Largest warehouse retail mall to open in Jurong East

Singapore's largest warehouse retail mall is set to open in Jurong East by the fourth quarter of this year after earlier delays.

The $320 million mall will be the first here to feature a drive- through option for shoppers to pick up goods ordered online.

Developer TT International said yesterday that the 1.3 million sq ft project - its first shopping mall here - has 400,000 sq ft of retail and dining space. Warehouse and logistics facilities will take up 600,000 sq ft and an exhibition hall, 70,000 sq ft.

The eight-storey complex will be connected to the Jurong East MRT station and bus terminal, neighbouring malls such as Jem, Westgate and JCube, and the nearby Ng Teng Fong Hospital and Jurong Community Hospital.

TT International, a Singapore-listed firm, will be the mall's sole operator and will sell products from its house brands, such as Akira and Barang Barang, in addition to new imported labels. The firm will also run a hypermarket at the mall under its "Big Box" brand.

"Unlike most other malls, which function as landlords with tenant retailers, Big Box will have a single vendor which will seek to increase retail volumes and pass on cost savings to shoppers," said Mr Wong Ah Long, chief executive of Big Box.

TT International executive director Julia Tong said the project will differentiate itself with the drive-through allowing shoppers to buy goods online and pick them up "within five minutes".

Big Box will be the last and largest project built under the Economic Development Board's Warehouse Retail Scheme introduced in 2004. The other three are Ikea, Courts and Giant, all in Tampines. The scheme allows industrial land to be used for retail and warehousing.

TT International had acquired the mall's 5.6ha site from JTC Corporation for $43 million in 2007, and the mall was initially slated for completion in 2009. But the development met setbacks during the global financial crisis and when its partner, Lucrum Capital, pulled out its $200 million investment in July 2012.

TT International later secured an investment of $92 million from Utraco Investment and Prima BB in December 2012, and also obtained a loan of $125 million from The Great Eastern Life Assurance Company and The Overseas Assurance Corp last year.

TT International will own 51 per cent of Big Box, while Utraco Investment will hold 30.4 per cent and Prima BB, the remaining 18.6 per cent.

Big Box will also be a "collaborative business hub" for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that find it hard to set up shop in malls, and the firm is in discussions with Spring Singapore and the Infocomm Development Authority, said Ms Tong.

"The problem SMEs face is high business costs, where rental is a major contributor. If we can... bring down business costs by improving efficiency, that is what we can facilitate."

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Largest warehouse retail mall to open in Jurong East

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