First Newsletter 2017: Reflections

Reposted from our first newsletter. Subscribe to our mailing list if you would like to receive contents from us regularly. http://www.tgifbazaars.com/mailing-list.html Reflections for 2017

Folks, this is our first 2017 message that we’re sharing with you, flea market and bazaar entrepreneurs. Our point of view is drawn from our own experience, market research, and from data we’ve studied. As we're not planning to turn  this into an academic paper - that would be too boring - we've decided to sum this up, and share with you our conclusions. This is going to be lengthy read, so we suggest you save this email and read it at your convenience.

Current Trends - Global vs Singapore :  Change is inevitable. Are you prepped for this?

Almost everyone we know living in urbanised cities or countries is connected to the internet – via their laptop computers and mobile devices such as smart phones or pads. As the information technology continues on its forward trend globally, the way people live, work, conduct business, and play change. Consumer behaviour has changed, from the way people make their buying decisions, to the way they demand goods and services to be paid, and delivered right up to their doorsteps. Because the Consumer form the demand for goods and services, the way businesses sell also change – so that they can think of surviving this trend, and then how to derive greater profits. With consumers easily whipping up their mobile devices or searching the internet for information products and services to compare, and where/how to buy them, it’s no wonder retailers in Singapore such as Courts, Gain City, Harvey Norman, NTUC Fairprice, Sheng Siong, Cold Storage, Giant, fast food chains such like KFC, Mcdonald’s, Pizza Hut have evolved with the times and put in the facilities to allow their customers to check for their products and order and pay for them online, and via Apps. Many would pay use search engine optimisation (SEO) methods to appear on the first page search of search engines. Failure to evolve could mean the end of any business - a familiar brand like Robinson’s had closed its last outlet and hinted they would go the pop-up way. At the time this article was written we haven’t heard updates in the market about this. An exception would be Mustafa Centre, a 24 hour mall by itself. They are successful because they differentiate themselves by the unique experience the mall and their business offers. In addition to the very large range of consumer products, fresh produce and food products they offer, they also have a pharmacy, travel agency, money changing, and an F & B business. What this means is that consumers are drawn to Mustafa Centre because of the wide array of products they have access to. Do the shoppers there need to do any form of research on their device? Perhaps. But chances are, without the need to check the internet for information, one can expect to find something he or she needs to buy, at Mustafa Centre (www.mustafa.com.sg). If you run a small business selling products or services to consumers, or other businesses what does it mean to you? Are you happy with the state of business you’re in? Can you do with more exposure to customers? Are you online and e-commerce ready, so that your customers can buy from you easily after they surf your site for information? Do you want to establish yourself as a credible seller, given the number of online selling scams? If not, what next? If so, what next?  Only yourself and your stakeholders find the answers for yourself.

The Impact on Online Shopping: Over Congested Online Market Places

The irony when every business adopts e-commerce as a channel to sell, or APPify their business is that the online market place becomes too congested. How often do you switch from App to App, or check out every in the Appsite?  Or check out every online shopping mall? The reality is that as human beings, old habits die hard. We have limited time to surf the net, check out new Apps etcetera. As a result, many of these online, e-commerce businesses come and go, because there are no users, no service providers – and their ecosystem breaks down. We also think e-commerce companies are chasing after the wrong markets segment, many of them prefer to go after the students, the ones who most adaptable to new technologies. All you need to do is just visit the apps stores and download the apps, and see if they are still active. Another key reason is the demographics of Singapore, look at the population pyramid of the residents of Singapore (consisting of 3.87 million residents).

Source of image: http://www.singstat.gov.sg/statistics/visualising-data/charts/age-pyramid-of-resident-population, retrieved 16 Jan 2017 As in 2016, half of our population are aged 40 and above. How many of these are economically active, and tech-savvy?  How many of these are starting to require reading glasses and having declining eye sights? How many have left school and started work? How many are still studying, in primary, secondary or tertiary levels? Look at the survivors, Taobao, Qoo10, Amazon… then look at the failures… as well as the survival rate of App start ups, and how much of their investors’ money they burnt. Look at the markets they started off in – Not Singapore. **Form your own opinion. Here is ours: Websites and APPs are just technological tools that require real human beings to use.

