The Legacy
ION Orchard came about as a part of the Singapore Government’s plans to revitalise Orchard Road, which was announced back in 2004. Before ION, our famed shopping belt was only lined with heritage-rich malls such as Tangs and Lucky Plaza. ION is one of the youngest malls, having just celebrated its 8th anniversary in October last year.
However, ION differentiates itself in terms of the types of shops it houses, as compared to its neighbouring malls. Perhaps the closest mall ION is comparable to
is Paragon, for its luxurious brands.
As mentioned previously under Interior Layout, there
is a structure to how shops are located. High-street brands are on the lower levels while the luxurious brands are above-ground. However, it must be noted that the high-street brands on the lower levels still feature brands that cannot be found in a typical mall, like Braun Buffel. Therefore, while ION is said to cater to everybody regardless of economic status, the layout automatically filters the type of people that frequent ION. Even if shoppers only frequent the lower levels, these shoppers are still of a certain economic status.
Shops above ground are of an entirely different kind
of economic sphere. Items sold start from a several hundred up to thousands. The clear distinction between the upper levels and the lower levels can
be summarised into whether the price of a product
has an extra 0, or not.
While modern-day Singaporeans and foreigners have
a higher standard of living and are better off compared to previous years, ION is still not for everyone. Its inclusivity becomes a matter of one's capability and willingness to spend.
A Gentrified Mall
Perpetration of
Social-economic Status
“There is no reason for me to go upstairs. What I want to buy is in the basement.”
- Koh Susani, Singaporean
“I only go there for H&M, Uniqlo and the foodcourt.”
- Joanalyn, Domestic Worker
“I think ION is catered to everyone if they are willing to spend money. We locals already know that the price range is high, so when we come to orchard we are prepared to spend.”
- Shafiqah, H&M Staff
The Institute of Policy Studies released an upsetting finding earlier this year - the sharpest social divide in Singapore is now based on class, rather than race
or religion.
Singapore is increasingly stratified along class lines: our social circles comprise of people with similar socio-economic statuses (Ng, 2018). To put it bluntly, the well-off are congregating amongst themselves, and so are the middle- and low-income groups. There is little to no connection established between these groups.
While there are efforts to breakdown those metaphorical fences, existing malls like ION may further fracture our society. The clear distinction between the type of shops in ION draws a clear distinction between the type of people that patronize ION's shops.
In our interviews, many who choose to remain in the basement rarely go to the upper levels because there there is nothing for them to buy, but the more pressing reason is that the items are too expensive.
On the other hand, those who remain in the upper levels rarely go to the basement simply because they do not want to compromise on their shopping experience -the superiority of buying products that the Average Joe cannot afford, combined with the tailored shopping experience provided only by high-end brands cannot be replicated by the usual high-street shops below.
While our interviews may not be representative of the wider population, it is a sample of sentiments nevertheless. The layout of the mall produces different feelings and outlooks, and it is a fact that such a layout has been carefully thought-out. Market segmentation was done beforehand alongside the mapping of stores, and therefore, social segregation didn’t happen by chance (Ang, 2011). ION's layout clearly divides shops by status, which in turn divides shoppers by socio-economic status.
ION's Legacy
The transient nature of ION is reflected in its high turnover rates of high-street shops, staff, and even shoppers - as many of them don’t live near Orchard, and don’t visit ION frequently. In our survey, 52.6% of our respondents only visit ION “a few times a year”.
Shops in ION are not run by the owners, but
by employees of brands. Relationships with customers, if any, are fostered are out of work obligation. This sentiment is echoed
by Shafiqah, a sales staff at H&M, who said,
“I don’t really have personal relationships
with customers, but I recognise regulars.”
Even between shop staff, there is a lack of camaraderie and community. In smaller, older malls, shop tenants have strong bonds and trust among each other, and are therefore willing to help each other's businesses.
However, the businesses in ION are competitors, with an “every man for himself” mindset. Shop staff have no freedom to help their friends in other shops even if they wanted to because of work obligations.
“I don't really have personal relationships with customers, but I recognise regulars.”
- Shafiqah, H&M Staff
New-age malls are solely for business and transactions, and have no place for a personal touch. If ION were to be demolished one day, most Singaporeans would not miss it. 68% of our survey respondents said that they will not miss it, and 91.9% indicated that they have no emotional attachment to the mall. In other words, we wouldn’t have stories about ION to pass down to
our children and grandchildren.
However, it is not to say that ION wouldn’t leave behind a legacy in 50 years’ time. It will be recognised as a popular high-end mall, but not one that is fondly remembered for fostering warm relationships between customers and shop staff.
ION would simply be “just another mall”.
If ION were to be demolished one day, many would not miss it.
The Next ION
ION is now a cookie-cutter mall with its retail mix of luxury brands like Cartier, and fast fashion like Sephora. In contrast, a heartland mall like Beauty World Centre has obscure stores such as Prince’s Flower Shop. With 11 outlets, Sephora can easily be found islandwide, but there is only one such ‘Prince’s Flower Shop’.
Once Prince’s Flower Shop closes down, it’s gone forever.
But if Sephora in ION closes, the brand can still be
found in any other mall. ION holds plenty of brands which are ubiquitous and can be easily found in
another similar mall, unlike tailored malls. ION is thus
an easy-to-replicate mall.
Even though ION hosts these franchised brands, it is not necessarily a bad thing. ION’s purpose and vision is completely different from a smaller and older mall, as each mall caters to different audiences and tenants. We need malls that house big names and luxury brands because they simply do not fit into smaller and older malls. You would not expect to walk into Beauty World Center looking for a ‘Louis Vuitton’. Likewise, you would not expect to visit ION for a ‘Prince’s Flower Shop’.
Even though ION is a “stone-cold” business without “sob stories” comparable to older malls with richer histories, it still has a crucial role to play and a unique purpose to fulfill in Singapore’s retail landscape.
ION is a fresh face in Singapore’s shopping landscape now, but will not be for long. New innovations will come over time, and budding malls will not only emulate ION, but may even offer newer and more unique concepts. While it is unique for now, ION’s price point-based layout, and the beyond shopping experiences it offers, would easily be imitated in the years to come.
New innovations will come over time, and budding malls will not only emulate ION, but may even offer newer and more unique concepts.