Chinatown Business Association wins tender to manage iconic Smith Street in Chinatown
The master occupant will take on the integrated management of the shophouses and an adjacent State land story, which have an overall acreage of 34,066 sq ft and an estimated gross flooring area of 33,065 sq ft.
The Chinatown Business Association (CBA) has actually won the tender for a row of iconic shophouses along Smith Road in Chinatown. CBA consists of stakeholders operating in Chinatown, like business leaders, grassroots leaders, Chinese clan organizations, hoteliers, hawkers and merchants.
The tender was reviewed based upon cost and the high quality of each provided concept. It brought in 5 different prospective buyers the minute the tender closed in March, involving CBA which sent the winning offer of $123,000. As the master renter, CBA will manage the properties for five years plus a 2nd term of four years.
The tender to assign a single master tenant to supervise the historical row of shophouses at 11 to 37 Smith Street was jointly launched by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) back in November in 2023.
According to SLA, the revitalised Smith Street are going to see a brand-new line-up of way of living practices and eating experiences. It states that CBA’s pitch of “separated way of living concepts, corresponding programmes and upgrades to the public realm aims to better promote regional Chinese heritage and reinforce the identity of the area”.
“Visitors to Chinatown Singapore can eagerly anticipate more curated offerings and experiences for both residents and visitors upon the completion of the Smith Street rejuvenation project. We are looking to generate extra engaging and experiential community programmes, in addition to even more different offerings such as creative lifestyle, retail industry and co-living/co-working strategies, whilst maintaining and enjoying the place’s cultural and architectural culture,” states Lim Yick Suan, executive head, Chinatown Business Association.
Hillock Green showflat location
She includes that CBA will introduce “distinctly Singaporean F&B offerings and international food offerings for both locals and vacationers to appreciate at Smith Street”.
Noontalk Media submitted the highest proposal of $180,000, followed by runner-up CBA. Other bids ranged from $108,174 from Benlo Ventures to $68,177 from ABR Holdings and a $53,000 proposal from IGYM Fitness.
Lim states that the tender movement was “very challenging” but CBA gained from its energetic visibility in the precinct for over twenty years. “Over the two decades, we have built and nurtured connections, and this has afforded us an ingrained link to the ground,” she states. The organisation has indeed arranged past occasion such as wide-scale event celebrations such as 5 Footway Celebration and Dumpling Event, to themed markets, street activities, occasions and workshops.
“This experience is one-of-a-kind to CBA, and we want to leverage on our relationships in the area and understanding of Chinatown Singapore’s heritage and society to infuse even more dynamics to Smith Street and Chinatown Singapore,” states Lim.