Impact on Retail Shopping: Perfect Storm is happening

Retail in Singapore is on a slump, affected by e-commerce, excess retail space, and the negative economic sentiments created by loss of jobs, loss of income: this is the perfect storm. It’s happening. Many retail malls are unable to fill up empty retail units, or keep their tenants because there isn’t sufficient footfall. The good news is that people still shop for the following purposes: Groceries (even this, fresh grocery apps are invading this arena) Recreation (people still go out of the home in Singapore for recreation) Things that cannot be bought online Personal preferences because of bad experience shopping online: bad products, bad services etc. So how do retail malls, and retailers balance your mix of offerings? How do you ensure your eco-system is sustainable? Remember your tenants, market organisers are also your external stakeholders. What can the ecosystem do to support one another? There is no short answer to this. Our point of view is that retail malls must be versatile and open minded enough to adapt to changes.

Impact on Flea Market and Bazaar Businesses: Opportunities !

Retail malls like to work with flea market organisers because of the following reasons: We are a revenue stream to them. We offer something that is different from their usual tenant mix. We can help improve their footfall through the organisers’ and merchants’ marketing efforts. Government – Private Sector Initiatives: Events Whether by design or by accident, the Singapore Government is taking lead in creating a lot of events and festivals. Flea markets and bazaars have become part and parcel of these festivals that draw substantial footfall. Despite the overall gloomy outlook, TGIF Bazaars remains optimistic about the flea market business, on the assumptions for the Eco-system comprising of: Landlords and Event Organisers (sometimes they are the Government) Flea Market Organisers Merchants and partners For the eco-system to be sustainable: Everyone must gain : tangibly or intangibly Internal and External costs must be manageable Everyone must do their part in marketing and promoting themselves and their products. We'd also like to add that some of the traits of our most successful merchants include : adaptability, patience, perseverance and a certain level of risk tolerance (they take calculated risks).

What’s New?

To find out about our new services and rewards program, click on the hyperlinks. In the pipeline for 1st quarter of 2017, TGIF Bazaars will launch a program that will help our merchants improve their marketing abilities through a series of workshops, conducted by qualified facilitators and trainers. Stay tuned for announcement for the above. To end off our first newsletter, we’d like to share a quote from Winston Churchhill, Prime Minister of Britain during the World War 2: ‘Attitude is a little thing that makes a BIG difference’.  What do you choose your attitude to be? Yours sincerely, The Team from TGIF Bazaars

First post of 2017

We've been asked how come we've not updated our blog for some time, that's because we've been busy with the year end festivities, re-organising ourselves, planning and working on the delivery of our promise of coming up with new offerings in 2017.

So, here's the new stuff:

1. We're doing an Artisans' Bazaar at Katong Square (who would have thought?...heh)

2. We're going to be back at iLight Festival at Marina Bay 2017 (last year visitor turn out was more than 700,000), and we'd be there for 1 month;

3. We're operating during the Chinese New Year Long Weekend  at the Sentosa Boardwalk Bazaar.

4. We offer design services - from Logo Development to Website.

6. We are celebrating Valentines' Day at NUS Utown but unfortunately, it's already sold out.

7. One more significant offering that we will divulge in due course.

Our regular sites:

1. Sentosa Boardwalk Bazaar - every weekend at the Sentosa Boardwalk

2. One KM Mall Bazaar - twice  a month 

For more details check our website www.tgifbazaars.com

Our thoughts:

It's just the start of a new year. For you full time or part time bazaar-preneurs,  this is a good time to start planning your calendar, if you hadn't done it already.

Plan your business

To make it easy for you to plan, we've created a calendar that you can use http://www.tgifbazaars.com/calendar-of-bazaar-activity.html ... oh did we mention you can find local holidays indicated in this calendar too?

What do you wanna sell?

To make it easier for you to think of what to sell:

Do you wanna sell what you wanna sell, or what people wanna buy, at prices that all can accept?

Selling food?

If, you out there are home bakers, please visit http://www.hcook.sg/, and you will find it how you can sell home-made food - legitimately and to as many friends as possible!

Having said this, there are also legalities that you may face, such as when you business becomes so good that it is no longer considered a home based business, or when a friend you sold food to complains to NEA, HDB or URA about food poisoning.  So, take note of this - make and sell your home made food responsibly.

