Orchard Road
One of the latest additions-Orchard IonOrchard Road is Singapore's answer to Paris' Champs-Elysées and New York's Fifth Avenue. It is forever work in progress as the drilling and building activities have not stopped especially in the last 20 years , the latest additions in 2009 are three new (but not necessary best) malls at the super prime locations of Orchard Road: ION Orchard (Orchard Road MRT), Orchard Central and 313 @ Somerset (both at Somerset MRT).
Almost all the branded goods can be found in Orchard Road. Previously most branded boutiques are at Ngee Ann City, with the opening of ION Orchard, some boutiques has moved to ION or have another branch in this new shopping mall.
Ngee Ann City is by far the biggest mall along Orchard Road while CK Tang is probably the only oldest large retailer in Orchard that still surviving despite the challenges post by new malls that has been sprouting over the years. Want a taste of local food at fast food price, a unique experience is to take an escalator to the fourth floor of Wisma Atria's Food Republic Foodcourt in a unique setting and delicious local fares.
To survive the intense competition, many shopping malls try to differentiate themselves from the rest. E.g. Cathay Cineleisure Orchard caters to the teens, Lucky Plaza is a popular hang out for philippinos, Tanglin malls serves the expats living in Singapore, Robinson in Centrepoint is a local favorite shopping spot and Orchard Tower is famous for hookers loitering outside the buildings afterdark and so on. Most shops in Orchard opens from 10am to 10pm daily including public holidays and weekends.
Some tourists may say the Great Singapore Sale happened yearly in Jun/Jul period to be best time to shop in Orchard Road. Alas, it is a marketing gimmick initiated by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), real good discounts are rare and far in-between. Singaporeans typically go for the kill before and just after Christmas Day where the discounts are the steepest.
Check out the Orchard Road Retail Association website to find all things related to Orchard road from the its history to the different types of food and hotels' information.
Last updated on Jan 2010