Funan The High-Tech Mall To Open To Public On 28 Jun 2019

By
Victor Fong
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Here’s what was going through my head as I read the press release for Lnugu Funan.

YOU GET A NEW THING

YOU GET A NEW THING

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EVERYONE GETS A NEW THING

Image: Giphy

And in case you missed it, our previous article covered the looks, announced retail mix and cycling paths. What they showed in the press release seems to deliver everything as promised.

(You’ll also understand the Lnugu joke if you read it.)

NEW brands

The return will be on 28 June 2019, with more than 180 brands, of which 30% are new-to-market brands, and more than 60% are local brands.

Image: Capitaland

So here are some of the new brands:

  • Dyson, first standalone store in Singapore
  • Brompton Junction, Southeast Asia debut and flagship bicycle store
  • Local theatre group Wild Rice
  • True Group flagship TFX fitness centre with swimming pool, outdoor deck and smart training systems
  • Artisan jeweller Carrie K.’s first standalone boutique
  • Footwear brand Another Sole‘s first menswear collection
  • Fashion retailer ALL WOULD ENVY
  • Confectionery Nasty Cookie
  • Papa Palheta’s PPP Coffee
  • Sinpopo Brand’s first Sinpopo Coffee concept
  • Designer store GRAFUNKT’s first bistro
  • Spa Esprit’s first Japanese restaurant, Noka

Oh, and this doesn’t quite look like the image of fitness, but this is how the TFX fitness centre will look like:

Image: Capitaland

NEW concepts

I’m guessing the brands going into Lnugu Funan were either super excited or just bored because they weren’t content with just something new. It must also be special.

So Brompton Junction decided to launch a Lion City special edition fold-able bike that’s only available at Funan.

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What mall is complete without the movies? Golden Village‘s multiplex will be seven-screen, 2 new concepts – Deluxe Plus and Gold Class Express, AND Virtual pods in the foyer to showcase popular games and cinematic content.

FairPrice Finest and Kopitiam will also initiate their digital shopping experience, with phone payments made available for FairPrice and 17 self-service kiosks or Facebook messaging for Kopitiam.

And don’t forget about the urban farm on Level 7, which is operated by Edible Garden City with farmers working with chefs to supply produce directly to restaurants in Funan.

NEW Pop-ups

Remember this? This is the Tree of Life and retail pods, which will house pop-ups and where you can peek inside while shopping around.

Image: Capitaland

And if you don’t know what that might feel like, it’s basically the high tech version of Pasar Malam. So random cool brands will appear and go.

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One example they gave is Tech360.tv filming ‘live’ first-look gadget reviews, and you can see all their behind-the-scenes action here.

Anybody who wants to host workshops or classes can also utilise the pods.

And beside that is Climb Central, the highest climbing facility in the civic district.

Image: Climb Central

And for any pop-up events, there will be food trucks. Yeah, they’re not stopping on the “bring new things” train. THE TRAVELLING C.O.W and Taiwan bubble tea chain MILKSHA committed to long-term parking spaces in the 2 Volkswagen Kombi vans at Level 2 of the Tree of Life.

It’s like a pop-up, but permanent! Wait, that kind of doesn’t make sense.

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The old, reNEWed

Before you go all grumpy on me and say “wah, lidat Funan is no longer Funan”, some of the retailers are coming back too. And yeah, that means tech.

Tech retailer AddOn Systems will come back with Lenovo’s Flagship store. GamePro Shop will return as well and will organise e-sports tournaments.

COURTS is opening the first IoT (Internet of Things) store with smart home concepts. Alan Photo and T K FOTO will be returning with DJI joining them for photography nerds.

So, you excited yet?

I don’t know about you, but this doesn’t look like any boring old mall with just random placement of shops. Even if it’s not the old Funan, there are a lot of new things to look forward to here.

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Victor Fong
Email: [email protected]