Wanna improve your flea market business?

Stay tuned for we will be making announcements on how we can help you improve your business.

Sign up on our vendor mailing list if you are an entrepreneur, a business and would like to be kept updated of what's in store with us.

Selling Food at Flea Markets, Bazaars and Events? Here's what you must know.

In order for any merchants to sell food at flea markets, bazaars, trade fairs and events in Singapore, this is what you must know about Singapore regulations

1.. NEA Regulations pertaining to merchants selling food and food hygiene;
2. Restrictions of Home Base Business scheme;
3. Your Organiser's own operating policies


This is going to be wordy, but trust us you MUST know this if you are a food entrepreneur participating in flea markets and bazaars.

Under Section 35 of the Environmental Public Health Act, Chapter 95, no person shall promote, organise or stage any temporary fair, stage show or other such function or activity without first obtaining a permit from the Director-General of Public Health.

1. NEA REGULATIONS AND THE LAW 

NEA is the final government organisation to give their approval before Organisers can be allowed to stage any temporary fair, stage show or other function or activity.

Before this permit can be issued by NEA, here are the documents from other government agencies / organisations  NEA must see that Organisers must produce:

Approvals from:

1. Fire Safety & Shelter Department, SCDF 
2. Site owner
3. Neighbourhood Police Post / Centre (for set-up of carnival rides/game stalls, if any)
4. Energy Market Authority (for use of generator, if any)
5. Land Transport Authority (Road Management Department)
6. Land Transport Authority (Development & Building Control Division, if fair site is within 40m of MRT station/ rail structure)
7. National Parks Board (for use of grass verge/ roadside tables, if any)
8. Consensus from neighbourhood shopkeepers

​The proof of consensus from shopkeepers in the neighbourhood should be in the form of:

• Letter from neighbourhood shopkeepers’ association, or
• Written agreement signed by neighbourhood shopkeeper, or
• Letter from Advisor stating that the shopkeepers have given consent

All Organisers whether private or government entities must apply for this permit 2 weeks ahead, which means, the respective documents from points 1 to 7 must be provided and applied for, at least 1 month or so ahead before applying for the NEA permit.

SELLING FOOD AT FLEA MARKETS, BAZAARS, TRADE FAIRS & EVENTS

This is our compilation from public-domain information sources:

There are normally 3 types of food categories that are classified by NEA where it comes to food, trade fairs and events:

1. Pre-packed from licensed NEA source 

This refers to foodstuff that is packed and sealed in NEA approved premises.  Approved premises would be food factories, central kitchens, hawker stalls, bakeries, coffee shop stalls, restaurant kitchens and central kitchens. Home bakeries are not NEA licensed premises so therefore, disallowed.

All foodstuff from such approved NEA sources must also be properly labelled, including the date / time of expiry. 
For food that is packed by caterers or restaurants, the shelf life of the food is 4 hours and this too has to be labelled.

Foodstuff such as crackers, biscuits from Khong Guan, Oreo cookies are factory pre-packed and have proper labels.

If the pre-packed foodstuff to sell are imported, please ensure that these are imported by proper channels, including clearance from AVA. If you are buying from a supplier, please ensure that these are credible suppliers to protect yourselves.

http://www.ava.gov.sg/explore-by-sections/food/bringing-food-into-singapore-and-exporting/commercial-food-imports

2. Food prepared on the spot

This refers to food that is freshly prepared on-the-spot, such as Ramly Burgers you see at Pasar Malams, grilled sandwiches and coconut shakes, kebabs, satay, roti prata wraps etcetera.  A PUB water point connected to a sink and sewerage point is a must for each stall. (Imagine the of the costs involved to set these up),  because there is on-site food preparation and handling.

Food prepared on the spot must also have proper display casings, such as display chillers, food warmers, glass or transparent acrylic display shelves with doors.

​Please click the link below to see NEA's requirements from organisers in the application form:

http://www.nea.gov.sg/docs/default-source/services-and-forms/licences-permits-building-plan-clearances/trade-fair-application-form-(updated---04042016).pdf
​
3. Food that requires handling, for which you require a certified food handler

Food handling is a technical issue - it means when the server has to serve the food, e.g. taking a  bun from a steamer and putting it into the plastic is handling, scooping rice into a box is also handling, dispensing beverages from a bar gun, mixing cocktail drinks.are also handling. Using tongs, spoons, chopsticks, forks or spatulas to pack the food on site is also considered handling. 

