$15m revamp for Parkway Parade

Source : Straits Times – 23 Jul 2009

PARKWAY Parade, one of the first suburban malls in Singapore, is undergoing an extensive $15 million revamp.

The renovations will add an annex block and an alfresco dining area to the popular shopping centre in Marine Parade.

The revamp, which began three months ago and is set to be completed in October, will integrate part of the mall’s ground-floor area – previously occupied by tenants like fast-food restaurants Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken – with its 720 sq m outdoor refreshment area.

Before the changes, the outdoor area housed food outlets and cafes such as Long John Silver’s and Starbucks.

When completed, the new wing will be air-conditioned and will feature new tenants, including an outlet of the Western casual dining chain New York New York and Pu Tien Restaurant, which serves Heng Hua cuisine.

To cater to Singaporeans’ love affair with food, more food and beverage outlets will be added and the alfresco dining area will be set up on the second level of the new wing. The rest of the mall will also be spruced up.

New floor tiles will be added to make it look brighter, while waterless urinals will be installed.

Parkway Parade, which turned 25 in March, sees about 1.7 million shoppers each month.

The main reason for the revamp, said its property manager Lend Lease, is to allow the mall to ’stay ahead of the competition…especially in the face of increasing competition from malls in the East and the others in the Orchard belt’. Several new shopping centres have opened this year, including Tampines 1, Orchard Central and Ion Orchard.

Parkway Parade, which has six floors of shops and a 17-storey office tower, opened in 1984. Once touted as the biggest shopping complex here, with a total floor area of 123,000 sq m, it was very popular at the start.

However, when MRT trains began running in 1987 – making it much easier for Singaporeans to travel from the suburbs to areas like Orchard Road or to other suburban malls – the centre lost some of its sheen.

Lend Lease, which took over management of the mall in 2000, carried out development works seven years ago, bringing in new tenants like Giant Hypermarket and upgrading parts of the centre.

Retailers at the mall are hoping the latest upgrade will give business a shot in the arm.

Ms Regine Lim, owner of the Nail De Classic salon, who has been a tenant there for seven years, said business has been hit this year because of the recession and recent H1N1 fears.

Young East-side dwellers such as student Byorn Tan, 14, are also looking forward to the new-look mall.

Said the Secondary 2 student: ‘Parkway has been there for as long as I remember. But there isn’t much to eat and do there, it seems to cater to older shoppers.

‘It will be more attractive if there are more cafes and fast-food joints for students to chill and hang out.’