Surge in buying of face masks in Singapore continues; some manufacturers plan to lower prices

A SURGE in demand for face masks in Singapore, following the authorities' call on Tuesday for people to use masks with better filtration capabilities, is still going strong, according to some retailers.

Members of the public are now encouraged to use either surgical masks or reusable masks with at least two layers of fabric, rather than simple cloth coverings. The Health Sciences Authority on Wednesday also issued updated guidelines on choosing masks.

A spokesperson for Qoo10 told The Business Times that mask-related searches on the e-commerce platform now make up the top 10, versus five following the government's announcement.

Some of the more popular sellers also saw their sales almost double after the announcement on Tuesday, said the spokesperson, adding: "As compared to the same day in January 2021, one listing saw a seven times increase in sales."

Lazada, another e-commerce platform, similarly said demand for masks remains high, with sales on Tuesday and Wednesday still exceeding the daily average in May.

However, it also noted that between Tuesday and Wednesday, sales tapered by 50 per cent versus the "initial sales fever" that followed the announcement.

Retailers also reported increased buying of face masks in stores.

The Dairy Farm group, which manages Guardian, Cold Storage, Giant and 7-11 in Singapore, said it has seen a "strong surge in the demand for surgical masks both in-store and online".

The group added that it has already replenished stocks across all stores and increased its inventory of masks. "Customers can be assured that we have sufficient stocks to date."

Watsons Singapore is also seeing a "strong response from consumers" even as the average daily sales of surgical masks has doubled, following the government's recommendation on face masks.

A spokesperson for the health and beauty chain store added that Watsons has "sufficient stocks" in its warehouse, but has also "placed orders by container loads" for surgical masks in anticipation of further demand.

On the supply front, face mask manufacturers said they are monitoring demand and will adjust production accordingly.

Gaming products company Razer, which started producing surgical masks at the height of the pandemic last year, has received "many requests" from non-profit organisations in particular, said chief of staff Patricia Liu. This is as Razer chief executive Tan Min Liang had on Tuesday offered, in a Facebook post, to send surgical masks to non-profit organisations in need, at "absolutely no cost".

Members of the community have also asked Razer to "speed up production" of its latest mask offering, Ms Liu added.

Local firm ST Engineering, which also retails its Air+ mask, has been steadily producing masks and has sufficient stocks to "comfortably meet local needs", said Gareth Tang, senior vice-president and head of robotics and autonomous solutions, and urban environment solutions.

Mr Tang added that the firm now produces medical-grade meltblown polypropylene, the critical filter layer in masks, locally. "With our local filter production capabilities, we are assured of a secured supply, as well as immediate access to the critical raw material needed for mask production."

Another local maker, AVS Technologies, on the other hand, has increased its stockpile of masks and imported fresh materials to "ensure sufficient supplies for Singapore", according to its managing director Kelvin Mun.

But some of the manufacturers plan to lower costs for consumers. Swiss firm Livinguard, for instance, said it already reduced the prices for some of its masks last week. It is also looking to continue its "Buy S$80 and get a free mask" promotion, said Ankit Mital, Asia Pacific senior vice president.

AVS Technologies has also been gradually lowering its cost, and will continue to reduce prices "as much as we can", said Mr Mun.