Chinatown Business Association wins tender to manage iconic Smith Street in Chinatown
The tender was assessed based upon price and the quality of each provided concept. It brought in five several bidders when the tender came March, including CBA which submitted the winning offer of $123,000. As the master lessee, CBA will manage the buildings for 5 years plus a second term of 4 years.
The Chinatown Business Association (CBA) has won the tender for a row of renowned shophouses throughout Smith Road in Chinatown. CBA includes stakeholders operating in Chinatown, including business leaders, grassroots leaders, Chinese clan associations, hoteliers, hawkers and merchants.
Noontalk Media submitted the highest quote 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 quote from IGYM Fitness.
The master occupant are going to take on the integrated management of the shophouses and a surrounding State land plot, which have a total acreage of 34,066 sq ft and an approximated gross floor location of 33,065 sq ft.
According to SLA, the revitalised Smith Street will see a brand-new line-up of way of living methods and eating experiences. It claims that CBA’s bid of “set apart way of life principles, complementary programmes and enhancements to the general public world intends to better promote regional Chinese heritage and strengthen the identity of the location”.
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Lim claims that the tender movement was “really competitive” but CBA benefitted from its active visibility in the precinct for over two decades. “Over the 2 decades, we have actually constructed and sustained relationships, and this has actually afforded us an ingrained link to the ground,” she claims. The organisation has organised past occasion such as wide-scale event celebrations such as 5 Footway Festival and Dumpling Event, to motif markets, street tasks, events and workshops.
“Visitors to Chinatown Singapore can look forward to more curated offerings and experiences for both citizens and travellers upon the conclusion of the Smith Street rejuvenation project. We are looking to generate much more engaging and experiential neighborhood programmes, along with more various offerings such as innovative way of life, retail and co-living/co-working practices, while preserving and celebrating the location’s ethnical and architectural culture,” claims Lim Yick Suan, executive supervisor, Chinatown Business Association.
She adds that CBA will introduce “distinctly Singaporean F&B offerings and worldwide food products for both residents and visitors to indulge in at Smith Road”.
The tender to appoint a sole master occupant to manage the historical row of shophouses at 11 to 37 Smith Street was collectively launched by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) back in November last year.
“This experience is unique to CBA, and we intend to take advantage of on our connections in the neighborhood and knowledge of Chinatown Singapore’s heritage and culture to inject more excitement to Smith Road and Chinatown Singapore,” states Lim.
