Two Asian malls: urban shopping centre development in Singapore and Japan

Abstract

While the development of shopping centres has reached a certain degree of saturation in the US and in Europe, shopping centre development in Asia is progressing rapidly. This study looks at this development by introducing two recently opened urban shopping malls, one in Singapore and one in Tokyo. The opening of both malls has received a lot of attention, with both malls being seen as milestones in the shopping centre development of their respective countries. This study explores the factors underlying this development and concludes that factors that need to be taken into account are the redevelopment of city spaces, the emergence of strong shopping centre developers, and especially the emergence of powerful tenant chain operators, many of which handle multiple brands and have begun operating store networks across Asia.