Wheeler dealers set to roll into Gillman Barracks

FIVE motorcycle brands are getting a new home in Gillman Barracks as part of the Singapore Land Authority’s (SLA) aim to turn the venue into what it calls a “creative lifestyle precinct”. Just don’t call their upcoming space a showroom.

The SLA announced two new tenants for Gillman Barracks on Friday (Apr 14), saying they would “enhance the overall visitor experience” at the former military space.

Floral design studio Charlotte Puxley Flowers clinched a unit at 9 Lock Road while Didi Lifestyle was awarded three units at 47 Malan Road and a standalone building at 43 Malan Road.

The company handles Triumph motorcycles here, and recently took on the franchises for Italian brands Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Piaggio and Vespa, which is famous for its iconic scooters.

Yet, managing director Eugene Mah said Didi’s motorcycle showrooms will take up only 4,000 of the 17,000 square feet that SLA awarded the company. To fill the rest, it plans to team up with artisanal lifestyle brands that offer food and beverage, retail and wellness services.

There will also be areas for bicycle enthusiasts, sports activities, a co-working space and a community area for pop-up events, weekend performances, workshops and so on.

One example of the concept at work: A company that operates a showroom for barbecue grills will also conduct regular classes on how to become a barbecuing boss.

SLA has agreed to let Didi Lifestyle sublet space to the non-motorcycle parties. The co-heads of the venture’s lifestyle activities, Adrian Tan and Ewan Wong, said the company has shortlisted around 10 partners to work with but is open to working with more. 

“It’s about having a spread of activities that people can engage with. If you’re looking at just one or two retailers, nobody is going to come,” Wong said. “There needs to be a certain scale to have the variety and engagement.”

SEE ALSO

Lotus Emira review: The new Lotus position

Mah told The Business Times that the motorcycle brands will be practically hidden. “The focus will not be on the showrooms,” he said. “They won’t even get store frontage. We are letting the lifestyle elements take the frontage.”

One reason for that is to ensure the space does not evolve into a bikers’ hangout. “I think we want to be as inclusive as possible to all lifestyles,” said Tan, who has a background in the tech industry. “It could be mums in the daytime in the cafe, and here we have the Southern Ridges so the people hiking them can make a pit stop. There’s also the whole digital nomad and work-from-anywhere lifestyle. Here’s an alternative venue where you can be inspired, co-work, go for a gym session or grab a bicycle.”

Mah told BT that the company will be investing at least S$2 million to renovate the buildings, and is aiming to start operations there in the fourth quarter of the year. “I always say I want to celebrate Christmas here,” he said.

SLA said in a statement that a key reason it awarded the spaces to both companies was that they included green initiatives in their respective pitches. Charlotte Puxley plans to introduce a hydroponics system to grow plants on the premises, for example.

For its part, Didi Lifestyle is installing a rainwater catchment system as well as S$400,000 worth of solar panels to power the operations. It will also set up a Clean Energy Gallery run by Randall Lee, a businessman who co-owns a separate company, Ifyni, with Mah. The business imports Energica, a high-performance motorcycle brand from Italy.

“It’s basically an education centre for people to come and understand more about sustainability, with mobility in mind,” Lee told BT. He said the space will demonstrate how solar energy can be used to charge an electric vehicle, probably an Energica motorcycle. However, the Clean Energy Gallery is not a profit-seeking enterprise. “I’m passionate about sustainability and mobility, and things that go fast,” Lee said. “Electric vehicles are quick, right?” 

Didi Lifestyle’s working name for the venue is Gillman Alley. The name is a callback to Gasket Alley, a lifestyle space in Malaysia that businessman Goh Kian Sin conceived. The steel industry and motor retail tycoon is a partner in Didi Lifestyle, and once told BT that he envisions setting up a string of Gasket Alleys in various cities.

Here, the name Gillman Alley is a contender because Didi Lifestyle is hoping to build its own identity and expand the concept to other areas: think Bishan Alley or Dempsey Alley. Meanwhile, if the idea of learning how to grill a steak to perfection while your children are at an art class and your wife attends a spin class nearby appeals, the upcoming space could be right up your alley.