The Business Times
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Paige Lim

Paige Lim

CORRESPONDENT

Paige Lim is a correspondent at The Business Times. She covers small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and macroeconomics, with a focus on F&B and retail. She also contributes to the monthly Barfly column, which profiles home-grown craft cocktail bars. 

emailpaigelim@sph.com.sg
email@PaigeLimBT
Shin Classico (above) is Braveheart's riff on Pantheon, a sweet-sour tipple originating from Tokyo in 2019.
BARFLY

Japanese sake takes the spotlight at Braveheart Sake Originals

Duo behind Singapore’s first dedicated sake cocktail bar aim to push boundaries with rice wine-focused tipples

On a seasonally adjusted, month-on-month basis, retail sales rose 0.3% in April, easing from March’s 3.4% expansion.

Singapore retail sales up 5.4% in April, surpassing forecasts

Most retail sectors record year-on-year growth in sales

Many regional economies picked up in May, though China and Malaysia both declined.

Singapore’s PMI inches up to 51 in May as electronics sector maintains growth

This marks the index’s highest reading since December 2024

Looking ahead, the ministry expects real wage growth to remain “positive but moderated” amid geopolitical and inflation uncertainties.

Singapore real wages up an improved 4% in 2025 as inflation eases; nominal wage growth slows: MOM

Fewer firms increase salaries last year, though the proportion of profitable establishments grows

Koh Brothers Eco Engineering has been listed on the Catalist board of SGX since Feb 27, 2006.

Koh Brothers Eco Engineering proposes transfer to SGX mainboard

The move will enhance its profile locally and overseas, which can result in better liquidity and share performance

A semiconductor fabrication plant. The linchpin electronics sector is up 44%, extending March's 29% rise.

Singapore factory output up 17.6% in April on AI-related electronics surge, beating forecasts

All clusters, except chemicals and biomedical manufacturing, record growth

While golf has historically been the premier networking sport, pickleball is emerging as a fresh alternative as corporates and business people warm to its social, fast-paced nature.
BRUNCH

From fairways to courts: Is pickleball the new golf?

More companies and entrepreneurs are turning to the racquet sport for client engagement and networking

The opening of Tim Ho Wan's 10th outlet at Mikiki Mall in Kowloon, Hong Kong in February. The chain has more than doubled its network of stores in the city in the past year.

Dim sum chain Tim Ho Wan ramps up North America, Hong Kong expansion after Jollibee acquisition

Joining the Jollibee Group has boosted the brand’s global scalability. It has also adopted stronger SOPs that can be replicated across markets

Eugene Lee, chief marketing officer of Chagee (Asia-Pacific), says that even though tea is the world's second-most consumed beverage, it has not experienced “the same lifestyle elevation or premiumisation” that coffee has.

‘We’re not a bubble tea brand’: Chagee aims to double Asia-Pacific footprint to 600 stores by 2027

Localisation and securing prime store locations are key priorities as the brand expands in the region, says its Apac CMO

In a joint statement on Apr 23, MAS and MTI flagged that Singapore’s imported cost pressures are expected to pick up and broaden in the months ahead.

Economists expect broader price hikes amid Gulf war, as Singapore’s core inflation rises in March

More sectors to be hit by higher energy and input costs, with firms to pass them down to consumers

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