A hawker had submitted a bid of S$10,158 (US$7,798) in July to rent a vacant stall at Marine Parade Central Market and Food Centre. It was the second-highest bid for the unit, and reportedly the highest for a hawker stall in the last six years.
Among the top five bids for the Marine Parade stall, the top amount of S$$10,680 was withdrawn, while three others were all above S$8,000.
MP Yip Hon Weng (PAP-Yio Chu Kang) asked whether the bids pointed to a trend of rising hawker stall rentals and what impact this would have on the affordability of food.
In response, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Koh Poh Koon said that while "a few stalls at popular locations" have attracted high bids, such tender prices were "not the norm".
"The median successful tender price for cooked food stalls across hawker centres was about S$1,800 in 2023. About one in five cooked food stalls were also awarded at tender prices at or below S$500 in 2023," Dr Koh added.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) manages all 120 hawker centres in Singapore, comprising more than 14,000 stalls.
Dr Koh said that based on NEA's survey, on average, rental forms less than 10 per cent of the operating costs for stallholders, compared to raw materials and manpower which accounted for 56 per cent and 20 per cent of operating costs respectively in 2022.
There are measures to moderate hawker stall rents, Dr Koh said, and these include not setting a reserve rent for tenders and disallowing subletting.
Tendered rents are adjusted to the market rate determined by an independent professional valuation after the first three years of the tenancy period, he noted.
"As a result of the various measures, the median monthly rent of a non-subsidised cooked food stall across our hawker centres is about S$1,250, and it has remained at this level since 2015," said Dr Koh.
He noted that the stall that attracted the record bid in Marine Parade Central Market and Food Centre had more than 40 bids, which was "quite competitive".
"Overall, this is a very popular centre as it is open for three meals throughout the day and has good footfall, especially given the recent opening of a new MRT station and additional developments that are near this centre," said Dr Koh, referring to the opening of Marine Parade MRT station just beside the hawker centre on Jun 23.
While hawkers there saw an increase in footfall, a few said the spike was temporary.
In a follow-up question, Mr Yip asked how the authorities assessed the impact of increasing hawker stall rentals on small business owners and aspiring hawkers, and what kind of support will be given to them.
Dr Koh reiterated how subletting or assigning stalls was not permitted, in order to prevent stallholders from engaging in "rent-seeking behaviour", in that they pass on the high rent to the person subletting the stall. He added that reserve rent was removed in the tender of vacant stalls since March 2012 to allow stall rentals to "reflect fully the market conditions based on what people tendered".
"Only about 4 per cent of cooked food stores in hawker centres today are paying rent at above the assessed market rent. For the remaining over 6,000 stallholders, they are paying rent no higher than the assessed market rent," said Dr Koh.
He added that for new hawker centres under the socially-conscious enterprise hawker centre management model, NEA will take into consideration tender proposes "holistically", including the total cost that hawkers will bear, before tenders are awarded to the operator.
"Thereafter, the successful tenderer is required to maintain the same rates for charges collected from stallholders throughout the tenancy term. So there's more cost certainty to many of the store operators."
In other words, he's saying it's a non-issue and hence there ain't no need to get our panties in a twist. So very typical of the MIW, just put out a pedestrian statement or two and pretend everything's still peachy so they don't have to get their hands dirty.
'They must be very brave': Holland Drive hawkers baulk at record-high $7,000 bid for stall
Amid relatively fierce competition for a vacant food stall in Holland Drive, one bidder who made an offer of $7,012 came out on top.
If successful, the tenderer will set a record for the highest monthly rental rate at Holland Drive Market & Food Centre, reported 8world.
The particular stall received at least four other bids ranging from $4,150 to $4,880 in the August tender exercise, according to a report published by the National Environment Agency (NEA).
The space is popular as the stallholder is allowed to sell cooked food, halal cooked food, Indian cuisine, drinks or cut fruits.
In comparison, another vacant stall at the same food centre — which can only sell Indian cuisine — also received at least five bids, with the highest offer being $688.
NEA says that it reserves the right to not accept any bid, including the highest bid received on the tender notice. The final results of the August exercise has not been released.
Chen Yizheng (transliteration), chairman of the Holland Drive Shopkeepers & Stallholders Association, said in an interview with 8world that the first vacant stall was previously occupied by a young hawker selling noodles.
He had reportedly bidded $4,600 for the stall but shuttered his business after less than a year.
"Honestly speaking, $7,000 [rent] is not easy. There's still the table-cleaning fee, service & conservancy charges, gas and electricity [to pay for]," said Chen.
Another hawker Serene Tan, who co-founded bakery stall Butter Town with her sister, said: "I think the person who placed the bid is very brave."
