User:Sengkang/Sketchpad/Compass Point Shopping Centre
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Pub Date: 02/04/2006 Pub: ST Page: L8 Day: Sunday Edition: LIFE Headline: Shop and learn By: HAZEL YONG Page Heading: hot Source: SPH
Compass Point Where: 1 Sengkang Square When: Opened in 2002 by Centrepoint Properties (now known as Frasers Centrepoint). The first mall on the North-East MRT line, it is part of Malls of Centrepoint, a group of seven shopping centres, including Causeway Point and Northpoint Size: 129 shops on five floors, with retail area spanning 266,586 sq ft Hours: 10.30am to 10.30pm daily Anchor tenants: Metro and Cold Storage, plus John Little, Courts, Popular, Kiddy Palace, Kopitiam and Sengkang Community Library Shop mix: Food, jewellery, hair salons, clothing and household stores Shopper profile: About half are the younger crowd, aged between 20 and 39 Parking: 424 lots.
5 secrets of success 1. Location: Very convenient. Just step out of Sengkang MRT station and right into Compass Point. Bus interchange nearby. Also, just a short drive from Tampines Expressway 2. Lack of competition: There are only two other malls in the neighbourhood — Rivervale Mall and Rivervale Plaza 3. Educational: Touted as Singapore’s first thematic suburban mall, learning is its theme. At each level, there are wall stickers depicting map sections like Africa as well as information boards on geography and culture. The Sengkang Community Library on the top floor has over 100,000 books 4. Fast food galore: Burger King, KFC, McDonald’s and Yoshinoya; also Mos Burger and Starbucks on first level. Attracts students from over five schools nearby including Sengkang Secondary School 5. Shop mix: Banks, clothing stores like Fashion Lab, hair salons, beauty stores like Missha, jewellery stores and even John Little and Metro
5 secret finds 1. Smart library: Find your books in a jiffy by using any of the two Cybrarian phone booths at the library. Pick up the phone, talk to the operator and he will key in the search data. Only four other libraries islandwide have this service 2. Valu$: With prices mostly under $4.50, this chain of sundry stores operates only in suburban malls 3. Relax Room: Pamper yourself with massage services. Prices range from $6 for a foot bath to $28 for a 40-minute foot reflexology session 4. Toys department at Metro: Who says toys are only for children? This has a counter displaying anime or movie toy collectibles like Gundam and The Lord Of The Rings. The Star Wars collection is comprehensive. You can pre-order big items 5. Orexco: Has over 30 types of preserved fruits like Red Peach (bright red, furry and seedless fruit that taste like sour-sweet plums)
Thumbs down 1. Stale info nuggets: Information boards and mosaic world maps are not updated often and repeated on several levels 2. No cinema 3. Odd layout: Underground carpark is hard to find. Reception counter is in the basement — it should be on the first-floor atrium Hazel Yong
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The Straits Times (Singapore)
Learn as you shop at Sengkang mall; Educational panels, demonstrations and talks offer Compass Point shoppers an innovative learning experience
August 12, 2002 Monday
Ginnie Teo
FROM the outside, it looks like any other modern, suburban shopping mall.
But step into Compass Point in Sengkang, and you will notice that the crowd of people there are doing more than just shopping.
They are busy reading educational posters in the shops, watching cooking demonstrations and listening as staff dish out information about the products in their store.
Touted as Singapore's first learning mall, the five-level Compass Point has been designed with educational panels and informative posters adorning the walls of most stores - whether they are selling tableware or jewellery.
Some stores also hold regular cooking demonstrations and educational talks, while others offer product information through pamphlets.
Among the tenants of the mall are Cold Storage supermarket, Metro, Courts, Popular Bookstore and Kopitiam Food Court. There is also a range of boutiques and gift shops, such as Mango and Kiddy Palace toy shop.
The mall's developer, Centrepoint Properties, said the shopping centre was designed along the theme of discovery and learning.
Centrepoint's general manager in charge of investment properties, Mrs Vivienne Tan, explained: 'I'm sick and tired of Singaporeans buying things just because they are cheap. They should understand what they are paying for.
'By giving them information about the products, they will be able to make an educated choice on what to buy,' she said.
