<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Big sale at the Singapore Flyer falls flat
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Huang Huifen and Estelle Low
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
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A cheap sale at the Singapore Flyer has not quite taken flight.
A promotion, which started on Jan 9, has 16 of the 30 tenants offering carrots like one-for-one offers and 50 per cent discounts.
But 10 participating retailers told The Sunday Times that the campaign has not brought any relief to their business, which has suffered ever since an electrical fire grounded the $240 million tourist draw on Dec 23.
The promotion, a joint initiative between the management and the tenants, is slated to last a month.
Mr Eldwin Chua, owner of Seafood Paradise restaurant, said there have been more inquiries since the promotion started, but sales have stayed stagnant. It is offering one-for-one deals on certain items.
He estimated that business has dropped by more than 20 per cent since the shutdown.
Another disappointed tenant is Ms Serene Tjokro-Lau, owner of Jalapeno's Pepper cafe which is touting one-for-one deals on selected main courses.
'It's like a ghost town; there's hardly anyone at the Flyer,' she said, adding that business has dipped by 99 per cent since the Flyer closed.
Over at Nankai Crocodile Skin Products, a senior manager who wants to be known only as Jason said the non-food and beverage shops were the worst-hit.
'People come to the Flyer for rides. Who will come all the way here to buy handbags or sunglasses when there are other branches in town?' His shop is offering up to 50 per cent off on selected items.
Instead of having promotions, some tenants would rather the Flyer management help out by reducing rent.
The workers at Nankai hope that rent can be rolled back by at least 50 per cent for three to six months.
Apart from poor takings, some tenants are also unhappy about the lack of communication with the management which has been rocked by resignations, such as that of its general manager Steven Yeo.
A tenant, who wished to remain anonymous, said there was no support other than the one-week rental waiver given out in the aftermath of the Flyer closure.
'The management should know what kind of support we need. It's up to them whether they want to give it to us or not,' he said.
A spokesman for the Flyer said the management has been working closely with the tenants and has taken their feedback into account.
'We do have tenants who are happy and successful with the promotions that we have launched,' she said, noting that the management is footing the cost of the advertisements.
But she added that tenants have a duty too to market their own offerings.
Some tenants are doing just that. O'Learys Sports Bar & Grill, for example, hopes to launch a new menu and Happy Hour promotion this week.
Plans for Valentine's Day are also under way, said the bar's manager, Mr Vinod Gakhmola. He noted that business has slipped between 15 and 20 per cent since Dec 23.
Amid the general downbeat mood, at least one tenant, Mr Melvin Koh, general manager of Love the World Soul Rock Bistro and Bar, remains upbeat.
It opened a day before the Flyer was shut down. He said business has been brisk and Love has hosted five company functions so far.
'Once the wheel is up and running, I'm sure business will be even better,' he said.
An update on when the Flyer will resume operations is expected to come from its management this week.
What can be done to revive the fortunes of businesses at the Flyer? E-mail [email protected]
<HR width="50%" SIZE=1>
Waiting for customers
'It's like a ghost town; there's hardly anyone at the Flyer.'
MS SERENE TJOKRO-LAU, owner of Jalapeno's Pepper cafe
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Huang Huifen and Estelle Low
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->
A cheap sale at the Singapore Flyer has not quite taken flight.
A promotion, which started on Jan 9, has 16 of the 30 tenants offering carrots like one-for-one offers and 50 per cent discounts.
But 10 participating retailers told The Sunday Times that the campaign has not brought any relief to their business, which has suffered ever since an electrical fire grounded the $240 million tourist draw on Dec 23.
The promotion, a joint initiative between the management and the tenants, is slated to last a month.
Mr Eldwin Chua, owner of Seafood Paradise restaurant, said there have been more inquiries since the promotion started, but sales have stayed stagnant. It is offering one-for-one deals on certain items.
He estimated that business has dropped by more than 20 per cent since the shutdown.
Another disappointed tenant is Ms Serene Tjokro-Lau, owner of Jalapeno's Pepper cafe which is touting one-for-one deals on selected main courses.
'It's like a ghost town; there's hardly anyone at the Flyer,' she said, adding that business has dipped by 99 per cent since the Flyer closed.
Over at Nankai Crocodile Skin Products, a senior manager who wants to be known only as Jason said the non-food and beverage shops were the worst-hit.
'People come to the Flyer for rides. Who will come all the way here to buy handbags or sunglasses when there are other branches in town?' His shop is offering up to 50 per cent off on selected items.
Instead of having promotions, some tenants would rather the Flyer management help out by reducing rent.
The workers at Nankai hope that rent can be rolled back by at least 50 per cent for three to six months.
Apart from poor takings, some tenants are also unhappy about the lack of communication with the management which has been rocked by resignations, such as that of its general manager Steven Yeo.
A tenant, who wished to remain anonymous, said there was no support other than the one-week rental waiver given out in the aftermath of the Flyer closure.
'The management should know what kind of support we need. It's up to them whether they want to give it to us or not,' he said.
A spokesman for the Flyer said the management has been working closely with the tenants and has taken their feedback into account.
'We do have tenants who are happy and successful with the promotions that we have launched,' she said, noting that the management is footing the cost of the advertisements.
But she added that tenants have a duty too to market their own offerings.
Some tenants are doing just that. O'Learys Sports Bar & Grill, for example, hopes to launch a new menu and Happy Hour promotion this week.
Plans for Valentine's Day are also under way, said the bar's manager, Mr Vinod Gakhmola. He noted that business has slipped between 15 and 20 per cent since Dec 23.
Amid the general downbeat mood, at least one tenant, Mr Melvin Koh, general manager of Love the World Soul Rock Bistro and Bar, remains upbeat.
It opened a day before the Flyer was shut down. He said business has been brisk and Love has hosted five company functions so far.
'Once the wheel is up and running, I'm sure business will be even better,' he said.
An update on when the Flyer will resume operations is expected to come from its management this week.
What can be done to revive the fortunes of businesses at the Flyer? E-mail [email protected]
<HR width="50%" SIZE=1>
Waiting for customers
'It's like a ghost town; there's hardly anyone at the Flyer.'
MS SERENE TJOKRO-LAU, owner of Jalapeno's Pepper cafe