Speaking to AsiaOne on Thursday (Sept 5), the 32-year-old said she was "very surprised" to hear of the high offer amount.
Elaborating that the food centre caters to the office crowd and sees high footfall for a period of two to three hours during the day, Tan feels it might be difficult for the tenderer to cover their rent if they are successful in their bid.
Both sisters had participated in NEA's Incubation Stall Programme last year, which allowed them to enjoy subsided rental rates for 15 months.
Tan told AsiaOne that they are currently paying the full monthly market rental rate of about $1,600.
Similarly, other hawkers at the food centre whom AsiaOne spoke to also said they were surprised at the $7,000 bid. They revealed that their monthly stall rentals are between $1,000 to $2,000.
Seri Rahayu, who runs a Malay food stall, said the centre becomes "quiet" after 2pm and suggested that the hawker may need to extend their hours of operation.
Chen, who has been operating her fresh fruit juice stall for 20-odd years, added that most stalls close for the day in the afternoon.
"Even for us drink stalls, it's hard to sustain business," she said.
Marine Parade hawker who placed record S$10,000 bid for stall says it is worth it
A hawker who submitted a bid of more than $10,000 to rent a stall in Marine Parade said the record offer was worth it.
Yang Ailan (above, left), 51, who already runs a drink stallin the same food centre, made the second-highest bid of $10,158 for the nearby vacant unit in Marine Parade Central Market and Food Centre.
News reports said this was the highest bid for a hawker stall in the last six years, although the National Environment Agency (NEA) has not confirmed this.
The NEA manages all 120 hawker centres in Singapore, comprising more than 14,000 stalls.
Highest bid for hawker stall in six years
The stall at Block 84 Marine Parade Central received three other bids ranging from $8,113 to $9,500, according to a tender notice in July detailing the five highest bids. The highest bid of S$10,680 for the stall was withdrawn.
Vacant stalls in hawker centres managed by the NEA, like this Marine Parade food centre, are rented out through monthly tenders.
Successful bidders will pay rent at the tendered offer for the first three years of their tenancy period. After that, the rental will be adjusted to the market rate determined by an independent professional valuation that factors in footfall, stall size and market conditions.
Rents higher than the market rate will be adjusted downwards, while those below the market rate will be increased accordingly.
Hawker stalls may also be restricted in what they can sell. This Marine Parade stall is allowed to sell cooked food, halal cooked food, Indian cuisine, drinks or cut fruits, according to the NEA tender notice.
The results of the tender have not been released. NEA states on the tender notice that bids are subject to its evaluation and that it could reject any bid, even if it is the highest.
New stall for hawker’s son, will sell cooked food
Ms Yang runs a drinks stall just four units away from the one she is setting her sights on.
The 51-year-old Singaporean has been running the stall for more than 10 years, and hopes her son can start his own cooked food business if she gets another stall – although the family has not decided what to sell.
When CNA visited her drinks stall last Wednesday (Aug 14), she said the new stall was worth the $10,000 bid.
Everything in Marine Parade is "expensive", from home prices to shop rentals, Ms Yang said in Mandarin.
She added that it was rare to have a vacant stall up for bidding in this hawker centre. To top it off, the location of this stall is better than another stall in the same hawker centre that was rented out for $6,800 last September, she said.
Footfall at the centre has also been boosted by the June 23 opening of Marine Parade MRT station near the hawker centre.
"It increased the crowd by up to 20 per cent," said Ms Yang, pointing out that the centre also gets many tourists with four hotels in the vicinity.
She did not expect her bid to be the highest.
"My son has the intention to learn. Usually, after he comes back after work, he will come to help me [at the stall], like he is doing part-time work," she said.
She asked that her son's details not be published to protect his privacy. He is currently not in the hawker trade but is an able cook, she said.
Asked why he wanted to be a hawker, Ms Yang said: "Your parents are getting older by the day, you cannot just let them do all the hard work right?"
Since the two stalls are so close by, the family can help each other out when one of them steps away, she said.
Footfall not enough to sustain rent, say other hawkers
Other hawkers CNA spoke to were doubtful the stall was worth a monthly rent of $10,000. Several said they did not think that the footfall at the food centre was high enough.
Mr Vijai Singh, who has been manning a drinks stall in the hawker centre since 1976, said customer traffic could not compare to the 1980s.
"Compared to the 80s last time, people want to pay $6,000 to rent also nobody want to give. Business was so good, I rent out for what," said the 70-year-old.
"The crowd is not there. Too many places opened already," he said, giving the example of Marine Parade's only shopping mall, Parkway Parade, competing with other malls in the east.