So, a person walking into Metro's houseware section, for instance, will come across a colourful wall-length poster showing the various types of cups, glasses and mugs with their correct names, and their intended uses.
Over at the cutlery section, a panel tells shoppers the optimum proportions of nickel and chromium for forks and spoons, in terms of safety and durability.
And a consumer buying an orange from Cold Storage will be able to judge how much vitamin C can be found in that piece of fruit compared to an apple, and how far this goes towards meeting his daily requirements.
Even the mall's cactus garden on the ground level displays the scientific names of the plants.
The educational theme goes well with Sengkang's resident population, most of whom are well-travelled young couples with children, Mrs Tan said.
The mall's 121 tenants were more than willing to go along with the learning theme, she added.
'It's a chance for them to show off their knowledge. They were very happy.'
It's not just static displays that are disseminating information. Over at Cold Storage, cooks demonstrate how to prepare pasta and at Courts, staff show customers how to use anything from irons to vacuum cleaners.
At Hiestand Swiss Gourmet Bakery in the basement, customers can watch as its staff bake croissants, buns and cakes behind a glass panel.
The bakery's retail development manager, Mr James Yee, said: 'We encourage them to ask questions about baking and bread. We try as far as we can to teach them.'
The new concept has left residents and shoppers impressed.
Mrs Tina Lee, 50, a teacher, said: 'I learned things that I never knew before, like how much metal goes into our spoons.
'There was so much to read and absorb. It's such interesting trivia.'
REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT (78%); RETAIL TRADE (77%); BAKED GOODS MFG (77%); FOOD & BEVERAGE STORES (77%); FOOD MFG (77%); RETAIL BAKERIES (77%); SPECIALTY FOOD STORES (77%); COMMERCIAL RENTAL PROPERTY (74%); SHOPPING CENTER DEVELOPMENT (73%); TOYS & GAMES (72%); BOOK MUSIC & HOBBY STORES (72%); HOBBY TOY & GAME STORES (72%); BOOKSTORES (72%);
COLD STORAGE CO (77%); CENTREPOINT PROPERTIES LTD (63%);
SECTION: SINGAPORE
LENGTH: 532 words
LOAD-DATE: August 12, 2002
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
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The Straits Times (Singapore)
Mall brings cheer to Sengkang; Having waited years for more shops, residents welcome the buzz, convenience and jobs brought by Compass Point mall
August 8, 2002 Thursday
Krist Boo
SENGKANG resident Lim Sen Lek and his wife used to have to take a 30-minute trip if they wanted to window-shop at a shopping centre.
But after four years of waiting, the Lims are smiling more widely by the day as more stores open for business in the neighbourhood's newest shopping mall, Compass Point.
Yesterday, they even made a special trip to watch the ribbon-cutting launch of department store Metro in the mall.
Noting that Hougang Mall used to be the nearest shopping centre to their estate, Mr Lim, a 62-year-old hawker, said he and his wife, 52, no longer need to go there now.
Referring to Compass Point, he said: 'It's a 10-minute walk here, and there are many things. Sometimes, we eat Japanese food; sometimes, we have burgers.'
The five-storey Compass Point has brought buzz, convenience and even jobs to residents in Sengkang.
Madam Annie Lim, 34, who has a daughter aged 13 and a son aged nine, returned to the workforce when she found a job as a sales assistant in the new mall.
She sometimes lets her children wait for her in the mall while she works. She said: 'I walk to their schools to pick them up and I can keep an eye on them after school.'
Before Compass Point, the estate's 40,000 families could only shop at the two-storey Rivervale Plaza, which has about 40 shops, or at Block 308 which has a handful of shops.
As a result, the Government has had a hard time coaxing Singaporeans to take up flats in the new town, set up in 1996.
The estate's Member of Parliament Michael Lim said: 'In the beginning, there was a lot of unhappiness among the residents about the lack of transport and the lack of shopping facilities. We took all the brickbats seriously.'
Now, Compass Point even comes with a community library.
Dr Lim calls it 'gratifying' that the quality of life for residents has improved, and projects are on track.
Government agencies have worked feverishly to bring forward development in the town. He said deadlines for some projects, such as a polyclinic and new roads, have been cut short by as much as three years.
By next January, an MRT station serving the North-East line, an LRT station and an air-conditioned bus interchange will be up. So will a polyclinic and a community club in 2004.