Licensed food handlers are required to be at the stall to perform the food handling functions. To be licensed you need to attend a course on food handling and hygiene.

Here's a list http://www.wda.gov.sg/content/wdawebsite/L207-AboutWSQ/L301-WSQIndustryFramework-FoodandBeverage/WSQ_Follow_FnB_Safety_and_Hygiene_Policies_and_Procedures.html

Please click the link below:.

http://www.nea.gov.sg/public-health/food-hygiene

​

2. HDB / URA HOME BASED SMALL SCALE BUSINESS SCHEME
​
The Home Based Small Scale Business Scheme by HDB and URA allows residents to carry out activities in their HDB and private residential premises to supplement their income. Under this scheme, residents can prepare small quantities of food for sale to their friends and relatives without turning their residences into a commercial outlet.

A licence is not required from NEA. Nonetheless, residents preparing food under the scheme can refer to these guidelines on good hygiene tips to adopt.

What this means: You can't sell to the public, so you can't participate in flea markets to sell.... BUT you can participate in flea markets to provide sampling of your products and introduce your own brand... as well as to make friends!  Get them to become your Facebook, Instagram, Wechat, Snapchat friends! And then you can sell to them thereafter.

As long as you understand what the above 2 points mean, you'll be able to participate in our flea markets and bazaars without breaking any laws or government regulation.

3. YOUR ORGANISER'S OWN OPERATING POLICIES

Now that you know what happens behinds the scenes for Organisers to ensure you are able to legitimately conduct your business without the risk of legal repercussions, we leave it to your own judgement on what Organisers tell when you ask them about participating in their markets, as well as make your own business decision on participation.

TGIF Bazaars requires interested and qualified participants to provide the necessary relevant supporting documentation before participation.

Sometimes, due to curation and managing conflicts of interest, the answer may not be what you had wished for.

If you have further questions, please feel free to check with us, OR check with NEA directly.

Cheers!
The Team from TGIF Bazaars

Too wordy above?  Here's the above information in a diagram

Top 10 reasons why you should participate in heartland day Flea Markets

Ok, so we've been offline for a while... but now we're back!

We've been in reactionary mode lately to the changing environment, and are in the midst of reorganising and restructuring ourselves to serve the markets better.

After all, change is the only constant.

Barely 10 years ago we did not use smart devices to shop and make purchases.  We had no Qoo10, Tmall, Lazada nor Zalora.

We're venturing into the day market scene, and believe us when we say there's a whole chunk of hurdles and hassles we are having to overcome in order to be there.

Nonetheless we recognise there are more advantages then disadvantages, and here they are:

1. You got a captive audience with the right mindset (right for you) : the weekend morning market crowd consisting of the aunties, uncles, with their families in tow are there for a specific reason and that is to do have their breakfast at the nearby coffee shops / hawker centre and do their grocery shopping.

2. The shoppers come with cash : they're prepared to buy with cash. And in times like these, cash is king.

3. Food and drinks can be bought easily from nearby stalls.

4. You don't need to pack up your stall right into the wee hours of the night.

5. You can play all the music, promote your product to your heart's content at your kiosk and no one will complain about it.

6. If you are there regularly, you get to build relationships with your customers.

7. You don't need to set up lights to illuminate your products.

8. Easier to get public transport back after you're done.

9. Your business is physically closer to your customers.

10. You can still participate in weekend night markets after you flea in the day market.

Visit www.bpopmarkets.com !

Traditional Retailers / Mall Owners and Managers - consider the implications...

Alibaba buys controlling stake in Southeast Asian retailer Lazada


What does this mean to you?

1. Read this

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/04/12/alibaba-group-invests-1-billion-dollars-in-lazada-group-and-eyes-southeast-asia.html

Retrieved 14 Apr 2016 2051 hrs

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has agreed to buy a controlling stake in Southeast Asian online retailer Lazada to tap into the region's lucrative consumer market.

Under the deal worth approximately $1 billion, Alibaba will buy around $500 million worth of newly issued shares in Lazada, as well as acquire shares from some existing shareholders.

