Orchard Road lacks a strong sense of identity and is losing its purpose as a common space.
Lack of unity
- Not conceived as coherent shopping and entertainment street - grown piecemeal, lined with disparate buildings and side kiosks.
- Malls built or knocked down to accommodate needs of a particular point of time.
- Gives it an interesting character as compared to many European shopping streets, but could be a reason why it lacks identity.
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| Street performer |
Lack of local brands (and awareness), negative public's mentality
'Shoddy', 'no appeal' and 'unpopular' - Singaporeans' mentality of local brands, quoted from interviews and sources online. As one blogger says aptly of local fashion brands -
Their items are staples in my wardrobe ... happy to try out ... more local retailers like them - if I knew who they were.
Another quote -
I admire my Japanese counterparts a lot. There is a strong national pride about them, and this is reflected in their patronization of products manufactured by their own countrymen. Despite ... brand names from the west, they still remain proud owners of local brands... We Singaporeans on the other hand have only one Creative ZEN to turn to.
... setback for our national development if we are always told that we are not good enough, and thus, we constantly need foreign infusion... we fail to instill national pride, which is the seed of our national development.
Inclusiveness - pricing and nature of shops/eateries
A shopping belt shouldn't be created for just tourists or rich people, but for everyone. With new malls emerging (ION, Orchard Central, 313@Somerset), many products aren't easily affordable unless you're of at least upper-middle class. A typical dress can cost over S$100.
After several visits to malls (including Plaza Singapura, Far East Plaza, ION Orchard, Somerset@313 and Orchard Central) - it was observed that in ION, about half the shoppers were there to window-shop and not actually buy products. When asked, two shop managers suggested similar sentiments - customers find the products expensive and prefer to only view, not purchase. Restaurants at Orchard Central (and some in Somerset@313) were strangely devoid of customers even at the peak hour of 7pm.
An online advertisement -
Don't get fooled into buying from the overpriced Orchard Road stores. Take a trip to a one-stop shop in Little India called Mustafa Centre. Everything you need ...for a fraction of the price.Read more
If this becomes an increasingly popular opinion among savvy shoppers, what will become of Orchard Road?
No collective attachment/deeper meaning
The older generation (now in their 30s and 40s) remembers the Old Orchard Road that offered a mix of local and exotic food, cheap prices...good bargains. We understand that rapid change has saddened the older generation as they are familiar with trademarks (be it physical or intangible) that have been lost or replaced. Quote a woman in her late 30s-
I, for one, was a 'Centrepoint kid', a label that people of my generation could speak proudly of and that has such a familiar ring to it.
