Despite COVID-19, Christmas Trees Are Selling Like Hotcakes in S’pore & Here’s Why


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Whether it’s because of Covid or people simply need some Christmas cheer after a dull year, Christmas trees are selling out faster than you can say Christmas.

But wait; why are people buying them when we can’t even confirm if we can have visitors in our house?

Before that, here are some numbers.

Christmas Trees Are Selling Like Hotcakes

According to The Straits Times, six out of nine nurseries and retailers reported that their Christmas trees were sold out.

Yes, sold out.

Others were left with a limited number of stocks.

At Cold Storage, trees are still in stock but are running out quickly.

Ikea also reported that their trees were fully sold out in less than two weeks at both their outlets, Tampines and Alexandra.

At one nursery, they even received 10 to 15 inquiries last month daily about their Christmas trees. Last Sunday, there were even 40 customers fighting for the last 10 trees available.

The National Parks Board revealed that 9,900 Christmas trees have been imported into Singapore as of last Monday, which is up from 9,800 in the same period last year.

Downside to Demand

As retailers and nurseries try to bring in more stock to appease their eager customers, there have been some downsides to this.

Globally, there has been an increase in longer ship docking times compared to pre-covid times. This may be due to measures that were put in place for Covid-19, reducing the number of workers.

The inspection of cargo or crew could also significantly slow down the entire shipping process. However, there is still a demand in shipping.

Retailers are trying to restock in time for the holiday season, but shipping vessels may not have sufficient time to scale up again. Due to the lack of demand in ocean freight in the early months of the pandemic, carriers reduced the capacity in their vessels.

Unfortunately, they had reduced too much. Building up their capacity again takes time.

So, is it merely because of the fact that the supply is getting low?


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No. It’s part of the reason.

Christmas Tree Craze

If you google “Christmas Tree Singapore”, about 111,000 results pop up.

Demand has increased due to the travel restrictions, forcing many Singaporeans and even expatriates to spend Christmas in Singapore.

This is why there has been a Christmas tree craze in Covid-19 times.

Yes, the high demand is primarily due to people spending Christmas right here in Singapore.


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This year, nurseries and retailers have seen a rise in individuals rather than corporate customers for Christmas trees. As hotels serve as quarantine locations, a number of them have opted out of decorating their spaces.

If you have yet to get a Christmas tree to decorate, you’ll be happy to know that many other Singaporeans are facing the same plight. Don’t give up! You still have 20 more days to order.

Featured Image: Chamille White / Shutterstock.com