Another hawker agreed that the area had limited appeal. Mdm Lai, who has been selling roast duck at the hawker centre for about 30 years, said business has not improved significantly.
Both Mr Vijai and Mdm Lai said that even though pedestrian traffic spiked when Marine Parade MRT station first started operating, the crowd at the market has since returned to normal levels.
"The passing crowd here is not large. Those who patronise my stall are usually regulars who live in the area, unless there is church service," Mdm Lai said in Mandarin, referring to the handful of churches in Marine Parade.
Both felt that the current footfall would not be sufficient to cover a high rental.
Other expenses, such as ingredients that have increased in price, also add to their operating costs, they said. Both said the stall would have to set high prices for its food, which might turn off customers.
Tendered bids for stalls at the hawker centre ranged from $313 to nearly $7,000 between January 2018 and May this year, according to tender notices on NEA's website. The lowest was a tendered bid of $313 for a stall selling Indian cuisine in March 2020.
Record bid for Marine Parade hawker stall: High tender prices not the norm, says Koh Poh Koon
SINGAPORE: High tender prices are not the norm for hawker stalls, parliament heard on Monday (Sep 9) following news of a record bid for a stall in Marine Parade.
A hawker had submitted a bid of S$10,158 (US$7,798) in July to rent a vacant stall at Marine Parade Central Market and Food Centre. It was the second-highest bid for the unit, and reportedly the highest for a hawker stall in the last six years.
Among the top five bids for the Marine Parade stall, the top amount of S$$10,680 was withdrawn, while three others were all above S$8,000.
MP Yip Hon Weng (PAP-Yio Chu Kang) asked whether the bids pointed to a trend of rising hawker stall rentals and what impact this would have on the affordability of food.
In response, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Koh Poh Koon said that while "a few stalls at popular locations" have attracted high bids, such tender prices were "not the norm".
"The median successful tender price for cooked food stalls across hawker centres was about S$1,800 in 2023. About one in five cooked food stalls were also awarded at tender prices at or below S$500 in 2023," Dr Koh added.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) manages all 120 hawker centres in Singapore, comprising more than 14,000 stalls.
Dr Koh said that based on NEA's survey, on average, rental forms less than 10 per cent of the operating costs for stallholders, compared to raw materials and manpower which accounted for 56 per cent and 20 per cent of operating costs respectively in 2022.
There are measures to moderate hawker stall rents, Dr Koh said, and these include not setting a reserve rent for tenders and disallowing subletting.
Tendered rents are adjusted to the market rate determined by an independent professional valuation after the first three years of the tenancy period, he noted.
"As a result of the various measures, the median monthly rent of a non-subsidised cooked food stall across our hawker centres is about S$1,250, and it has remained at this level since 2015," said Dr Koh.
He noted that the stall that attracted the record bid in Marine Parade Central Market and Food Centre had more than 40 bids, which was "quite competitive".
"Overall, this is a very popular centre as it is open for three meals throughout the day and has good footfall, especially given the recent opening of a new MRT station and additional developments that are near this centre," said Dr Koh, referring to the opening of Marine Parade MRT station just beside the hawker centre on Jun 23.
While hawkers there saw an increase in footfall, a few said the spike was temporary.
In a follow-up question, Mr Yip asked how the authorities assessed the impact of increasing hawker stall rentals on small business owners and aspiring hawkers, and what kind of support will be given to them.
Dr Koh reiterated how subletting or assigning stalls was not permitted, in order to prevent stallholders from engaging in "rent-seeking behaviour", in that they pass on the high rent to the person subletting the stall. He added that reserve rent was removed in the tender of vacant stalls since March 2012 to allow stall rentals to "reflect fully the market conditions based on what people tendered".
"Only about 4 per cent of cooked food stores in hawker centres today are paying rent at above the assessed market rent. For the remaining over 6,000 stallholders, they are paying rent no higher than the assessed market rent," said Dr Koh.
He added that for new hawker centres under the socially-conscious enterprise hawker centre management model, NEA will take into consideration tender proposes "holistically", including the total cost that hawkers will bear, before tenders are awarded to the operator.
"Thereafter, the successful tenderer is required to maintain the same rates for charges collected from stallholders throughout the tenancy term. So there's more cost certainty to many of the store operators."
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/marine-parade-hawker-stall-record-rental-bid-not-norm-parliament-4595231
'They must be very brave': Holland Drive hawkers baulk at record-high $7,000 bid for stall
Amid relatively fierce competition for a vacant food stall in Holland Drive, one bidder who made an offer of $7,012 came out on top.