All these developments are slated for the estate hub where Compass Point now sits.
Marketing manager Angela Koo, 31, said: 'The town has become a lot more exciting. No one can call us a backward estate any more.'
FAMILY (76%); HIGHWAYS & STREETS (50%);
SECTION: SINGAPORE
LENGTH: 412 words
LOAD-DATE: August 8, 2002
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
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The Straits Times (Singapore)
Mall's retail space all taken way before 2002 opening
January 4, 2001
Debbie Goh
RETAIL space at Compass Point mall in Sengkang has been fully taken up, says its developer, Centrepoint Properties. Some 1.5 million shoppers a month will visit the Compass Point mall (left) in Sengkang East Way outside the peak shopping periods, projected Mrs Tan (above) of Centrepoint Properties, the mall's developer. To be ready next year, some of the mall's biggest tenants include Metro and Courts. The $ 230-million mall in Sengkang East Way is expected to be ready only next year. It is scheduled to be the first mall on the new North-East MRT line to open. More than 200 retailers had to be turned away, said Mrs Vivienne Tan, the company's general manager in charge of investment properties. She said yesterday that retail space was snapped up within five months of the company putting it up for tender. Among the 121 tenants of the 300,000-sq-ft shopping mall are Cold Storage Supermarket, Metro, Courts, the National Library, Popular Bookstore and Kopi Tiam Food Court. Mango and W H Smith will also open their first suburban outlets there. Metro will take up 48,000 sq ft on levels 1 and 2. Courts will occupy 26,000 sq ft on the third level, which it will share with a 10,000-sq-ft Popular Bookstore. The National Library Board will operate a 20,000-sq-ft branch on Level 4, on the same floor as Kopi Tiam's 15,000-sq-ft food court. Cold Storage will occupy 21,000sq ft in the basement. There will also be fast-food restaurants, banks, pharmacies, bakeries, hairdressing salons and music schools. Located in the town centre and linked to the Sengkang MRT and LRT stations, the mall is expected to attract about 365,000 shoppers from Sengkang and nearby new towns, including Punggol 21 and Hougang New Town. Mrs Tan projected that 1.5million shoppers a month will visit the mall outside the peak shopping periods. Sengkang will have six neighbourhoods with 95,000 private- and public-housing units when it is completed. Yet it has only one main shopping area now - Rivervale Plaza, a two-storey complex with about 40 shops. Mr Edward Tan, director of operations for Metro, said that he is confident the new Metro outlet would break even in the first year. He said: "The retail industry may be slow, and growth is small. But people will still buy." He added that Sengkang's largely middle-class population, coupled with shoppers from Hougang, will help him achieve his target. Mrs Tan said: "The residents are eager for the mall to be completed. They have been e-mailing us to tell us the kind of shops they want. One even faxed us a list of tenants that he thinks we should have."
COMMERCIAL RENTAL PROPERTY (90%); RETAIL TRADE (90%); SHOPPING CENTER DEVELOPMENT (78%); PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION (71%); PUBLIC HOUSING (71%); FAST FOOD (67%); RESTAURANT INDUSTRY (67%); LIBRARIES (67%); TRAVEL LEISURE & HOSPITALITY (63%); BEAUTY SALONS (50%); PERSONAL CARE SERVICES (50%);
COLD STORAGE SUPERMARKET (60%); CENTREPOINT PROPERTIES LTD (60%);
SECTION: Pg. 1
LENGTH: 436 words
LOAD-DATE: January 5, 2001
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
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The Straits Times (Singapore)
Fancy living in an ocean park?
September 24, 2000
THE answer was obvious to the urban design team of 10 at the Housing Board as they sat brainstorming for a concept for Sengkang in 1994.
