CapitaLand rejuvenates retail and lifestyle offerings at its downtown properties in Singapore
- Raffles City Singapore to embark on asset enhancement initiative to welcome more specialty retail and large format stores
- Funan to open highly-anticipated underground pedestrian link that provides seamless sheltered connectivity from City Hall MRT on 21 December
- Latest integrated development CapitaSpring to introduce new F&B offerings including world’s highest food forest
Singapore, 20 December 2021 – Ever keeping a close pulse on consumer tastes, CapitaLand is forging ahead with rejuvenation plans of its downtown properties to stay ahead of evolving lifestyle needs and preferences as Singapore gradually reopens its borders and more workers are expected to return to their offices from January 2022. Consumers can look forward to new and exciting offerings at Raffles City Singapore, Funan and Clarke Quay in Central Singapore as well as at CapitaSpring in the Raffles Place Central Business District (CBD).
Mr Chris Chong, CEO of Retail and Workspace (Singapore and Malaysia), CapitaLand Investment, said, “CapitaLand is always looking out for new and innovative ways to engage consumers through unique retail concepts and relatable experiential lifestyle offerings. The rejuvenation of Raffles City Singapore will pave the way to welcome more trend-setting experiences, while the new underground pedestrian link at Funan serves a dual function to improve the mall’s connectivity and act as a platform to showcase works by the vibrant local art community. In the Raffles Place CBD, we will be introducing new F&B concepts including the world’s highest food forest at the rooftop of CapitaSpring from 1Q 2022. These ongoing initiatives will anchor our properties as lifestyle destinations with quality retail offerings.”
Raffles City Singapore to embark on asset enhancement initiative
Raffles City Singapore will be embarking on an asset enhancement initiative from January 2022 to 4Q 2022 as part of the mall’s scheduled rejuvenation plan to present highly sought-after retail options. Under the plan, about 111,000 square feet of retail space at levels 1 to 3, currently occupied by anchor tenants, will be reconfigured to accommodate more specialty retail and large format stores. New escalators will also be installed at these three levels to enhance accessibility for shoppers. The upgrading will expand the repertoire of brands at Raffles City Singapore, which is home to the flagships of established international brands in fashion, beauty and lifestyle, including soon-to-open Sephora as well as latest additions Acqua di Parma, Calvin Klein’s 3-in-1 concept store, ELEMIS London and RATIONALE.
Fairmont and Swissotel The Stamford, under the Accor group and part of Raffles City Singapore, recently launched House of Wei, a new modern Chinese restaurant concept with a contemporary flair to classic Chinese cuisine inspired by Master Chef Mok’s 42-year culinary journey. Internationally celebrated fine-dining restaurant, Jaan by Kirk Westaway has earned another coveted Michelin star, rising to a two-star ranking as it celebrates its fifth year of recognition since Singapore’s inaugural list in 2016.
In connection with this scheduled rejuvenation, One Assembly, a creative collaboration between BHG Singapore and Raffles City Singapore, will be concluding on 3 January 2022 after a year of successful partnership.
Funan to open underground pedestrian link and host Singapore Art Week 2022
Mixed used development Funan is opening its brand new 100-metre underground pedestrian link tomorrow (21 December), which directly links its Basement 2 to the City Hall MRT interchange station. This will improve the building’s connectivity for both shoppers and working executives to various destinations in Singapore’s Civic District, including Raffles City Singapore and Saint Andrew’s Cathedral.
From 14 January to 13 February 2022, Funan will be organising the second edition of its art-meets-retail programme, Creative Intersections: In the Year of the Tiger, to showcase fresh collaborations between artists and brands as part of Singapore Art Week (SAW) 2022. Curated by Chan + Hori Contemporary, the mall-wide activation at Funan is based on a specially-commissioned fictional narrative based on a trip to the zoo, and seeks to engage both art lovers and shoppers to access art easily across the areas of fashion, food, lifestyle and more. Visual artist Muhammad Izdi will be designing artwork revolving around Funan’s passion themes - Tech, Craft, Play, Fit, Chic and Taste. A new series of non-fungible token (NFT) artworks will be created by fashion photographer Shavonne Wong for this collaboration, while tech artist Eugene Soh will be creating a tiger-themed Augmented Reality (AR) filter for Instagram. Shavonne and Eugene’s artworks will be showcased inside Funan’s underground pedestrian link during SAW 2022, as well as a new NFT artwork by artist and illustrator Kristal Melson, created for her partnership with the Love, Bonito brand as part of Creative Intersections.
Funan is currently hosting the world premiere of Molly 15: Into The Future exhibition till 2 January 2022, as part of a collaboration between CapitaLand and its tenant POP MART, one of the largest players in the collectible art toy market in Asia. Visitors to Funan can also check out newly opened home décor store Chokmah, athleisure wear Mulawear, insulated flask label Hydroflask, Taiwanese bakery Kazo or dine at Hong Kong restaurant Legendary Hong Kong. More new stores in Funan’s pipeline include Little Ribbon Pasta Co, Boost Juice, Smile Dessert and fitness gym X-Fitness.
Riverfront dining at Clarke Quay
For dining options by the riverfront, Clarke Quay, a short walking distance from Funan, offers a plethora of local and fusion dining choices. Recently added offerings at Clarke Quay include Japanese dining omakase concept Sushi Ichizkue, speakeasy bar Here Kitty Kitty and SG Hawker, which serves up traditional local street food for an authentic taste of Singapore and its hawker culture. Clarke Quay has also brought in unique pop-up stores such as Chorong Pocha, Minion Café and Hopheads.
More options are in the works as Clarke Quay looks ahead to refreshing its offerings in tandem with the rejuvenation of the Singapore River precinct, which will be welcoming the landmark integrated development CanningHill Piers in 2025.
World’s highest food forest at new CBD skyscraper CapitaSpring
The office community at Raffles Place CBD will have more F&B options to look forward to at the 51-storey integrated development CapitaSpring. F&B and lifestyle group, 1-Group, will be launching its most ambitious concept to-date, 1-Arden, at CapitaSpring. The 1-Arden concept comprises of award-winning café Bee’s Knees Urban on level 1, Latin-European bistro Sol & Luna on level 17 (opening in 1Q 2022), Singapore’s latest sky-high destination KAARLA (opening in 1Q 2022) serving Coastal Australian cuisine, and Oumi (opening in 1Q 2022) a modern Kappo dining and raw bar, both supported by fresh produce farmed from the world's highest food forest on level 51. Patrons can use the CapitaStar@Work app to order food and drinks from 1-Group’s F&B outlets direct to their offices, serviced residence units or anywhere within the Green Oasis and communal spaces at CapitaSpring.
Customers can get their caffeine boost at crowd favourite %Arabica (opening in 1Q 2022) and cold pressed juices at Re.juve (opening in 1Q 2022), or shop for wines from all over the world at Crystal Wines (opening in December 2021).
