Prima to move out of historic Keppel Road flour mill building in 2028
Its lease has been extended from a previous end-date of Apr 30, 2027, for an additional nine months to Jan 31, 2028
[SINGAPORE] Singapore food company Prima is expected to move out from its historic Keppel Road flour mill in 2028, when its lease on the iconic site ends.
The 1960s-era complex sits in the 24 hectare HarbourFront precinct on land held by the Mapletree group, which has plans for a comprehensive redevelopment of the port area in line with the government’s vision to develop the Greater Southern Waterfront for housing and commercial use.
Prima’s lease at 201 Keppel Road was extended from a previous end-date of Apr 30, 2027, for an additional nine months to Jan 31, 2028. The lease extension was granted at Prima’s request, a spokesperson from Mapletree said.
The company had originally intended to move its operations to a site at Jurong Port between the last quarter of 2026 and Q1 2027, a 2024 report said.
Asked if it now plans to move in 2028 to Jurong as earlier indicated, or if it intended to expand or scale down its Singapore operations after vacating the Keppel site, Prima declined to comment.
Prima, a household name seen on supermarket shelves throughout Singapore, was founded in 1961 by the late businessman Cheng Tsang Man, who served as executive chairman for 37 years. Prima built Singapore’s first flour mill, and was listed on the then Stock Exchange of Singapore and Malaysia in 1969. It was taken private by the family in 2023.
The business grew over the years, expanding from producing flours to manufacturing food premixes, and into bakery retail in 1992.
In 1977, it opened the Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant, built 70 m on top of the mill’s wheat grain silo, making it a unique local landmark.
The Chinese restaurant closed in April 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, ending a 43-year run.
According to its website, the Prima group has 4,000 employees globally, with manufacturing hubs in Singapore, China, Australia and Sri Lanka.
In 2025, it sold the PrimaDeli bakery business to caterer Neo Group for an undisclosed sum.
Prima Food’s executive director Tony Loke said at the time that it was “timely” for the group to “exit the downstream industry”, and that Prima would concentrate on further developing its upstream flour-milling business to better serve the local flour-based industry.
Heritage asset
201 Keppel Road houses a distinctive development with warehouse blocks, silo blocks, a flour mill, and an office block spanning a gross floor area of more than 40,000 square metres.
The site was acquired by Mapletree Logistics Trust (MLT) in 2005 from its sponsor Mapletree Investments at an appraised value of S$26.5 million.
At the time, Prima, the sole tenant, was mid-way through a 30-year lease starting from 1989.
The lease was subsequently extended for another eight years from 2019.
A call option agreement gives Mapletree Investments, as sponsor, the right to acquire the site back from MLT for redevelopment.
The site is on land with a 99-year lease dating from 1997.
In response to BT queries, a Mapletree Investments spokesperson said the group is “exploring various options for the future of the property as part of the broader rejuvenation of the Greater Southern Waterfront”.
“These include conservation studies to assess opportunities for adaptive reuse,” the spokesperson added.
Mapletree pointed to its adaptive reuse project at the nearby St James Power Station, which won an award for Conservation and Innovation (Distinction) at the 2022 URA Architectural Heritage Awards.
The complex was restored from 2018 to 2021 to meet modern occupier needs while preserving its heritage character.
Key heritage features and maritime artefacts were retained, including an iconic brick facade, chimneys, steel structures and windows, with additional office space created by inserting floor plates.
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