Imagine a theme park with landscaped playgrounds, fish-scale
cobblestones and lights that twinkle like a ship's portholes. Once home to small fishing settlements and rubber, pepper and pineapple plantations, Sengkang New Town could mine its history for a design focus. "We wanted an element of identity that will make the town read as one," says senior architect Cheong Kin Man, the architectural department's area coordinator for Sengkang. Called Kangkar (or "foot of the port" in Hokkien), the town derived its new moniker from a small road called Lorong Sengkang located off Lorong Buangkok. Meaning "prosperous port" in Mandarin, Sengkang is carved up into six neighbourhoods that will house a total of 95,000 public and private housing units more than 10 years down the road. Its past has become the theme for its future -- Town of the Seafarer. Three neighbourhoods carry a marine sub-theme, while the other three will hark back to the days when sprawling plantations blanketed parts of the area. And, instead of your usual Avenue 1s and Street 13s, the six parcels will have names and colour schemes to go with their respective themes. For now, construction of Rivervale and Compassvale is near completion. Anchorvale is about half-done. Fernvale, Cocovale and Palmvale will blossom later. Calling to mind stilts of a fishing village and tree trunks of plantations, three storey-high columns will hug the foot of all blocks. Unique C-shaped point blocks that provide greater privacy, perforated balcony screens and mesh or net-like parapets at the multi-storey carparks are other common features. A green connector will thread through the entire 1,055-ha town to break up the concrete jungle. Attention has also been lavished on fine details. For instance, footpaths in Rivervale are peppered with fish concrete imprints and fish-scale cobblestones, while lights that look like a ship's portholes twinkle merrily in Compassvale. The results are HDB blocks with a private housing finish. Says Ms Tan Soon Mong, 44, an administrative assistant who lives in a four-room unit in Rivervale: "When my friends come to visit, they always say the place looks very pretty. "They say it looks like a condominium." The aim, says Mr Cheong, was not to build "just a housing estate".
"We wanted a town where people feel a sense of belonging." Bounded by Sungei Serangoon on the east and sliced through on the west by Sungei Punggol, Sengkang, he adds, is "blessed with two rivers". "It is not a coastal town like Punggol 21 or has a resort feel like Pasir Ris. In the past, the rivers were used to transport harvests from the plantations," he says. "It's the history that gives Sengkang its unique identity." COMING SOON TO SENGKANG
Metallic tree or fins flexing in the air? Designers get
creative in Sengkang. TRANSPORT TWO expressways will link residents in the north-eastern parts of Singapore to the city. The Kallang Expressway linking East Coast Parkway and the Pan-Island Expressway should be ready by 2005. The Paya Lebar Expressway, its northward extension of the Tampines Expressway, is due for completion in 2006. Sengkang East Road will be ready by the middle of next year. Sengkang Central, an extension of Upper Serangoon Road/Sengkang East Drive, and a road linking Punggol Road/Hougang Ave 10 to Upper Serangoon Road will be completed in 2002. Both the MRT and LRT lines are slated for completion in 2002. Singapore Bus Services will add two to three more services to the existing 11 and extend two of them to provide wider coverage. Covered walkways linking HDB blocks to bus stops, LRT stations to the nearest HDB blocks, and MRT stations to taxi-stands and the nearest bus stops will be built. SHOPS Compass Point, a 300,000-sq ft mall, will open in 2002 at the town centre, the town's commercial hub. A second neigbourhood centre with 35 shops along Rivervale Drive will open by early next year. Shop clusters near LRT stations and shops at void decks will be ready by 2002. SCHOOLS One primary school and three secondary schools will be ready by next year. There are now four primary and two secondary schools in Sengkang.
Six more PAP Community Foundation kindergartens at void decks will be ready by next year. SOCIAL FACILITIES In all, five community centres/clubs will be built in the long term. One will be built by 2004 or 2005. Thirteen more childcare centres will be set up at void decks by March next year. There will be 14 Student Care Centres by 2002. One Family Service Centre at Blk 223A and 223D Compassvale Road will be ready by April next year. Another one will be set up by 2002. Another Social Day Care Centre for the Elderly is planned for 2004.
A Day Activity Centre for the Disabled is planned for 2003. RECREATIONAL FACILITIES A neighbourhood park along Sengkang East Drive will be ready by the end of this year. Another neighbourhood park off Sengkang East Way is slated for completion by March 2002. A town park along Sungei Punggol is scheduled for completion in
A sports complex will be ready by 2004. OTHERS A post office will be ready at the town centre in two to three years' time. A neighbourhood police post in Sengkang will be built in 2003.
HOUSING AUTHORITIES (90%);
SECTION: Pg. 1
LENGTH: 896 words
LOAD-DATE: October 10, 2000
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
