Courts to open new flagship store at The Heeren next year, Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
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Courts to open new flagship store at The Heeren next year

This article is more than 12 months old

Home appliance megastore Courts will take over the prime retail space at The Heeren, which was recently vacated by Robinsons last month, and make it its new flagship store.

The store will occupy all six storeys of The Heeren's retail space, making it Courts' largest outlet in Singapore when it opens in the first quarter of next year.

When completed, the Heeren store will span 189,000 sq ft and replace the Tampines megastore as the flagship outlet. Its opening will also mark Nojima Corp's first overseas venture into a large-format store concept in a central location of Singapore, said Courts yesterday.

The Japanese consumer electronics giant had acquired Courts in 2019.

On Courts' choice of The Heeren as its newest location, Courts Singapore chief executive Hoang Duc Thanh Matthew said: "The Heeren is still a symbolic landmark located right in the heart of Orchard Road and we believe it holds great potential as a central location within the shopping belt.

"Coupled with the Urban Redevelopment Authority's long-term plans to rejuvenate Orchard Road as a lifestyle destination, we envision that the new flagship store will contribute to the vibrancy of the retail sector."

PERFORMING WELL

Currently, Courts has one outlet in Orchard, at 228 Orchard Road. A Courts spokesman told The Straits Times that the outlet has been performing well and will remain in operation for now.

"We will review our plans again once the flagship store is up and running," said Courts.

The shopping belt was also home to its first store which opened in 1974.

"We are looking forward to expanding our presence in Orchard Road to where it all began and raise the bar further in offering Singaporeans innovative and experiential retail experiences while shopping for electronics and home furnishings," said Courts.

In 2017, the URA said in a joint statement with Singapore Tourism Board that they are looking into implementing an "actionable Orchard Road Blueprint".

The authorities said the blueprint was to guide the precinct's development over the next 15 to 20 years.

Courts' announcement comes after retail stalwart Robinsons closed its flagship store at The Heeren on Dec 16.

This was followed shortly after by the closure of its last outlet at Raffles City last Saturday.

The department store announced on Oct 30 the closure of its last two outlets here, saying the decision to liquidate was prompted by a range of factors, including changing consumer tastes and cost pressures such as rent. - THE STRAITS TIMES

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