Alibaba President Michael Evans said the investment will support Alibaba's expansion plans in Southeast Asia.

"With the investment in Lazada, Alibaba gains access to a platform with a large and growing consumer base outside China, a proven management team and a solid foundation for future growth in one of the most promising regions for e-commerce globally," he said in a statement.

Max Bittner, CEO of Lazada Group, added, "the transaction will help us to accelerate our goal to provide the 560 million consumers in the region access to the broadest and most unique assortment of products."

Germany's Rocket Internet will sell a 9.1 percent stake in Lazada for $137 million in cash but will still have an 8.8 percent stake. British supermarket giant Tesco will sell an 8.6 percent equity stake in Lazada for $129 million, bringing down its stake in the company to 8.3 percent. Tesco said that the proceeds from the deal will be used for general working capital.

Both Rocket Internet and Tesco said they have entered into a "put-call arrangement" with Alibaba, giving the buyer the right to purchase, and shareholders the right to sell their remaining stakes at a "fair market value" within the 12 to 18 month period after the closing of the deal.

In buying Lazada, the idea is to help buyers and sellers on Alibaba's platform to get access to the Southeast Asian market. Lazada has already built up a supply chain, delivery and payment options in the regions in which it operates.

Marie Sun, a senior equity analyst at Morningstar, told CNBC that Alibaba is looking for future growth drivers outside China and has already invested in markets such as India, South Korea and the United States.

Sun added that Southeast Asia's e-commerce market is still underdeveloped, compared to those in China and U.S., which implies there would be higher growth in the future. "So if they can dominate the market when the mobile internet penetration increases in the region, Alibaba can benefit in the longer term," she said.

It also continues Alibaba's expansion beyond its home market. Last year, the firm appointed country managers in the U.K. and Italy as it looked to increase its footprint in Europe and help businesses in the region sell into China. Behind its expansion plans is the idea that Alibaba can become a gateway to China for buyers and sellers on its platform.

Lazada was founded in 2012 and serves regional markets including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. 

Earlier this month, Alibaba announced that as of the end of its fiscal year 2016, which ended March 31, it was the largest retailer in the world as measured by annual gross merchandise volume (GMV). The company has yet to announce earnings for the full fiscal year. 

2. Then read this

Who else does Alibaba own?

Alibaba takes bigger stake in SingPost

http://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/alibaba-takes-bigger-stake-in-singpost

PUBLISHED JUL 9, 2015, 5:50 AM SGT

Retrieved 

14 Aug 2016 2056 hrs

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group is investing about $279 million to expand its holdings in Singapore Post (SingPost) and take a share of its subsidiary, aimed at boosting growth in their e-commerce logistics platform across the Asia-Pacific, the two companies announced yesterday.

Mainboard-listed SingPost is growing its e-commerce business, and last year an Alibaba unit bought a more than 10 per cent stake in SingPost for $249 million.

In the latest deal, Alibaba said it was buying an additional 5 per cent stake for $187.1 million. Alibaba is the second-largest shareholder in SingPost, after Singtel.

On completion, Alibaba's deemed interest in SingPost will rise to 14.51 per cent from 10.23 per cent.

The acquisition is subject to approval by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore and SingPost shareholders.

Alibaba will also invest up to $92 million to buy a 34 per cent stake in Quantium Solutions International (QSI), a SingPost subsidiary that provides e-commerce logistics and fulfilment services across the Asia-Pacific. SingPost will hold the remaining 66 per cent interest.

"QSI will reorganise its business and become the joint-venture vehicle of SingPost and Alibaba Group. This will allow QSI to ramp up its development of e-commerce logistics infrastructure and services," SingPost said, adding that QSI will encompass e-commerce warehousing, last-mile delivery and other end-to-end e-commerce solutions.

Said SingPost CEO Wolfgang Baier: "We are now taking the next step by building a regional e-commerce logistics platform and infrastructure for e-commerce players across Asia-Pacific based on Quantium Solutions - our e-commerce logistics subsidiary. Alibaba started as our customer and then last year became our shareholder and business partner."

SingPost and Alibaba have also entered into a joint strategic business development framework to improve efficiency and integration of e-commerce logistics solutions. A joint steering committee will be created and drawn from their respective executives.

