Singapore retailers ask landlords for three months of rental rebates as coronavirus impact stings
- Some 300 businesses have banded together to ask their landlords to halve rents for three months as customers stay away
- They say they won’t close shops in a strike but have taken note of Hong Kong retailers’ coordinated efforts
More than 300 retailers in Singapore have banded together to ask their landlords for a lifeline amid plummeting sales, as the coronavirus outbreak keeps both tourists and local shoppers away from once-bustling malls.
The retailers, acting as an informal grouping called Singapore Tenants United for Fairness, are asking for 50 per cent rebates off three months’ rent and have produced a template that each one can use to write to their landlords. They intend to liaise with local authorities and business associations as a collective.
“We are learning from what the tenants in Hong Kong did,” said a member of the collective, who runs a 10,000 sq ft store in central Singapore.
The group includes brands from various trades, including bag retailer Bagzx, maternity wear shop Bove and waxing salon Pink Parlour.