Heartland mall revamps: New FairPrice Finest at Hougang Mall, fresh kids concepts for NEX

Heartland mall revamps: New FairPrice Finest at Hougang Mall, fresh kids concepts for NEXSign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inboxThe revamp of Hougang Mall, currently in its second phase, is set for completion in September. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWSKang Wan ChernPublished Jul 28, 2026, 08:49 PMUpdated Jul 28, 2026, 08:49 PMSet as preferred sourceSummariseHougang Mall's revamp nears completion with new Fairprice Finest and Decathlon stores, while NEX's $90 million expansion will add 44,000 sq ft focused on kids and education by 2028.Frasers Centrepoint Trust added 69 new tenants in nine months, boosting food, beauty, and fashion options to make heartland malls more diverse and appealing.

FCT plans a new mall at Bayshore Drive with up to 180,000 sq ft, linked to Bedok South MRT, addressing retail space shortage and supporting 10,000 new homes by 2030.AI generatedSINGAPORE – Heartland malls in Singapore are undergoing renovations and refreshing their tenant mix to keep residents coming back, even as limited retail space pushes up rents and tenant sales slow.Frasers Centrepoint Trust (FCT), which has an $8.

4 billion portfolio of nine heartland malls, said on July 27 that the Hougang Mall and Nex revamps are on track, and revealed plans for a $613 million mall in Bayshore Drive.In an update on its third-quarter financials ended June 30, FCT, one of Singapore’s largest listed suburban retail real estate investment trusts, reported an occupancy rate of 99.6 per cent across its malls for the April-to-June quarter, and higher shopper traffic from the same period in 2025.

Here are some things shoppers and residents can look forward to:1. New Fairprice Finest at Hougang Mall, NEX renovation on trackThe revamp of Hougang Mall, currently in its second phase, is set for completion in September.More than 98 per cent of the revamped space has been committed, with over 40 per cent of its units going to tenants new to the mall.

These include Fairprice Finest, which is scheduled to open on August 1, and a new Decathlon store. An expanded library is expected in the first half of 2027.The mall’s toilets have been renovated and improved, while the lift lobbies have also been modernised, FCT said.

Upgrading at NEX in Serangoon, which began in May in the space formerly occupied by Isetan, is also on schedule.FCT is spending $90 million on the NEX revamp, which is expected to add 44,000 sq ft of lettable space by the fourth quarter of 2028.Around 87 per cent of the first-phase space has been pre-leased, with brands and concepts new to the mall accounting for 73 per cent of the committed space.

The new space will focus on children and education. Shoppers can expect new Skypark by Kitztopia, Writers’ Guild and Toys R Us outlets, while Heguru and Wang Learning Centre will return to the mall.There will also be new home and living, fashion and lifestyle tenants.

2. Changes in tenant mixFCT said it brought in 69 tenants that were new to its portfolio in the nine months to June.They include Japanese second-hand fashion retailer 2nd Street at Tiong Bahru Plaza, Korean restaurant O.

BBa BBQ & Jjajang at Waterway Point, beauty retailer Well-Hey at NEX, and homegrown bedding brand Kapas at Tampines 1.More new food and beverage brands like Grains & Co, Auntie Peng, Imperial Kungu Roti, Avocadoria Singapore, More Yogurt and Tofu G Gelato are to be expected across FCT’s malls.The changing mix suggests heartland malls are trying to become places where shoppers can discover new brands and experiences, rather than simply complete routine purchases.

As at June 30, food and beverage businesses were the biggest source of rental income for FCT, accounting for 39.4 per cent of gross rental income.More on this topicOrchard Road is changing, but does it offer enough reasons to return?

Is youth hub *Scape still cool?This was followed by beauty and healthcare at 14.6 per cent and fashion and accessories at 11.

2 per cent. Supermarkets and grocers contributed another 6.2 per cent.

Its top three tenants by rental income as at June 30 were NTUC FairPrice, BreadTalk Group and Metro, which is closing its department store at Causeway Point when the lease ends. No timeline was given.The other big rental contributors are Courts, Uniqlo, McDonalds and SK Jewellery and Koufu Group.

3. Betting on BayshoreResidents in Bedok South and the Upper East Coast area can look forward to finally getting a mall by the end of 2030.FCT will jointly develop a retail space in Bayshore Drive, after leading a consortium to win a $2.

1 billion tender for a mixed-use site a week ago.The mall will have around 160,000 to 180,000 sq ft of lettable space, and will serve about 10,000 new homes.It will be directly linked to the Bedok South MRT station on the Thomson-East Coast Line as well as a new bus interchange.

Bedok has less retail space per resident than the national average, FCT said, suggesting room for more shops and services as the area’s population grows.It will own half of the