Theme:Shopping

Learn on the go. Check out our playlists for collections of short videos, and learning packages for articles, that will give you a slice of history and heritage.

Playlist: Early malls in Singapore

Today, almost every neighborhood boasts its own shopping mall, or shopping centre, offering convenience and leisure for many Singaporeans. However, not many may know that the shopping centre is a relatively new concept that emerged in Singapore only in the 1960s. In the early decades, shopping centres were modern, novel spaces that not only served as places of retail, but places for burgeoning youth cultures and communities.

Check out these resources to learn more about the stories and communities found in Singapore’s early malls.

Learning Package: Early malls in Singapore

The earliest form of the shopping mall in Singapore can be said to be the upper-class standalone department store in colonial Singapore. Post-independence, “planned shopping centre” complexes then came into being, alongside rapid urban development occurring all throughout the country. Seen as modern establishments, many of these multi-storied malls were the first in Singapore to have air-conditioning and elevators. While the heyday of these malls has passed, many of them are still known today for their eclectic and niche tenants, and for being places of social and cultural histories.

Did you know...

The then-newly opened Far East Plaza was featured in rock icon David Bowie’s 1983 documentary, “Richochet”, which captured Bowie’s experiences in Southeast Asia while on tour.

This curated set of articles and books will help you understand more about the history of early shopping malls in Singapore, and the shopping places that came before them.

Articles

Alkaff Arcade by Marsita Omar

Built in 1909 by the Alkaff family, the waterfront building was known as Singapore’s first indoor shopping centre. It housed offices and shops selling a wide range of imported goods which catered mostly to office workers. The building was demolished in 1978 to make way for the new Arcade, which also houses retail and office spaces.

Source: Marsita Omar. (2020). “Alkaff Arcade. Singapore Infopedia.Retrieved 2025, September 8.

Going Shopping in the 60s by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow

This article explores the old shopping hubs of Raffles Place, High Street and North Bridge Road. It covers what these places were like, how they are remembered and what they represented to people in the past – many of whom could not afford the things they saw in display windows.

Source: Yu-Mei Balasingamchow. (2018). “Going Shopping in the 60s by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow. BiblioAsia 14 (2) (Jul-Sep 2018). Retrieved 2025, September 8.

Oriental Emporium: The End of an Era by Kam Kit Geok

Before the proliferation of shopping malls across Singapore, department stores were the go-to shopping destinations for families in Singapore. This article tells the story of one such department store, the Oriental Emporium, an affordable chain established in the 1960s that carried Chinese products. In 1999, the chain closed all its stores due to increasing competition.

Source: Kit Geok Kam. (2019). “Oriental Emporium: The End of an Era. BiblioAsia 15 (2) (Jul-Sep 2019). Retrieved 2025, September 8.

Golden Mile Complex: Five Decades of an Architectural Icon by Justin Zhuang

This article looks back on the five-decade-long history of Golden Mile Complex, one of Singapore’s earliest mixed-use developments. It discusses the architectural concept behind the building, its identity as “Little Thailand”, and its journey from being sold through an en-bloc sale to becoming a conserved historical landmark.

Source: Justin Zhuang. (2023). “Golden Mile Complex: Five Decades of an Architectural Icon. BiblioAsia19 (2) (Jul-Sep 2023). Retrieved 2025, September 8.

Books

The Singapore mall generation: history, imagination, community

TLiew, Kai Khiun (Ed.). (2022). The Singapore mall generation: history, imagination, community. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions. (Call no.: RSING 381.11095957 SIN)

This book explores the histories, communities and cultures that grew within what used to be Singapore’s most modern shopping centres.

A study of planned shopping centres in Singapore

Sim, Loo Lee. (1985). A study of planned shopping centres in Singapore. Singapore: Singapore University Press for Centre for Advanced Studies. (Call no.: RSING 658.870095957 SIM)

This book examines the concept of the shopping centre in Singapore and its growth and development throughout the country between the 1960s and 1980s. It also provides an analysis of changing forms and locations of retail, as well as evolving consumer patterns because of the emergence of shopping centres.

Lucky Plaza News

Management Corporation of Lucky Plaza. (1988-). Lucky Plaza News. Singapore: Management Corporation of Lucky Plaza. (Call no: RCLOS 338.761658871095957 LPN)

This is the bi-monthly newsletter for Lucky Plaza shopping centre, which opened for business in 1973. The newsletter is published by Lucky Plaza’s Management Corporation (MC), which manages the multiple-ownership shopping centre. Besides news updates, the newsletter also includes messages from the MC to retailers on issues as such as improving facilities and customer service at stores.