
Marks and Spencer’s is a bigger company than Robinsons but do want to operate by themselves in Sinkieland but franchise it’s name to operate by Robinsons in Sinkieland only
Maybe the Dubai company Al-Futtaim Group isn't doing well now.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...staff-in-other-retail-brands-after-announcing
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...staff-in-other-retail-brands-after-announcing
Paying rents is the killer. As mentioned by a forumner here. Those retailers that are surviving are those that already own their own retail space like mustafa.
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