Essential reading for new investors in Singapore!
The main shopping areas in Singapore are concentrated along Orchard Road on the northern bank of the Singapore River, around the Government Building and Marina Square, as well as in the vicinity of Scotts Road. In these locations, you can conveniently purchase leather goods, silk, traditional Chinese medicine, batik, and other specialties produced in Singapore and throughout Southeast Asia.
Orchard Road Orchard Road is Singapore's upscale shopping district, comparable to Tokyo's Ginza, lined with commercial buildings that showcase world-renowned brand products. The shopping environment is elegant, but the prices are correspondingly high.
The world-famous DFS Group's Singapore DFS Global Duty-Free Store is a must-visit for every fashion follower; the larger shopping center in Singapore—ION Orchard—is known as the shopping jewel of Singapore; the Isetan Orchard store occupies half of the entire Wisma Atria, offering a wide range of high-end products; another place worth visiting is the Lucky Plaza, which, although it has fewer high-end brand clothing stores, offers a complete range of other products at reasonable prices.
Marina Square
Surrounding the Government Building and Marina Square, there are not only the grand Marina Square but also Raffles Place, which offers a variety of small items, from world-renowned brands to small souvenirs.
Outside the city Chinatown, Little India, Bugis, Arab Street, and Holland Village are places where you can find various affordable clothing or handicrafts with ethnic characteristics. The shelves are filled with products rich in ethnic flavor, creating a dazzling array.
Tips:
1. Merlion Symbol Stores: The Singapore Tourism Board issues the red and gold Merlion symbol, which represents that the prices and quality of the products in these stores are trustworthy. Raffles Place and the Isetan shopping center have offices of the Singapore Tourism Board where you can request a list of Merlion symbol stores.
2. Receipts: Department stores use cash register receipts, and when shopping in small stores, please ask the store owner for a shopping receipt.
3. Product Guarantee: Stores usually provide a one-year international warranty for products, which shoppers must request themselves, and sometimes additional fees may apply. Be sure to check that all required information on the warranty is filled out and stamped by the store. Do not accept photocopies or incomplete warranties.
4. Big Sales: Singapore has two major sale seasons each year, the first being before the Chinese New Year in January-February (the exact timing varies each year), during which the Chinese New Year sales are held. The second occurs from late June to late July, which is the major sale event organized by the Singapore Tourism Board. During these two periods, not only small shops but also large department stores and top brand fashion stores compete to offer discounts. Generally, brands that rarely have sales can also be purchased at significantly reduced prices during this time.