If successful, the tenderer will set a record for the highest monthly rental rate at Holland Drive Market & Food Centre, reported 8world.
The particular stall received at least four other bids ranging from $4,150 to $4,880 in the August tender exercise, according to a report published by the National Environment Agency (NEA).
The space is popular as the stallholder is allowed to sell cooked food, halal cooked food, Indian cuisine, drinks or cut fruits.
In comparison, another vacant stall at the same food centre — which can only sell Indian cuisine — also received at least five bids, with the highest offer being $688.
NEA says that it reserves the right to not accept any bid, including the highest bid received on the tender notice. The final results of the August exercise has not been released.
Chen Yizheng (transliteration), chairman of the Holland Drive Shopkeepers & Stallholders Association, said in an interview with 8world that the first vacant stall was previously occupied by a young hawker selling noodles.
He had reportedly bidded $4,600 for the stall but shuttered his business after less than a year.
"Honestly speaking, $7,000 [rent] is not easy. There's still the table-cleaning fee, service & conservancy charges, gas and electricity [to pay for]," said Chen.
Another hawker Serene Tan, who co-founded bakery stall Butter Town with her sister, said: "I think the person who placed the bid is very brave."
Speaking to AsiaOne on Thursday (Sept 5), the 32-year-old said she was "very surprised" to hear of the high offer amount.
Elaborating that the food centre caters to the office crowd and sees high footfall for a period of two to three hours during the day, Tan feels it might be difficult for the tenderer to cover their rent if they are successful in their bid.
Both sisters had participated in NEA's Incubation Stall Programme last year, which allowed them to enjoy subsided rental rates for 15 months.
Tan told AsiaOne that they are currently paying the full monthly market rental rate of about $1,600.
Similarly, other hawkers at the food centre whom AsiaOne spoke to also said they were surprised at the $7,000 bid. They revealed that their monthly stall rentals are between $1,000 to $2,000.
Seri Rahayu, who runs a Malay food stall, said the centre becomes "quiet" after 2pm and suggested that the hawker may need to extend their hours of operation.
Chen, who has been operating her fresh fruit juice stall for 20-odd years, added that most stalls close for the day in the afternoon.
"Even for us drink stalls, it's hard to sustain business," she said.
https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/they-must-be-very-brave-holland-drive-hawkers-baulk-record-high-7000-bid-stall
Marine Parade hawker who placed record S$10,000 bid for stall says it is worth it
A hawker who submitted a bid of more than $10,000 to rent a stall in Marine Parade said the record offer was worth it.
Yang Ailan (above, left), 51, who already runs a drink stall in the same food centre, made the second-highest bid of $10,158 for the nearby vacant unit in Marine Parade Central Market and Food Centre.
News reports said this was the highest bid for a hawker stall in the last six years, although the National Environment Agency (NEA) has not confirmed this.
The NEA manages all 120 hawker centres in Singapore, comprising more than 14,000 stalls.
Highest bid for hawker stall in six years
The stall at Block 84 Marine Parade Central received three other bids ranging from $8,113 to $9,500, according to a tender notice in July detailing the five highest bids. The highest bid of S$10,680 for the stall was withdrawn.
Vacant stalls in hawker centres managed by the NEA, like this Marine Parade food centre, are rented out through monthly tenders.
Successful bidders will pay rent at the tendered offer for the first three years of their tenancy period. After that, the rental will be adjusted to the market rate determined by an independent professional valuation that factors in footfall, stall size and market conditions.
Rents higher than the market rate will be adjusted downwards, while those below the market rate will be increased accordingly.
Hawker stalls may also be restricted in what they can sell. This Marine Parade stall is allowed to sell cooked food, halal cooked food, Indian cuisine, drinks or cut fruits, according to the NEA tender notice.
The results of the tender have not been released. NEA states on the tender notice that bids are subject to its evaluation and that it could reject any bid, even if it is the highest.
New stall for hawker’s son, will sell cooked food
Ms Yang runs a drinks stall just four units away from the one she is setting her sights on.
The 51-year-old Singaporean has been running the stall for more than 10 years, and hopes her son can start his own cooked food business if she gets another stall – although the family has not decided what to sell.
When CNA visited her drinks stall last Wednesday (Aug 14), she said the new stall was worth the $10,000 bid.
Everything in Marine Parade is "expensive", from home prices to shop rentals, Ms Yang said in Mandarin.
She added that it was rare to have a vacant stall up for bidding in this hawker centre. To top it off, the location of this stall is better than another stall in the same hawker centre that was rented out for $6,800 last September, she said.
Footfall at the centre has also been boosted by the June 23 opening of Marine Parade MRT station near the hawker centre.
