Furniture retail challenge

SINGAPOREANS’ love affair with property is an ongoing pursuit. But buying that dream property does not end with signing on the dotted line of a sales document. The next part is – buying that dream sofa. That sofa and other pieces that make a home are what keeps local furniture retailers in business. But selling tables and chairs is one thing. In Friday’s BT Lifestyle, we look at the challenges they face as they battle parallel imports, high rental costs, fakes and choosing the right brands that will appeal to customers.

We talk to the main players in the luxury-furniture market, such as Xtra, Space Furniture, Grafunkt and W Atelier, which have been in the business for as long as several decades, and find out what the latest buying trends are, who is buying what, and how the furniture shopper has evolved over the years.

Meanwhile, health takes the spotlight this week, starting with sarcopenia, the progressive state of muscle loss that does not just affect older people but can start showing up from the age of 30. Find out what exactly it is and how to prevent it. At the same time, men’s mental health is no longer something to be swept under the carpet of machismo but something that needs to faced head-on, without any stigma. We join some men’s support group activities for a closer look.

Finally, in Dining, we make a revisit to Korean restaurant Onmi, which made waves last year with a S$135 tasting menu that is one of the best values in town. Now it is tempting diners with an even cheaper S$118 menu created by a new chef who hails from one of the trendiest Michelin-starred restaurants in Seoul. Get the low-down on all this and more, in Friday’s issue of The Business Times.