Japanese lifestyle retailer Tokyu Hands will be shutting down its Westgate outlet on 2 August, following the expiration of its lease.
It will be replaced by Sports & Travel Gear, a multi-brand store.
Owned by Tokyu Fudosan Holdings, Tokyu Hands is the FMCG branch of the real estate and property development conglomerate.
It is one of the few all-purpose Japanese stores with branches in Singapore, stocking products from stationery, beauty to homeware.
Despite the closure of the Jurong East outlet, Tokyu Hands will continue to operate its remaining five outlets in Singapore.
Besides Westgate, Tokyu Hands also has outlets at Orchard Central, Suntec City Mall, Jewel Changi, PLQ Mall, and Great World.
The Latest Casualty in Retail
Retail is becoming rapidly outclassed by Singapore’s booming e-commerce market.
Several major retailers have closed their storefronts in the Jurong East retail area since last June.
This includes megabrands like Isetan, Robinsons and Marks and Spencer, which was replaced by Don Don Donki.
At J-Cube, a shopping mall in the Jurong East area, smaller businesses operated by locals reported up to 90% loss in sales. Covid-19 has hit retailers hard as they were forced to close stores as part of safety regulations.
Most recently, fashion conglomerate Zara also reported that it would close over 1,200 stores globally and move sales online.
This is following the firm’s first loss after the Covid-19 crisis forced it to suspend operations at most of its shops.
Featured Image Credit: Little Miss Bento
