Source:http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/1146572/1/.html

CityLink to get S$10m makeover
Posted: 12 August 2011 0720 hrs

SINGAPORE: CityLink Mall, the subterranean mall linking One Raffles Link with City Hall and Esplanade MRT stations, will soon undergo a S$10 million makeover some 10 years after it opened.

The focal point of the refurbishment will be the mall entrances at City Hall and Esplanade MRT stations, as well as One Raffles Link.

The refurbished mall will see new ceilings and patterned marble flooring.

Way finders and mall directories will be redesigned, and new feature walls will be installed, to showcase the latest offerings and promotions by mall tenants.

CityLink Mall is the retail component of One Raffles Link, which is managed by Hongkong Land.

In a press release issued on Thursday, Hongkong Land said the refurbishment will take place for a year, starting from the third quarter of this year.

It assured business will continue as usual, with refurbishment works only carried out during the Mall's closing hours between midnight and 6am.

This will ensure the smooth flow of shoppers and commuters along the mall linking One Raffles Link with City Hall and Esplanade MRT stations, which has a footfall of 1.4 million people every month.

- TODAY/wk

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Sad to see that Borders at Wheelock Place will be closing down so suddenly at the end of next week :down:

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1147976/1/.html

The Borders Bookstore at Wheelock Place has entered its last chapter. It is closing its flagship store for good following disputes with its landlord.

The store has less than a week to clear out from its current premises.

For the past few days now, book lovers only saw a 'The Store is Closed' sign at the entrance of the bookstore at Wheelock Place.

Then, on Friday afternoon, staff of the bookstore at Wheelock Place were seen clearing the shelves.

Singapore's Borders Bookstore had stood strong even as its US and Australia branches closed one by one, struggling to keep up with digital media.

But it is not free of troubles either, as a dispute with its landlord Wheelock Properties seems to have shut its flagship store for good.

Tim Reid, interim judicial manager of Borders, said: "The rent cheque for August was not paid in the beginning of the month. And when the cheque was issued, initially there were some errors in the cheque - the amount and words did not reflect the amount and digits, and there was a need for a new cheque to be issued.

However, Wheelock Properties was not willing to alter its position that the Borders store remain closed, despite the store's attempt to negotiate.

Borders is one of the most iconic stores at Wheelock Place. Although the book chain has another store at Parkway Parade, many book lovers MediaCorp spoke to were surprised and concerned that the store at Wheelock Place remained closed.

Its judicial manager said the priority now is to remove Borders' stock from its premises by August 23.

Some of the books will be transferred to its Parkway Parade branch, while the rest will be sold at a discounted price at a book sale.

There are no plans yet to open a new outlet.

^^ I was also quite surprised by this news. I hope that they consider opening another store somewhere else. I would definitely miss the Wheelock flagship shop. hno:

You guys do know that Borders has had some troubling few months, right? It shouldn't come to a surprise that they are closing stores.

^^ Well, we know that the parent company went bust but the BORDERS here wasn't really affected.

I will too.....hno: It was the best book store along Orchard Roadhno:

Mith252 said:

^^ I was also quite surprised by this news. I hope that they consider opening another store somewhere else. I would definitely miss the Wheelock flagship shop. hno:

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When they changed the carpet, and changed the lighting to fluoresent white lights, it was bad... They were dying.

Vrooms said:

I will too.....hno: It was the best book store along Orchard Roadhno:

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Well, we still have kinokuniya, although its less accessible.

I actually find Kinokuniya is better than other bookstores, even in Malaysia.

haha!!:lol: I wonder whats going to open there when borders is gone...........

ddes said:

When they changed the carpet, and changed the lighting to fluoresent white lights, it was bad... They were dying.

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Hopefully something with as much character as Borders had...

LANE CRAWFORD!! Please return!

Nah, I doubt so. The location is pretty prime. I'd expect there are lots of retailers of any kind would be anxious to pay a premium to set up shop there.

Vrooms said:

haha!!:lol: I wonder whats going to open there when borders is gone...........

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^^Yeah Lane Crawford would be great. I love their store at IFC Hong Kong!!

Just because of one dispute over rent and out they go? Read from news seem that it's a miscommunication between the 2 parties

^^Yup. Actually is sound a bit childish:lol: Borders has been Wheelock's anchor tenant for 13 years.............

-deleted-

All quiet at Wheelock Place after Borders bookstore closure hno:

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_709906.html

Plunge in shopper traffic at mall after bookshop's closure.

