After much anticipation, the revamped Funan has finally opened its doors to Singaporeans looking for another fresh and exciting shopping haven to spend their day at.
Don’t get them wrong, however – “Funan is no longer just a mall.”
Positioned as a “social retail platform that leverages on technology”, Funan emcompasses three different aspects – a 6-storey retail component, two 6-storey office blocks, and a 9-storey coliving serviced residence.
Funan also features Singapore’s first urban farm in a mall that’s open to the public, Singapore’s first fully unmanned futsal facility, and Singapore’s first theatre venue that is designed, managed, and programmed by a theatre group.
It is also the first commercial development in Singapore to allow cycling through its building.
Spanning 124,500 sq ft, the entire revamp took slightly under 3 years, after they bid the old Funan goodbye in 30 June 2016.
Speaking to media this morning, Mr Tony Tan, CEO of CapitaLand Mall Trust (CMT) Management Limited, shared that in spite of its name, this is “not the old Funan people remember”.
More than 30% of Funan’s brands are new-to-market brands, concepts, or flagships.
Among them, more than 60% of Funan’s brands are homegrown.
Some of these include Love, Bonito, Carrie K., Another Sole, and We The People.
The new Funan also welcomes back familiar names like Alan Photo, T K Foto, COURTS, CRISTOFORI Music, GamePro Shop, Memory World, and inforcom @ Funan.
Funan is also home to international brands like Alibaba’s Taobao, Dyson, and Brompton Junction.
Debuting A “New Way Of Living”
Beyond its exciting retail offerings, the new Funan also incorporates tech into the entire experience.
For one, shoppers will be able to use one of the about 40 smart directories around the compound.
Besides providing navigation to various destinations, the smart directories will also be able to make product recommendations based on the shoppers’ demographic profile.
By the end of the year, shoppers can also expect a robot-enabled handsfree shopping and 24/7 click-and-collect drive-through service.
Out of approximately 400 carpark lots at Funan, 36 will be set aside for its carpark reservation system.
Via the CapitaStar app, drivers will be able to book their lots a day in advance.
Office workers based at Funan will also be able to enjoy the convenience of facial recognition turnstile access.
Tenants of Funan will also be able to benefit from some “behind the scenes” action, which comes in the form of video analytics that will be used to measure and analyse footfall throughout the mall.
In-store smart terminals will further capture transaction data so that tenants can refine their offerings while enhancing customer experiences.
Patrons at the Kopitiam group’s KOPItech food court will also be able to enjoy fuss-free ordering via Facebook Messenger or through self-service kiosks.
True to its name, patrons will also be able to pay for their meals via various e-payment methods, including cryptocurrencies.
Funan’s Golden Village also features Virtual Reality pods, which will let movie-goers experience new ways of enjoying games and cinematic content.
We’ll Let The Photos Do The Talking
Funan is now open to the public, but here’s a few photos we took as a teaser.
Are you planning to visit the new Funan, and what will you be looking out for? Let us know!
