15 Defunct Department Stores We Miss Most

[Hypocrite-The]

Any comments on Tangs? If they never had their own building..they would have folded up long ago

 

[Balls2U]

Peter Chew's Department Store at Supreme House.

 

[glockman]

View attachment 97470

This one was at Katong, right?

 

[glockman]

Tay Buan Guan had strange entrance though , an alley

but I did miss Change Alley though , just next to John Littles and opposite to Robinsons

Yes, the old Change Alley. Full of money changers, and watch sellers.

Destroyed by modernisation

 

[zhihau]

This one was at Katong, right?

Fitzpatrick is in atas area lah, Orchard rd, current day Paragon?

 

[glockman]

Fitzpatrick is in atas area lah, Orchard rd, current day Paragon?

I thought it looked like where IKEA katong and Katong Yaohan were. Then Cold Storage took over. They had a big open air carpark.

 

[Nice-Gook]

Yes, the old Change Alley. Full of money changers, and watch sellers.

Destroyed by modernisation

wonder how many knew there was another department store called Gian Singh ,just opposite to Robinsons and next to Change Alley...a few storey tall

and just a few meters away the Mohans who moved to orchard rd ,Peter's Chew and Mohans were tourist traps ,they don't care much for local business

 

[zhihau]

I thought it looked like where IKEA katong and Katong Yaohan were. Then Cold Storage took over. They had a big open air carpark.

plenty of open air car parks in the past.

 

[zhihau]

wonder how many knew there was another department store called Gian Singh ,just opposite to Robinsons and next to Change Alley...a few storey tall

I fondly recall the days when folks dressed in their Sunday best when they head to town, I’d just be green with envy, but that’s alright, learnt to be frugal

 

[glockman]

wonder how many knew there was another department store called Gian Singh ,just opposite to Robinsons and next to Change Alley...a few storey tall

and just a few meters away the Mohans who moved to orchard rd ,Peter's Chew and Mohans were tourist traps ,they don't care much for local business

I remember Peter Chew and Mohans but not Gian Singh. Was there aircon in the overhead bridge that connects Change Alley to Clifford Pier?

 

[Balls2U]

I just found out that Seiyu is in fact a subsidiary of Walmart.

 

[zeddy]

Tay Buan Guan had strange entrance though , an alley

but I did miss Change Alley though , just next to John Littles and opposite to Robinsons

I remember buying my first Zippo lighter at this Mama shop at Change Alley back in the early 2000s. We came back from a vessel, and our transport boat would send us to the old Ang Teng.

 

[zeddy]

Fond memories of Yaohan. That's where I had my first part time job while waiting for my O Level results. Out store manager was this Jipun guy who had a pretty daughter my age who would come and see him at the store on some days.

 

[Black Swan]

President Emporium along Serangoon Road. Opposite the famous Hotel New World!

 

[Balls2U]

Fond memories of Yaohan. That's where I had my first part time job while waiting for my O Level results. Out store manager was this Jipun guy who had a pretty daughter my age who would come and see him at the store on some days.

I remember OG was on the ground floor of Plaza Sing. Best Denki was also on the ground floor. Yaohan was on B1 and B2 is it? B1 was the supermarket, and B2 was other stuff like clothes etc.

 

[EunoiaJAYCEE]

As we bid adieu to longtime retail giant Robinsons, let's reminisce a bit wee about those once-familiar Japanese, French, Hong Kong alongside local department stores that have since vanished entirely in Singapore:

1. Robinsons (1858-2020)

Being in the business for a staggering 162 years, Robinsons began as a small shop at Raffles Place (formerly Commercial Square), named Spicier and Robinson. Its founders James Gaborian Spicer and Philip Robinson sold everything from European groceries, spices to women’s apparel.

In 1859, the business was renamed Robinsons and Company after James Spicer left the partnership. By the early 20th century, Robinsons had become the leading department store in Singapore, positioning itself as the upmarket store catering specially for the European expatriates.

History-wise, Robinsons and its iconic department store at Raffles Place survived the Great Depression (it posted its first ever losses of about $233,000 in 1932), Second World War bombings, the Japanese Occupation (it was closed between 1942 and 1945) and a disastrous fire in 1972 that killed nine people and destroyed million dollars’ worth of goods.