"It increased the crowd by up to 20 per cent," said Ms Yang, pointing out that the centre also gets many tourists with four hotels in the vicinity.
She did not expect her bid to be the highest.
"My son has the intention to learn. Usually, after he comes back after work, he will come to help me [at the stall], like he is doing part-time work," she said.
She asked that her son's details not be published to protect his privacy. He is currently not in the hawker trade but is an able cook, she said.
Asked why he wanted to be a hawker, Ms Yang said: "Your parents are getting older by the day, you cannot just let them do all the hard work right?"
Since the two stalls are so close by, the family can help each other out when one of them steps away, she said.
Footfall not enough to sustain rent, say other hawkers
Other hawkers CNA spoke to were doubtful the stall was worth a monthly rent of $10,000. Several said they did not think that the footfall at the food centre was high enough.
Mr Vijai Singh, who has been manning a drinks stall in the hawker centre since 1976, said customer traffic could not compare to the 1980s.
"Compared to the 80s last time, people want to pay $6,000 to rent also nobody want to give. Business was so good, I rent out for what," said the 70-year-old.
"The crowd is not there. Too many places opened already," he said, giving the example of Marine Parade's only shopping mall, Parkway Parade, competing with other malls in the east.
Another hawker agreed that the area had limited appeal. Mdm Lai, who has been selling roast duck at the hawker centre for about 30 years, said business has not improved significantly.
Both Mr Vijai and Mdm Lai said that even though pedestrian traffic spiked when Marine Parade MRT station first started operating, the crowd at the market has since returned to normal levels.
"The passing crowd here is not large. Those who patronise my stall are usually regulars who live in the area, unless there is church service," Mdm Lai said in Mandarin, referring to the handful of churches in Marine Parade.
Both felt that the current footfall would not be sufficient to cover a high rental.
Other expenses, such as ingredients that have increased in price, also add to their operating costs, they said. Both said the stall would have to set high prices for its food, which might turn off customers.
Tendered bids for stalls at the hawker centre ranged from $313 to nearly $7,000 between January 2018 and May this year, according to tender notices on NEA's website. The lowest was a tendered bid of $313 for a stall selling Indian cuisine in March 2020.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/marine-parade-hawker-highest-bid-stall-4554261
The number offered seems rather odd, what's with the random $158 on top of the $10K?
No wonder PAP wants more of us Sinkies to become hawkers so they can profit handsomely off our backs through collecting exorbitant rents....
All I can say is, whoever put up that 5-figure bid is freaking
$10,158 bid 就 $10,158 bid, 没有办法的 :(
Both NEA and PAP would like to thank this Roberto in advance for his part in helping them huat gao gao
Our country has gone stark raving mad😱
女摊贩以1万零158元标摊位 创全岛新高
小贩投标创新高，时隔六年再度出现万元标价！有马林百列熟食中心小贩，基于四大理由以1万零158元竞标该中心的空置摊位，她受访表示不会撤标，打算让第二代经营熟食摊，一家人一起为小贩事业打拼。
国家环境局7月份全岛小贩中心摊位招标信息显示，毗邻马林百列地铁站出口的马林百列第84座熟食中心有摊位出现激烈争夺战，首五个最高投标价介于8113元至1万零680元。
由于出价最高1万零680元的摊主在结果出炉前撤标，此标相信最后会落入第二顺位的标价，而排在第二的标价是1万零158元。
《新明日报》记者辗转找到开出1万零158元的投标者，是一名在该熟食中心开档的女摊贩。
51岁的女摊贩杨爱兰告诉记者，她在这座熟食中心经营“84咖啡屋”已有10多年。据她观察，空置摊位早前经营几年的鱼汤，后来卖蚵仔面线。
她计划标下摊位让儿子和家人能够到此经营熟食生意，继续壮大家族小贩生意。
问及开价1万多元的原因，杨爱兰坦言：“每个人都在说摊位好，孩子也要做，就给他们学习的机会。”
杨爱兰也说，该熟食中心鲜少出现空置摊位，且很多人虎视眈眈愿意出高价，想要拿下摊位，就必须出更高价格。
再来，熟食中心就位于地铁站出口的位置，地铁服务6月23日启用以来，杨爱兰说生意增加了至少两成。
另外，杨爱兰也认为马林百列一带生意不俗，开出这样的投标价也算是符合市场价值。
马林百列商联会会长程文兴受访时补充，熟食中心生意近来确实增长不少，其他摊位有的增加三四成，有的甚至达80%。加上附近有四座酒店，旅客回流也推动生意。
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/singapore/story20240811-4456549