Mr Lim Ho Kee, SingPost's chairman, said the pace of transformation at SingPost has been accelerating. "As a postal service provider, we are on a burning platform, facing a global decline in mail revenue with trends like e-substitution and lifestyle changes," he said.

"It is a win-win situation for both of us because we share similar goals and have a natural fit between our operations across Asia."

Alibaba chief executive Daniel Zhang said that the additional investment in SingPost and the new joint venture signify the commitment to expanding the global logistics footprint, which will help Chinese businesses to sell and global brands to deliver more easily around the world.

3. Then read this!

Singpost Is Developing A Futuristic Shopping Mall To House Online Retailers

http://techcrunch.com/2015/10/28/singpost-is-developing-a-futuristic-shopping-mall-to-house-online-retailers/

Retrieved 14 Aug 2016 2100 hrs

Weeks after revealing plans to use drones to deliver the mail, Singpost — Singapore’s postal service provider — has unveiled another futuristic e-commerce concept, a mall that combines online and offline shopping together under one roof.

The mall (artist’s impressive above) will be located at Singapore Post Centre (SPC) and is scheduled to be completed by mid-2017. The company said it would feature 25,000 square meters of retail space spread across five levels. There’ll be an eight-screen cinema but, most importantly, Singpost envisages the mall being the future of retail — where shoppers can peruse items in store and order them online for delivery to their home. (The delivery and logistics are part are where Singpost truly brings its resources into play.)

The organization believes that marrying online and offline commerce will benefit both customers and retailers, as it explained in an announcement today:

A consumer could browse in-store, purchase the product and arrange for delivery of the product directly to their home. The consumer could then continue shopping, watch a movie or have a meal in the mall without having to carry bulky shopping bags. The retailer, on the other hand, could save on storage space in the store as fulfilment would be done at the backend of the warehouse.

 It’s certainly a bold vision, particularly since this mall would be the first of its kind — even though online-to-offline is already a trend that is enabling some physical retailers to extend their reach to customers through the internet.

Some types of shopping are based around instant gratification or spontaneity, i.e. actually taking a product home with you, but Singpost is betting that in some cases — such as bulkier items or more mundane purchases — shopping online and a speedy home delivery is what the people will want.

We’ve already seen Alibaba invest $4.6 billion in foster closer links between online and offline sales. That deal saw the Chinese e-commerce firm — which is an investor in Singpost — buy a 20 percent slice of Chinese physical retail giant Suning. Part of that coming-together will see Alibaba given the opportunity of “a physical experience” with products in store — i.e. try it in person and buy it via Alibaba — while there are plans to offer after-sales support for products bought via Alibaba’s online services.

Singpost, however, is taking this concept to the next level with a mall. For now, only cinema firm Golden Village Multiplex and coffee chain Kopitiam are confirmed tenants. It is easy to see how both of those businesses could benefit from closer alignment with internet sales and distribution, but it will be interesting to see which other companies inhabit the mall when it goes from vision to reality over the next 18 months or so. And, of course, whether the concept takes off in other countries.

3. Then understand this!

http://www.singstat.gov.sg/statistics/visualising-data/charts/age-pyramid-of-resident-population

Retrieved 14 April 2016, 2118 hrs

What this means to you - We'll be as politically incorrect as possible:

You're going to be screwed.  Big time.

This emerging business model will cut you off from your customers, and mess up your supply / delivery chain.

• Alibaba - global e-market place where they connect consumers, small businesses directly to manufacturers.

• Lazada - e-commerce platform where they engage in affiliate marketing, so everyone in their system will sell like crazy. You can buy almost anything there - they're a SE Asian Taobao.

• Singpost - logistics solutions provider

Their combined ecosystem reaches out to suppliers and consumers bypassing traditional sales and distribution channels will cause your sales volume to dip, and lower YOUR customers/shopper's propensity to spend with you.

Granted that the millennials (read : the massive spenders of the future) are all Linux, Windows, IOS, Android savvy, and spend loads of time browsing on their mobile devices, it's only a matter of time before you find yourself or your business irrelevant.

But, the good news is that people (especially in Singapore) still need to go out to their homes, spend time on leisure and on recreation, to do something, to eat something, to see something.

Shopping for merchandise (less perishable groceries perhaps) will be low on their priority.