Robinsons picked itself up after the disaster, expanding to other parts of Singapore. It subsequently opened stores at the Specialist’s Shopping Centre (1972), Clifford Centre (1977-1983) and The Centrepoint (1983-2014). After the company was sold to the Al Futtaim Group, another three stores were opened – Raffles City (2001-2020), JEM (2013-2020) and The Heeren (2013-2020). But they all closed in 2020 due to abysmal market conditions besetting brick and mortar retail, challenges from eCommerce as well as the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic.

Memorable Slogan: “Robinsons Sale – The sale worth waiting for“


2. John Little (1842-2016)

Before Robinsons, John Little was Singapore’s oldest department store. It was started in 1842 when John Martin Little opened his shop at Raffles Place (formerly Commercial Square), selling wine, textile, furniture, stationery and clocks. In 1955, John Little was acquired by Robinsons.

John Little left his iconic Raffles Place store in the sixties, and over the years, went on to open stores at malls in the downtown areas, such as Plaza Singapura and Specialist’s Shopping Centre. It was revamped with a new logo “JL” in the late eighties in order to woo the younger crowds.

John Little expanded its presence into the new towns and suburban areas in the early 2000s - opening outlets at Parkway Parade, Jurong Point, Northpoint and Compass Point. But by 2015, Robinsons’ new owner Al Futtaim Group decided to close all the John Little department stores in Singapore, with the last one at Plaza Singapura having shuttered in November 2016.


3. Yaohan (1974-1997)

Japanese department store Yaohan entered the Singapore market in 1974 with its first branch at Plaza Singapura. Offering a wide range of merchandise, Yaohan also boasted a supermarket, bakery and even a child play centre, a fresh concept that attracted many shoppers in the seventies and eighties. Before Yaohan, Singaporeans had not have the chance to experience shopping, supermarket and takeaway snacks under one roof.

At its peak, Yaohan had stores at Katong (1977-1983), Thomson Plaza (1979-1998), Bukit Timah (1981-1996), Jurong (1983-1997) and Parkway Parade (1983-1997). But by the late eighties, it faced challenges from other Japanese department stores such as Daimaru. The new mega retail institution Takashimaya which opened at Ngee Ann City in 1993 also brought about changes in consumers’ shopping habits.

Yaohan opened its last store at Marina Square in 1996 in a bid to catch up with its rivals, yet a year later, its mother company in Japan was declared insolvent due to mounting losses. In Singapore, its flagship store at Plaza Singapura was closed in 1997. Thomson Yaohan, the last one standing, eventually shut down in 1998.

Memorable slogan: “For one-stop family shopping“

A lot more at https://tinyurI.com/y4k83fas

Used to go to yaohan at thompson plaza when I was a kid.......such nice memories. Think there was a sogo at where tampines one is now located?

 

[tanwahtiu]

Must remind you that 162 years ago was in 1858 era and was a warehousing and auction trading house for opium stocks targeting China only.

1858 period was BE prosperity time in SEA stealing resources and established Singapore as a military support base for their gunboats to attack Chinese gunboats passing through this Straits of Malacca.

This place was to park their gunboats to shoots, bombs and sinks Chinese gunboats passing through this Straits.

This shop was solely for Chao angmoh bastards with no Chinese and dogs allowed.

Nothing to glorify them to build Singapore but their shameful past in Singapore must be exposed to their millennium kids.

No Goodwill's from chao BE angmoh to establish Singapore to benefit the locals and Chinese communities with property and sharing of wealth. Instead opium drugs were pushed to the local Chinese to profit from this drug trade.

And BE monopoly of opium trade in SEA to enrich themselves, and with no human rights to the natives health and livelihood under them.

So as such the collapse of this motherfucker BE shop shd remind them that their time is up and sooner they have to face the wrath of God punishment to pay compensation costs to addicted Chinese opium smokers in SEA and whole of East and Far East Asians countries.