By Ng Kai Ling

Things were all going to plan for Ms Kathleen Loi. Her stationery shop, Ri Stationers, had just opened in Wheelock Place and it seemed to go hand in hand with the paper-loving crowd that bookstore Borders was attracting.

The situation is less certain now for her four-month-old shop on the second floor, after the bookstore closed for good last month.

'Borders was one of the reasons that I chose this location,' the 28-year-old said. 'Business was just picking up. Now, without an anchor tenant, there are fewer people.'

Borders moved into Wheelock in 1997, a year after luxury department store Lane Crawford folded. In its heyday, it drew thousands of people to the mall each week, and upmarket shops such as EpiCentre, which sells Apple products, and bag shop Crumpler opened there.


What happened to The Heeren?

SHOPPING mall The Heeren is a shadow of its former self.

Once bustling with young people hungry for the latest in music and fashion, the 15-year-old mall is visibly less busy. At least half the building seems unoccupied. The mall slowly lost its buzz over the last five years as key tenants such as restaurant Marche and music store HMV started leaving.

For a while, the youth haven of a mall was left with a 25,000-sq-ft hole where HMV once stood, until fashion and accessories store ALT moved in last July.

But it called it quits in February.

The mall, managed by Swee Cheng Management, has yet to find another anchor tenant and its spokesman would say only that it is in the process of reviewing its position and tenant mix.

Mr Ong Kah Seng, senior manager of research at Cushman & Wakefield, said that besides tough competition from the other malls, The Heeren could be having problems attracting tenants that fit its identity. 'Another issue could be the big space. It could be hard to find a single anchor tenant to take over,' he added.

Meanwhile, the mall is holding 'tactical promotions' to attract people. Last month, it had an 'Eat Shop N Save' deal, where shoppers and diners received a $10 voucher with every $28 spent at any outlet.

The spokesman said: 'The response was overwhelming and we believe it helped to maintain steady traffic flow to the mall.'

NG KAI LING

Looks like Borders is closing up just about everywhere

Hope you get some good stores to replace them!!

more sad news for borders fanshno:

Source:http://sg.news.yahoo.com/parkway-parade-s-borders-to-close-on-26-september.html

Parkway Parade's Borders to close on 26 September
By Fann Sim | Yahoo! Newsroom – Fri, Sep 23, 2011

The Borders branch at Parkway Parade will close permanently come Monday 9 pm.

The book shop has started a final closing down sale with a 70 per cent discount on all stock in the store.

This closure of Borders' only remaining outlet here comes shortly after its flagship store at Wheelock Place shut down suddenly in August due to a rental dispute with the landlord.

In a statement, Tim Reid of Ferrier Hodgson, the judicial manager of Borders, said that Borders USA had terminated the brand license agreement with Borders Singapore on Wednesday. The latter has therefore to stop all activities authorised through the agreement.

Borders Singapore had secured rights to the use of the “Borders” brand and intellectual property rights through a brand license agreement that was secured when the Australian, New Zealand and Singaporean Borders operations were purchased from Borders USA.

Reid said he was offered an extension of the lease of Borders' Parkway Parade store, which was to expire at the end of October, but "the response from customers to the sale we have been running has been so pleasing that the economics of extending the lease were not persuading."

Reid added that he will soon advise creditors, including gift card holders, how he proposes to deal with their claims.

“Finally, I would like to thank the customers of Borders who have, over the last several weeks, continued to support the company. I know that the staff have appreciated the frequent kind and encouraging words many customers have expressed to them. It is certainly a sad time," he said.

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Source:http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sub/latest/story/0,4574,462822,00.html

October 31, 2011, 7.19 pm (Singapore time)
ARA Trust unveils S$400m makeover of Suntec City
By ANGELA TAN

ARA Trust Management (Suntec) Limited, the manager of Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust (Suntec REIT), announced on Monday a S$410 million remake of Suntec City.

'The remaking will transform Suntec City into a more exciting shopping and MICE destination,' the company said in a statement.

The remake, which is scheduled to start in mid-2012, will comprise a S$230 million capital expenditure in remaking Suntec City Mall and a further S$180 million on Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, which Suntec REIT holds an effective interest of 60.8%.

On completion in mid-2015, Suntec City will offer almost 1 million sq ft of retail lettable space.

Suntec City Mall's net property income is expected to increase by 33% or S$23 million.

'This would represent a 10.1% return on investment for unitholders and an 84% increase in capital value over capital expenditure,' the company said.

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