SMRT unit Stellar Lifestyle launches beauty and wellness retail hub at Dhoby Ghaut MRT
Staytion Lifestyle Centre takes over the space previously occupied by Dhoby Ghaut Xchange
SMRT business unit Stellar Lifestyle has launched beauty and wellness-themed retail hub Staytion Lifestyle Centre at Dhoby Ghaut MRT station, the first transit retail hub with a curated tenant mix within Singapore’s rail network.
Tony Heng, president of Stellar Lifestyle, said at the centre’s official opening on Monday (Jul 29) that the new centre marks a shift from the traditional model of “purely leasing retail spaces within train stations”.
Stellar Lifestyle, the largest managing agent of retail and advertising spaces in the Republic’s rail network, will instead hand-pick tenants for transit retail spaces, to ensure the goods and services offered are tailored to the location and needs of commuters in that particular neighbourhood.
“We’re now spending more time studying the trends of retail and what our SMEs and commuters need,” said Heng. “So whenever possible, we’re finding opportunities to re-imagine and redesign spaces to give a better experience to our commuters.”
The new Staytion Lifestyle Centre takes over the space previously occupied by Dhoby Ghaut Xchange. The works to revamp the space took a year.
Today, the centre features a mix of health and wellness, fitness, retail and food and beverage options. It also includes a medical centre and medical aesthetics clinic by healthcare services provider Alliance Healthcare Group, slimming treatment centre Absolute Wellness and private gym facilities by The Gym Pod.
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A multipurpose common lounge is also available for commuters to book on weekdays. To maximise the space on weekends, the lounge is to be transformed into a flea market with booths by local entrepreneurs.
Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling, who was at the launch of Staytion Lifestyle Centre, said the centre has been curated to serve the needs of commuters and local communities, and is strategically situated in Dhoby Ghaut, which has high foot traffic.
As a one-stop platform for work and lifestyle spaces, Staytion Lifestyle Centre will provide commuters with a “convenient and enriching experience, while fostering a sense of community and vibrancy within (Singapore’s) transit network”, she added.
Heng told The Business Times that there are plans to launch two to three more such curated transit retail hubs in the next three to five years. These are likely to be in MRT stations with high foot traffic within the Central Business District.
Such retail hubs should become “lifestyle destinations” which will not compete with neighbouring shopping malls in the vicinity, he said.
“Twenty years ago, the malls in the Central Business District were not as established as they are today. So we need to find how we can create value (in these hubs), because they are the closest to the train network.”
Dhoby Ghaut’s Staytion Lifestyle Centre builds on previous efforts by Stellar Lifestyle to rejuvenate retail spaces within Singapore’s MRT network.
Arcade chain Timezone opened its largest flagship outlet within Orchard Xchange in April 2023, and is said to be SMRT’s first entertainment concept within its MRT network.
In February, retail innovation hub Hive 2.0 at Esplanade Xchange introduced innovative retail concepts such as unmanned stores with robotic arms, a co-working kitchen and a high-tech gym.
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