As we bid adieu to longtime retail giant Robinsons, let's reminisce a bit wee about those once-familiar Japanese, French, Hong Kong alongside local department stores that have since vanished entirely in Singapore:

1. Robinsons (1858-2020)

Being in the business for a staggering 162 years, Robinsons began as a small shop at Raffles Place (formerly Commercial Square), named Spicier and Robinson. Its founders James Gaborian Spicer and Philip Robinson sold everything from European groceries, spices to women’s apparel.

In 1859, the business was renamed Robinsons and Company after James Spicer left the partnership. By the early 20th century, Robinsons had become the leading department store in Singapore, positioning itself as the upmarket store catering specially for the European expatriates.

History-wise, Robinsons and its iconic department store at Raffles Place survived the Great Depression (it posted its first ever losses of about $233,000 in 1932), Second World War bombings, the Japanese Occupation (it was closed between 1942 and 1945) and a disastrous fire in 1972 that killed nine people and destroyed million dollars’ worth of goods.

Robinsons picked itself up after the disaster, expanding to other parts of Singapore. It subsequently opened stores at the Specialist’s Shopping Centre (1972), Clifford Centre (1977-1983) and The Centrepoint (1983-2014). After the company was sold to the Al Futtaim Group, another three stores were opened – Raffles City (2001-2020), JEM (2013-2020) and The Heeren (2013-2020). But they all closed in 2020 due to abysmal market conditions besetting brick and mortar retail, challenges from eCommerce as well as the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic.

Memorable Slogan: “Robinsons Sale – The sale worth waiting for“


2. John Little (1842-2016)

Before Robinsons, John Little was Singapore’s oldest department store. It was started in 1842 when John Martin Little opened his shop at Raffles Place (formerly Commercial Square), selling wine, textile, furniture, stationery and clocks. In 1955, John Little was acquired by Robinsons.

John Little left his iconic Raffles Place store in the sixties, and over the years, went on to open stores at malls in the downtown areas, such as Plaza Singapura and Specialist’s Shopping Centre. It was revamped with a new logo “JL” in the late eighties in order to woo the younger crowds.

John Little expanded its presence into the new towns and suburban areas in the early 2000s - opening outlets at Parkway Parade, Jurong Point, Northpoint and Compass Point. But by 2015, Robinsons’ new owner Al Futtaim Group decided to close all the John Little department stores in Singapore, with the last one at Plaza Singapura having shuttered in November 2016.


3. Yaohan (1974-1997)

Japanese department store Yaohan entered the Singapore market in 1974 with its first branch at Plaza Singapura. Offering a wide range of merchandise, Yaohan also boasted a supermarket, bakery and even a child play centre, a fresh concept that attracted many shoppers in the seventies and eighties. Before Yaohan, Singaporeans had not have the chance to experience shopping, supermarket and takeaway snacks under one roof.

At its peak, Yaohan had stores at Katong (1977-1983), Thomson Plaza (1979-1998), Bukit Timah (1981-1996), Jurong (1983-1997) and Parkway Parade (1983-1997). But by the late eighties, it faced challenges from other Japanese department stores such as Daimaru. The new mega retail institution Takashimaya which opened at Ngee Ann City in 1993 also brought about changes in consumers’ shopping habits.

Yaohan opened its last store at Marina Square in 1996 in a bid to catch up with its rivals, yet a year later, its mother company in Japan was declared insolvent due to mounting losses. In Singapore, its flagship store at Plaza Singapura was closed in 1997. Thomson Yaohan, the last one standing, eventually shut down in 1998.

Memorable slogan: “For one-stop family shopping“

A lot more at https://tinyurI.com/y4k83fas

 

[micromachine]

Used to go to yaohan at thompson plaza when I was a kid.......such nice memories. Think there was a sogo at where tampines one is now located?

Yeah they tore it down and Tampines One came up in its place. Sogo was on L2.

 

[SalahParking]

I bet none of you visited Bobby 'O'

 

[Nice-Gook]

I bet none of you visited Bobby 'O'

the white building along Stamford rd ,along the way to the old national library ?

the owners is an Indian, the son always wear white and white ,got murdered for messing with a chinese girl

PAP gazetted the building and paid 1 million as compensation ,the owner sued ,after years of litigation the court upheld the government

worth billions now