Orchard Road retailers stock up, widen festive offerings for busier year-end season

DESPITE recession fears, homegrown retailers along Orchard Road are stocking up in anticipation of higher footfall and spending this festive season as tourists return – though demand may still fall short of pre-pandemic levels.

Fashion retailer Love Bonito expects footfall at its stores to be 80 to 90 per cent higher this December than the same period last year. While locals account for most of the spending at its Ion Orchard and 313@Somerset outlets, tourist receipts have been “slowly increasing”, though not yet to pre-Covid levels, said Tan Yilyn, vice-president of retail and country director for Singapore.

Footwear and accessories retailer Charles & Keith does not see a return to pre-pandemic sales yet, either. The brand expects footfall and sales to rise by 5 to 10 per cent in the festive season compared with October. This is in light of the holiday season, gradual border reopenings elsewhere, and the return of tourism, said a spokesperson.