Slowing retail sales in Singapore may have been the gentle braking pressure applied to retailers, local mall operators and its REIT equivalents like CapitaLand Mall Trust, Starhill Global REIT and Fraser Centrepoint Trust, but this braking pressure could get even greater due to an obvious but often underestimated secular trend – online shopping.
Online shopping is by no means an unheard of disruptive technology; it’s been a part of our lives for many years and its impact on malls on Singapore have not been overly drastic. Over in the United States, its effect has been profound with many malls shuttering permanently.
This might change in the near future.
Tech titan Amazon has been mentioned heavily in the media recently regarding their entry into Southeast Asia via Singapore. They’ve also leased a 100,000 sq. ft. space in Jurong from Mapletree Logistics with aims of turning ......