Will Singapore’s 'pasar malam' industry fade into the night?

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SINGAPORE, April 24 — Whenever a pasar malam pops up near his neighbourhood, Sengkang resident Gordon Chia would make it a point to visit it almost daily. “It’s the variety...

SINGAPORE, April 24 — Whenever a pasar malam pops up near his neighbourhood, Sengkang resident Gordon Chia would make it a point to visit it almost daily.

“When I was in secondary school or even as a younger adult , I would make it a point to visit almost daily for vadai,” said Kishan, referring to a fried dough snack popular at night markets. While these fairs have undergone some positive changes over the years, such as being generally cleaner and of better layouts, other developments are not so welcome. One issue that sticks out in particular, as highlighted by Mr Chia and Kishan, is the escalating prices of the pasar malam offerings.blamed the price increases on rising costs, of which rent is a significant one. They cited how daily rates have doubled in some cases since pre-Covid-19 years, and can cost S$400 a day now.

Meanwhile, a 22-day fair at Sembawang West with about 110 stalls that ended on April 10 had a tender value of “over S$100,000’’, according to one of its co-organisers Abdul Rani Mustafa, founder of Adex International.While trade fairs offer visitors a sense of novelty, one key attraction is the accessibility of its offerings — both in terms of price and convenience, said vendors and customers alike.

An evaluation mechanism that emphasises tender value might lead to a bidding war, with additional costs trickling downstream through rental rates and eventually prices of goods sold.

 

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