Singapore retail industry

Abstract

This report aims to provide a comprehensive study of the history of Singapore retailing, its

current trend and future outlook. In addition, this pilot study includes factors affecting the

Singapore retail industry, the legal environment and the economics ofthe industry.

A study on shopping malls as a consumer habitat has also been conducted to substantiate

one of the future trends facing the industry. In all, this is the first study in bringing a

comprehensive picture of retailing activities in Singapore, giving the readers a closer step

towards understanding the Singapore 'r etail industry.

Part one of the report presents a case study of the retail industry in Singapore, in which a

systematic analysis was undertaken to background information of the industry. One

information obtained has been integrated to provide a profile of the industry - tracing its

historical beginnings, forces that shaped the industry, and challenges ahead.

In part two of the report, an exploratory survey was conducted to examme how

consumers use shopping malls in Singapore. The concept of retail habitat has received a

great deal of attention in retail research in recent years where the focus is on the social

habits of consumers when they visit retail stores rather than buyer behavior as most

previous studies emphasized. To the best of our knowledge, this study of retail habitat in

the first attempted in the ASEAN countries.