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Malls haven’t cut back on festive decor despite gloomy economic outlook
Channel NewsAsia - 1 hour 21 minutes ago
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s shopping malls have been decked out in the lead—up to the yuletide splurge.
Christmas finery doesn’t come cheap. On average, decor takes up about 20 per cent of a mall’s total Christmas budget. It may be a tall order for some in these hard times but still essential for others.
Even if it means putting up Singapore’s largest Christmas tree at Singapore’s biggest mall VivoCity.
Chang Yeng Cheong, deputy general manager, VivoCity, said: "We have not cut down our expenses and we have gone on with our plans."
Joanna Low, general manager, Raffles City Singapore, said: "In terms of Christmas decor we’ve maintained the budget."
Raffles City appears to have raised the bar on ingenuity. It is deciding against what it calls "run—of—the—mill character shows" and opting instead for an indoor circus act.
Rather than scaling back, Frasers Centrepoint Malls raised its Christmas decor budget across its seven properties.
Capitaland Retail’s 15 malls maintained the same festive decor budget as last year.
Tangs increased its in—store activities to entice shoppers to linger longer.
VivoCity went further with a specially commissioned Dick Lee musical for selected shoppers.
But will these gimmicks loosen purse strings?
Said one man in the street: "The staff and the product is the one that attracts me, not the decor."
Most malls were tight—lipped about sales figures but seemed happy with the crowds.
Ms Joanna continued: “In terms of 'foot—fall’, the traffic has actually improved because of the shows that we’ve put up. For November last year and this year, we’ve increased about 5 to 10 per cent.”
Mr Chang added: "In terms of traffic, this year we are up 10 per cent.”
Many retailers have resorted to holding sales as early as a month before Christmas to ensure that there’s something for everyone and for every budget. — CNA/vm
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