SINGAPORE, 27 June 2019: The 25-year-old Great Singapore Sale bowed out this year and is now the GSS: Experience Singapore that got underway last weekend and runs to 28 July.
Started in 1994 and claiming to attract more than 660,000 shoppers from around the region, the month-long sales became a model for other countries in the region to copy.
Now the great sale organisers have tweaked the brand calling it GSS: Experience Singapore but to most of us, it will always be remembered as the great sale month when we headed for the city-state to grab bargains on fashion items, cameras, mobiles and computers.
Despite its reputation for being a pricy destination, Singapore has always managed to retain its appeal as a shopping destination.
It starts at Changi Airport where booze prices undercut by a wide margin the best Bangkok’s King Power group can muster.
The month-long sale has the backing of multiple trade association partners including Singapore Retailers Association, One Kampong Gelam (OKG),
Orchard Road Business Association (ORBA), Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS), Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) and Textile and Fashion Federation (TaFF).
This year’s launch ceremony took place on the rooftop of Design Orchard and brought traffic on all three roads at Cairnhill Road, Grange Road and Orchard Road to a simultaneous halt.
More than 100 flash mob dancers then burst into the yellow box junction at the traffic intersection and danced their way into the hearts of the Orchard Road audience.
It was literally a traffic-stopping “Orchard Road Fashion Scramble” as 100 models subsequently took over the ‘yellow box traffic intersection’ to showcase collections from local designers, international brands and collections from fashion design schools.
As the retail landscape advances, it was important for our flagship retail extravaganza to reflect that progress,” said Singapore Retailers Association president R Dhinakaran. “ SRA is incredibly grateful to all our partners for bringing the first-ever cross-sector collaboration to life by leveraging the synergies of different industries to create an all-encompassing lifestyle event.”
GSS highlights
• The Great Singapore Street Pop-Up, which opens daily until 30 June (1100 to 2200) with 42 retail and F&B operators from cult jeans and active sportswear, fashion apparel and accessories, furniture and home furnishings, jewellery and vintage collectables, cosmetics, arts and crafts and food.
• Going beyond the usual sphere of retail outlets to celebrate one of Singapore’s oldest urban precincts: Kampong Gelam, The Experience Kampong Gelam (5 to 14 July) endeavour to educate both locals and overseas visitors about the cultural and national significance of this beautifully preserved community.
• The GREAT Furniture Showcase at Robinsons The Heeren (Level 5).
• EXPERIENCE The Future of Retail where retailers – specifically Under Armour, Atomi Lifestyle & Furniture Boutique, The Shirt Bar, The Commune Lifestyle and Decathlon Singapore Lab, embrace digital technology to offer shoppers experiential experiences.
• The GREAT Singapore Stories is an evocative collection of local films, music and stories told by Singaporean filmmakers, musicians and students. Venue: ‘A Great Great World’@Grange Road Carpark 28 June.
• Visitors from selected countries will be able to experience deals and exclusive coupons with the GoSpree App. Download GoSpree for more exclusive deals – Robinsons SGD5 GoSpree coupons (2,500pcs) every Friday; SGD32 for Downtown East Celebration Booklet (worth over SGD700).
The promise is you can stretch your dollar at the Great Singapore Sale an iconic event for bargain-hunting both locals and tourists alike.
Shopping destinations to keep an eye out for include the glitzy Orchard Road belt, with its stellar line-up of designer brands, fast fashion labels and massive malls.
But don’t forget the smaller exclusive shops in Chinatown, Kampong Glam and Little India. Those who like perusing through independent shops are certain to fall for Haji Lane in Kampong Glam precinct.
