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SINGAPORE - A protracted dispute between tenants and managing agent at The Verge shopping mall - Tekka Mall before the revamp in 2008 - in Serangoon Road has resulted in a number of tenants refusing to pay rent.
Tenants MediaCorp spoke to claimed that they were promised by Knight Frank, the mall's management in 2009, that 35 per cent of the mall would house crowd-drawing IT and electronic stores. In short, that the shopping centre would be an IT mall.
One tenant, Ms Josephine Chua, said she took up units based on that premise in 2009 but were greeted by furniture shops filling up the spaces around them instead.
"When 1st October (2009) came, the third floor was opened for business. I got a shock, because half of it was leased out to furniture stores on a temporary lease basis. I signed my lease on the premise that the IT mall was going to happen," said Ms Chua, who has refused to pay rent since November that year.
She alleged that since UGL Services took over management of the mall in July last year, she had been getting legal letters chasing her for the rent.
On Saturday, she found herself locked out of her two shops. "The landlord has locked me out and four other shops on the same level as well," said Ms Chua.
Another tenant, Crocodile, who has been with the mall for 10 years, has also not been paying rent for at least six months.
"Ever since the mall was revamped and re-opened in 2009, our business has dropped more than 30 per cent. Despite the festive periods during Hari Raya or Deepavali, business never picked up. It's very bad. We appealed to the mall's managing agents and kept telling them to run promotions and marketing activities but they refuse to listen to us."
When contacted, UGL Services said it had run marketing efforts to increase business since taking over the mall.
UGL Services said in a statement: "We have assisted the tenants by offering concessions, conducting numerous marketing efforts and activities so as to help bring in business and increase traffic to the mall. The occupancy rate of the mall has picked up since we took over. With newly secured tenancies, we have achieved an occupancy rate of over 95 per cent. We are confident that with time, we will be able to successfully increase the profile of the mall and achieve greater heights of success."
Tenants MediaCorp spoke to claimed that they were promised by Knight Frank, the mall's management in 2009, that 35 per cent of the mall would house crowd-drawing IT and electronic stores. In short, that the shopping centre would be an IT mall.
One tenant, Ms Josephine Chua, said she took up units based on that premise in 2009 but were greeted by furniture shops filling up the spaces around them instead.
"When 1st October (2009) came, the third floor was opened for business. I got a shock, because half of it was leased out to furniture stores on a temporary lease basis. I signed my lease on the premise that the IT mall was going to happen," said Ms Chua, who has refused to pay rent since November that year.
She alleged that since UGL Services took over management of the mall in July last year, she had been getting legal letters chasing her for the rent.
On Saturday, she found herself locked out of her two shops. "The landlord has locked me out and four other shops on the same level as well," said Ms Chua.
Another tenant, Crocodile, who has been with the mall for 10 years, has also not been paying rent for at least six months.
"Ever since the mall was revamped and re-opened in 2009, our business has dropped more than 30 per cent. Despite the festive periods during Hari Raya or Deepavali, business never picked up. It's very bad. We appealed to the mall's managing agents and kept telling them to run promotions and marketing activities but they refuse to listen to us."
When contacted, UGL Services said it had run marketing efforts to increase business since taking over the mall.
UGL Services said in a statement: "We have assisted the tenants by offering concessions, conducting numerous marketing efforts and activities so as to help bring in business and increase traffic to the mall. The occupancy rate of the mall has picked up since we took over. With newly secured tenancies, we have achieved an occupancy rate of over 95 per cent. We are confident that with time, we will be able to successfully increase the profile of the mall and achieve greater heights of success."
