Ramadan Bazaar Expanding from 40 Stalls to 70 Stalls Even When Rental is at Record High

By
Jade Kong
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The annual Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar has returned with full force this year after a 2-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

Running from 2 April to 2 May, the bazaar is filled with fashion, homeware and lifestyle stalls. It also boasts hot and piping food and beverages that have recently steered in the direction of being “hipster food”, with a focus on being both Instagrammable and delicious. 

Now that the bazaar is back, it is bigger and better—from 40 stalls, it is expanding almost double its size to 70 stalls. Of the new additions, 20 will be retail and 10 will be F&B. 

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These stalls will be placed in the open-air next to the Geylang Serai building, with 10 retail stalls in “Zone 3”, and 10 F&B and 10 retail stalls in “Zone 4”. 

This increase comes in spite of the fact that rental fees are at an all-time high. 

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Assoc Prof Faishal, the Minister of State for the Ministry of Home Affairs, explained that the expansion of the bazaar was a response to the easing restrictions announced on 24 March.

According to him, seeing everyone enjoy the festivities was “heart-warming”, and an expansion of the market would bring even more “festive cheer”.

However, while patrons of the bazaar may be spoiled by the wider array of options, the stall-owners are much less happy about the increase in stalls. 

F&B stall owners reportedly have to pay a whopping $15,000 – $21,000 for rent, while non-F&B stall owners have to pay between $5,000 -$ 12,000.

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Previously, the organisers had placed a cap of $14,000 on rental fees after public backlash from the $20,000 rental fee in 2018, but the logistics and operations this year soared way beyond budget, justifying the higher rental fee for stallowners. 

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With the bazaar’s expansion, stall owners will have to face much more competition among themselves, possibly reaping much lower profits especially for F&B stalls because we all only have one stomach. 

However, some stall owners did note that the expansion may draw more crowds and customers, which might balance out the increase in competition.

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Jade Kong
Email: [email protected]