SINGAPORE: Some stallholders at One Punggol Hawker Centre are hoping that a new operator can address the loss of business to a recent
Hawkers at One Punggol told CNA on Tuesday (Dec 30) that sales have taken a hit since the newcomer, Punggol Coast Hawker Centre, opened earlier this year. Some stalls reported up to a 30 per cent drop in business.
Noodle seller Teh Cher Ming, 58, who estimated that his sales had dropped 20 to 30 per cent, said he did not have any complaints about how the hawker centre was managed.
But he said One Punggol did not have enough amenities and shops, such as a supermarket, to draw crowds who may then choose to eat at the hawker centre on the second floor.
A stallholder who only wanted to be known as Mdm Lim described the hawker centre as a "dead town" at night, adding that she welcomed the change of operator.
"A management should ... assist the hawker stall to run the business more smoothly, to help the hawker centre to build a more vibrant area for everybody. But here, don't have," she said.
The hawkers were speaking to CNA after Timbre Group, the operator of One Punggol Hawker Centre, announced that it would end its tenancy a year ahead of schedule.
Stallholders said Timbre did not give a reason for its decision during a meeting that the operator called to inform the hawkers on Monday.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Monday that Timbre indicated its tenancy "posed challenges" for operations.
CNA has contacted Timbre for its reasons in ending its tenancy early, the challenges it was facing and its responses to concerns raised by stallholders.
One Punggol Hawker Centre, located in the People's Association's One Punggol community hub, opened in 2022 with 34 stalls. It is linked to Sam Kee LRT station and located several minutes' walk from Punggol MRT station.
Timbre has operated the hawker centre since its opening. Its second tenancy began in 2024 and was supposed to end on Aug 14, 2027, but will now end on Aug 14, 2026 instead.
Punggol Coast Hawker Centre opened in July this year with 40 stalls and is operated by Kopitiam, part of FairPrice Group.
It is located next to Punggol Coast MRT station and within Punggol Digital District – a business park developed by JTC that also houses the Singapore Institute of Technology.
Both hawker centres run under the Socially-conscious Enterprise Hawker Centre (SEHC) model, where the operators are private companies that seek to balance stallholder and customer interests.
A few months ago, Timbre was criticised for its management of another SEHC, Yishun Park Hawker Centre, over issues including stall rents, use of closed-circuit television cameras and its fines.
Teh Cher Ming at his stall in One Punggol Hawker Centre on Dec 30, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Davina Tham)
Another stallholder estimated a 10 per cent drop in sales after Punggol Coast's opening.
She said that when she suggested Timbre do more marketing for One Punggol, she was asked what kind of marketing she hoped to see.
"If we know what to do, we will do it ourselves already," said the hawker, who requested not to be named as she said stallholders had been told not to speak to the media.
She also criticised higher costs charged by Timbre when stallholders renewed their licences in 2024, saying they had "no choice" but to accept the charges.
The higher costs were laid out in a letter from Timbre to the hawker dated Aug 13, 2024, which was seen by CNA.
In the letter, Timbre wrote that the increase reflected current market conditions and that it was still subsidising "overall costs at the centre level".
"We recognise the potential impact on stallholders and have therefore implemented the increase in two phases to help mitigate the effect," stated Timbre.
It also reserved the right not to renew the licence for stallholders with outstanding costs not paid before Aug 14, 2024.
In the first phase from Aug 15, 2024 to Aug 14, 2025, non-variable charges rose by a total of S$480 a month from the initial term beginning on Nov 1, 2022.
Rent rose from S$1,620 (US$1,260) to S$1,800, service and conservancy (S&C) charges went up from S$150 to S$250, and table cleaning fees jumped from S$500 to S$700.
Variable charges also increased. Dishwashing initially cost 12 cents a piece, capped at S$1,000. This rose to 20 cents a piece, capped at S$2,000.
Use of the kitchen exhaust fan started out free, but a monthly charge capped at S$150 was introduced with the licence renewal.
In the second phase from Aug 15, 2025 to Aug 14, 2027, only the S&C charges increased by S$100 to S$350.
Mdm Lim said that over the past year, she paid S$2,100 to S$2,200 a month for table cleaning and dishwashing.
In 2023, the median monthly stall rent was S$1,700 at SEHCs. The median rent for all non-subsidised cooked food stalls in hawker centres managed by NEA was around S$1,250 between 2015 and 2023.
Mdm Lim described her S$2,000 monthly rent as a "very good rate", provided that the hawker centre's management supports the stall's needs.
"I hope there is a better management (that) comes in to help us to solve the problem we're facing," she said.
One Punggol Hawker Centre at lunchtime on Dec 30, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Davina Tham)
Vegetarian stall owner Canny Chan, in her 50s, described Timbre as a "responsible" operator with whom she has not had issues, although she too felt pressure from the higher charges.
She was among the stallholders who expressed hope that the operator who takes over will not raise rents and will do more to attract patrons.
When CNA visited One Punggol at lunchtime on Tuesday, there was a decent crowd with families and office workers.
Nine stalls were shuttered, although hawker Mdm Lim said it was normal for more stalls not to open during the school holidays due to lower anticipated footfall.
One suggestion Mdm Lim had was for the new operator to get more stalls to stay open later to attract a dinner crowd.
Her stall stays open past dinnertime. She said she had raised this suggestion to Timbre, but it was not implemented.
"The feedback from the customers that we had, they say there's nothing to eat here because all the stalls (are) closed (at night)."
She also hoped the new operator would allow the use of a second lift in the building that currently bypasses the second floor where the hawker centre is.
This makes it physically taxing for hawkers to dispose of their rubbish in the basement, she said, pointing out that many of their workers are older.
