<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Oct 12, 2008
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</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Fewer party-goers - and they spend less
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->Who is in the mood to party?
Nightspots say they are starting to feel shaken.
A Sunday Times check with 10 nightclubs and bars found that most, if not all, are seeing a slowdown.
In the past week, business has declined sharply for the EZ50 nightclub and the 50s pub, both in Tanjong Pagar.
They have fewer customers, and those who come in ask for cheaper liquor. Mr Simon Kwan, owner of the two places, said earnings have plunged by over 50 per cent.
'Things are quite bad. People are more cautious in their spending,' he said.
Lifebrandz, with a stable of seven nightclubs, expects to be hit by the financial slowdown.
Already, business is slower than usual, said its Hong Kong-based chief executive Clement Lee. 'We still see the same people but they spend less,' he said.
Last week, Lifebrandz closed two of its popular nightspots - the Ministry of Sound (MOS) dance club and the chic Kandi Bar - both in Clarke Quay. It said MOS was closed for renovations.
Smaller nightclubs and bars are even more worried.
The Crazy Elephant Bar in Clarke Quay, whose clientele consists mostly of expatriates, professionals and tourists, is uncertain of what the next six months will bring.
Said outlet manager Anita Lydia: 'We've had no problems with business so far. But towards the end of the year, we don't know if tourists will still come or still spend.'
Mr Sam Nor, a partner at the Cuscaden Patio cafe pub, has noticed profits drop by roughly 30 per cent from the boom times.
He still charges $10 for a beer jug on Tuesdays to keep his regulars coming back, even though he makes little profit from this.
'I'm worried but we have to keep business going, even during tough times,' he said.
Even nightclub mogul Dennis Foo, owner of the megaclub complex St James Power Station, is cautious. He plans to deal with any slowdown by increasing staff productivity.
'We'll have to watch the beginning of next year. People may go out less and cut spending,' he said.
He said if the crisis becomes a depression, even megaclubs like his will be hit.
Finance executive Jonathan Cheng, 31, a regular party-goer, is cutting back. 'I used to go for drinks with friends every night after work. But with all this talk about a recession, I've been going for drinks only once or twice a week,' he said.
PLAY
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Fewer party-goers - and they spend less
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->Who is in the mood to party?
Nightspots say they are starting to feel shaken.
A Sunday Times check with 10 nightclubs and bars found that most, if not all, are seeing a slowdown.
In the past week, business has declined sharply for the EZ50 nightclub and the 50s pub, both in Tanjong Pagar.
They have fewer customers, and those who come in ask for cheaper liquor. Mr Simon Kwan, owner of the two places, said earnings have plunged by over 50 per cent.
'Things are quite bad. People are more cautious in their spending,' he said.
Lifebrandz, with a stable of seven nightclubs, expects to be hit by the financial slowdown.
Already, business is slower than usual, said its Hong Kong-based chief executive Clement Lee. 'We still see the same people but they spend less,' he said.
Last week, Lifebrandz closed two of its popular nightspots - the Ministry of Sound (MOS) dance club and the chic Kandi Bar - both in Clarke Quay. It said MOS was closed for renovations.
Smaller nightclubs and bars are even more worried.
The Crazy Elephant Bar in Clarke Quay, whose clientele consists mostly of expatriates, professionals and tourists, is uncertain of what the next six months will bring.
Said outlet manager Anita Lydia: 'We've had no problems with business so far. But towards the end of the year, we don't know if tourists will still come or still spend.'
Mr Sam Nor, a partner at the Cuscaden Patio cafe pub, has noticed profits drop by roughly 30 per cent from the boom times.
He still charges $10 for a beer jug on Tuesdays to keep his regulars coming back, even though he makes little profit from this.
'I'm worried but we have to keep business going, even during tough times,' he said.
Even nightclub mogul Dennis Foo, owner of the megaclub complex St James Power Station, is cautious. He plans to deal with any slowdown by increasing staff productivity.
'We'll have to watch the beginning of next year. People may go out less and cut spending,' he said.
He said if the crisis becomes a depression, even megaclubs like his will be hit.
Finance executive Jonathan Cheng, 31, a regular party-goer, is cutting back. 'I used to go for drinks with friends every night after work. But with all this talk about a recession, I've been going for drinks only once or twice a week,' he said.
