A S$300 million warehouse store will be open in Jurong East in the last quarter of 2009. The company behind the Big Box project, TT International, said the Jurong warehouse will be its flagship store.
Sitting on a 5.6-hectare site near the Jurong East MRT station, the outlet will be as big as 27 football fields put together with a total gross floor area of 120,000 square metres. About 30 per cent of the space (34,000 square metres) will be set aside for retail, and the rest will be used for warehousing and offices.
The mega store will house a wide range of consumer electronics products, furniture and a hypermarket. It will also provide renovation and interior design services.
TT International said being mega will translate into savings for consumers.
Director of TT International Julia Tong-Sng explained: "We are an international trader, importer and distributor, so we have the advantage in costing."
When completed, the Big Box outlet is expected to generate over 600 jobs, which the company said will mostly go to Singaporeans.
TT International added that it hopes to tap into the pool of people living in Jurong, including housewives and semi-retired individuals, to overcome the problem of manpower shortage.
Up to three million people are expected to visit the store each year. TT International said it plans to organise exhibitions and cultural shows to draw the crowds in.
The company also aims to work with SPRING Singapore and retail institutions to help HDB shops around the area level up.
Ms Tong-Sng said: "We intend to organise, at least twice a year, (an event) to provide free space for the HDB shop owners... to display their products and make some sales, so that they can also participate in this kind of big-box concept. At the same time, we will also work with SPRING to provide training."
TT International, which has operations worldwide, also hopes to bring the concept of big-box store to Vietnam and Cambodia. - CNA/ac
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