If you are a mall owner / venue manager - how are you going to fill up those retail spaces? 

How are you going to get sustainable, let alone grow your footfall (that determines the amount of rental your tenants are willing to pay) ?

How are you going to get customers to spend with you?

What can you do, strategically and tactically?

  

Aspiring Home Bakers - take note!

Today we take a special look into the legitimacy of home bakers....

Google : Home Based Business Scheme in Singapore, and 3 websites will pop up in your feed, in no particular order:

1. URA
2. HDB
3. NEA


Point 1 : You do not need to register with ACRA to run your small home business. (But you still must inform HDB)

Note - Applicants need not register with ACRA first to apply for HOS (Home Office Registration).HDB's Home Office Scheme is applicable for HDB residential flats and living quarters of the HDB commercial property. Only the Owner who wish to operate a Home Office can apply via OBLS as long as his/her business can comply with the conditions of the scheme and his/her business does not fall under the non-permissible list of businesses. The only fee payable to HDB is the administration fee $20 for 5-year approval period. For third party filer, please print the prescribed Letter of Authorisation. Please refer to Terms and Conditions 

Source : https://licences.business.gov.sg/SHINE/sop/WebPageHandler?p=OASIS&pn=SelectLicences&ss=FAQ&LicenceID=1421
Retrieved 7.17pm 9 Apr 2017


Point 2 : You do not need to, and can not turn your home kitchen into a bakery, and can only sell to friends.

What this means : you need to have many friends so you can sell to some of them. And you can make friends adding them into your facebook (or them adding you), following you on instagram, twitter etcetera.

"Examples of Home-based Activities that Can Be Allowed in Private and HDB Residential Premises

1. the resident who is at home doing office work using a computer, which is linked to the office main computer
2. the resident undertaking sewing work at home to supplement the household income
3. freelance artist/journalist/photographer/writer etc operating in his/her own home, without employing anyone and where business activities are not conducted within the premises
4. the resident baking cakes at home on a small scale for sale to his/her friends without turning the place into a bakery
5. the resident conducting private tuition for not more than 3 students at any one time
6. the resident undertaking hairdressing services to supplement household income, without employing any workers
7. the resident using a small part of the house for storage of goods which are for sale at the resident's own market stall, provided the storage does not exceed 10 cubic meter
8. the resident undertaking piecemeal work at his/her home from factory on work rate basis, to supplement household income"

Source: https://www.ura.gov.sg/uol/guidelines/development-control/Home-Office-Scheme/Sections/FAQs/small-business-guidelines-for-setting-up-small-business-at-home.aspx 

Retrieved 7.17pm 9 Apr 2017

Point 3 : It is better for you to be a certified food handler (more credibility to you), and conform to food labeling standards such as date of expiry, and your contact details.

What this means : you can take up a food handling course at Dignity Kitchen, hawker social enterprise  http://projectdignity.sg/singapore/

The official name for the course to attend is the Basic Food Hygiene Course.

"HDB/URA's Home Based Small Scale Business Scheme

The Home Based Small Scale Business Scheme by HDB and URA allows residents to carry out activities in their HDB and private residential premises to supplement their income. Under this scheme, residents can prepare small quantities of food for sale to their friends and relatives without turning their residences into a commercial outlet. A licence is not required from NEA. Nonetheless, residents preparing food under the scheme can refer to these guidelines on good hygiene tips to adopt."

Source : http://www.nea.gov.sg/public-health/food-hygiene
Retrieved 7.17pm 9 Apr 2017


You know, you can't sell to the public, so you can't participate in flea markets to sell. But you can participate in flea markets to provide sampling of your products and introduce your own brand...as well as to make friends!

As long as you understand what the above means, you'll be able to participate in our flea markets and bazaars.

What is Simisi? Simisi is what?

First of all, it takes a bit of understanding of Singlish, or hokkien to know simisi is what?

Simisi this?
Simisi that?

That's right, simisi is what is this.


Simisi Xperimental Bazaar?

Means xperimental bazaar lor !

If we recall what we did in school during science lessons, we conducted xperiments, doing things we have never done before, yes?

Our Xperimental bazaars are the same, it means we've never been there before, and it's the first time we're there and that we will further tweak and update our bazaars there as we understand the nature of the site and human behaviour there.