Singapore, 26 July 2006 – Starting July 28, selected retailers along Orchard Road will come together to embark on a four-month pilot project, the “Friday Late Night Shopping” initiative. On the last Friday of each month, participating retailers will extend their operating hours until midnight.
At present, late night shopping only takes place on an ad hoc basis in conjunction with key events such as the Great Singapore Sale and Christmas in the Tropics. For the Friday Late Night Shopping pilot project, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will lend support to retailers by undertaking an umbrella marketing campaign to create greater awareness of this initiative. If the response is good, late-night shopping may become a regular feature.
Dr Chan Tat Hon, Assistant Chief Executive (Leisure) of the Singapore Tourism Board, said, “This initiative taps on the increasing demand for extended operating hours, especially from busy working professionals as well as business travellers who have limited time to shop due to their busy schedules. Following this launch with selected retailers, we hope to see more retailers joining in to extend their operating hours and making Friday Late Night Shopping a part of our Uniquely Singapore shopping offering, enhancing our image as a shopping lifestyle destination.”
“We expect the extended shopping hours to inject excitement and festivities into our shopping landscape while creating synergy with the food and beverage, as well as entertainment outlets in the area,” Dr Chan added.
The pioneer batch of 52 participating retailers are mostly located around the Scotts Junction area, and they include Tangs, Wisma Atria, AppleCentre@Orchard and Borders at Wheelock Place, That CD Shop at Pacific Plaza, as well as Kiehl’s and Body Shop at Scotts Shopping Centre. In conjunction with the launch of Friday Late Night Shopping, many retailers will be offering special promotions. For example, with a minimum spend of $150 at any of the participating shops at Wisma Atria, shoppers will receive a $20 Wisma Atria gift voucher.
Ms Ellen Yeo, Assistant Vice-President of Store Management, Tangs, said, “Responding to feedback from our customers, Tangs introduced end-of-month midnight shopping from July 2005 and results so far have been encouraging. We are very pleased that STB will be launching an initiative to promote late night shopping along the Orchard Junction. Together with other participating retailers, Tangs hopes to bring vibrancy and excitement every last Friday of the month to Singapore's most popular shopping destination!”
The Pied Piper Challenge
To add to the launch excitement, the STB is inviting ten teams of two contestants each to participate in the “Pied Piper Late Night Challenge”. Members of the public are invited to write-in to pre-register or sign-up at Wisma Atria (near Isetan entrance) on July 28 (7.00pm – 7.45pm) for the contest. It involves playing the role of the Pied Piper to spread the word on Friday Late Night Shopping.
10 teams of 2 contestants per team will be given 18 “Friday Late Night Shopping” T-shirts. Their task is to find 18 members of the public, tell them about Friday Late Night Shopping along Orchard Road and persuade them to follow the team back to the contest venue outside Wisma Atria within 30 minutes. The first team that comes back with 18 supporters wins the top prize of $2000 worth of shopping vouchers. Their supporters will receive a $50 shopping voucher each. All other participants will receive goodie bags, courtesy of the STB.
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Annex 1 - Promotions by Participating Retailers during the Friday Late Night Shopping hours
Annex 2 - The Pied Piper Late Night Challenge