Fellow hawker Mdm Chan also hoped the new operator could improve the air circulation. She said One Punggol Hawker Centre was less well-ventilated than Punggol Coast Hawker Centre and customers had complained about the heat.
She and all the stall owners CNA spoke to said they would remain at One Punggol even after the change of hands.
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Hawkers at One Punggol told CNA on Tuesday (Dec 30) that sales have taken a hit since the newcomer, Punggol Coast Hawker Centre, opened earlier this year. Some stalls reported up to a 30 per cent drop in business.
Noodle seller Teh Cher Ming, 58, who estimated that his sales had dropped 20 to 30 per cent, said he did not have any complaints about how the hawker centre was managed.
But he said One Punggol did not have enough amenities and shops, such as a supermarket, to draw crowds who may then choose to eat at the hawker centre on the second floor.
A stallholder who only wanted to be known as Mdm Lim described the hawker centre as a "dead town" at night, adding that she welcomed the change of operator.
"A management should ... assist the hawker stall to run the business more smoothly, to help the hawker centre to build a more vibrant area for everybody. But here, don't have," she said.
The hawkers were speaking to CNA after Timbre Group, the operator of One Punggol Hawker Centre, announced that it would end its tenancy a year ahead of schedule.
Stallholders said Timbre did not give a reason for its decision during a meeting that the operator called to inform the hawkers on Monday.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Monday that Timbre indicated its tenancy "posed challenges" for operations.
CNA has contacted Timbre for its reasons in ending its tenancy early, the challenges it was facing and its responses to concerns raised by stallholders.
One Punggol Hawker Centre, located in the People's Association's One Punggol community hub, opened in 2022 with 34 stalls. It is linked to Sam Kee LRT station and located several minutes' walk from Punggol MRT station.
Timbre has operated the hawker centre since its opening. Its second tenancy began in 2024 and was supposed to end on Aug 14, 2027, but will now end on Aug 14, 2026 instead.
Punggol Coast Hawker Centre opened in July this year with 40 stalls and is operated by Kopitiam, part of FairPrice Group.
It is located next to Punggol Coast MRT station and within Punggol Digital District – a business park developed by JTC that also houses the Singapore Institute of Technology.
Both hawker centres run under the Socially-conscious Enterprise Hawker Centre (SEHC) model, where the operators are private companies that seek to balance stallholder and customer interests.
A few months ago, Timbre was criticised for its management of another SEHC, Yishun Park Hawker Centre, over issues including stall rents, use of closed-circuit television cameras and its fines.
Teh Cher Ming at his stall in One Punggol Hawker Centre on Dec 30, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Davina Tham)
CRITICISM OF COST INCREASES
Another stallholder estimated a 10 per cent drop in sales after Punggol Coast's opening.
She said that when she suggested Timbre do more marketing for One Punggol, she was asked what kind of marketing she hoped to see.
"If we know what to do, we will do it ourselves already," said the hawker, who requested not to be named as she said stallholders had been told not to speak to the media.
She also criticised higher costs charged by Timbre when stallholders renewed their licences in 2024, saying they had "no choice" but to accept the charges.
The higher costs were laid out in a letter from Timbre to the hawker dated Aug 13, 2024, which was seen by CNA.
In the letter, Timbre wrote that the increase reflected current market conditions and that it was still subsidising "overall costs at the centre level".
"We recognise the potential impact on stallholders and have therefore implemented the increase in two phases to help mitigate the effect," stated Timbre.
It also reserved the right not to renew the licence for stallholders with outstanding costs not paid before Aug 14, 2024.
In the first phase from Aug 15, 2024 to Aug 14, 2025, non-variable charges rose by a total of S$480 a month from the initial term beginning on Nov 1, 2022.
Rent rose from S$1,620 (US$1,260) to S$1,800, service and conservancy (S&C) charges went up from S$150 to S$250, and table cleaning fees jumped from S$500 to S$700.
Variable charges also increased. Dishwashing initially cost 12 cents a piece, capped at S$1,000. This rose to 20 cents a piece, capped at S$2,000.
Use of the kitchen exhaust fan started out free, but a monthly charge capped at S$150 was introduced with the licence renewal.
In the second phase from Aug 15, 2025 to Aug 14, 2027, only the S&C charges increased by S$100 to S$350.
Mdm Lim said that over the past year, she paid S$2,100 to S$2,200 a month for table cleaning and dishwashing.
In 2023, the median monthly stall rent was S$1,700 at SEHCs. The median rent for all non-subsidised cooked food stalls in hawker centres managed by NEA was around S$1,250 between 2015 and 2023.
Mdm Lim described her S$2,000 monthly rent as a "very good rate", provided that the hawker centre's management supports the stall's needs.
"I hope there is a better management (that) comes in to help us to solve the problem we're facing," she said.
One Punggol Hawker Centre at lunchtime on Dec 30, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Davina Tham)
HOPES FOR NEW OPERATOR
Vegetarian stall owner Canny Chan, in her 50s, described Timbre as a "responsible" operator with whom she has not had issues, although she too felt pressure from the higher charges.
She was among the stallholders who expressed hope that the operator who takes over will not raise rents and will do more to attract patrons.
When CNA visited One Punggol at lunchtime on Tuesday, there was a decent crowd with families and office workers.
Nine stalls were shuttered, although hawker Mdm Lim said it was normal for more stalls not to open during the school holidays due to lower anticipated footfall.
One suggestion Mdm Lim had was for the new operator to get more stalls to stay open later to attract a dinner crowd.
Her stall stays open past dinnertime. She said she had raised this suggestion to Timbre, but it was not implemented.
"The feedback from the customers that we had, they say there's nothing to eat here because all the stalls (are) closed (at night)."
She also hoped the new operator would allow the use of a second lift in the building that currently bypasses the second floor where the hawker centre is.
This makes it physically taxing for hawkers to dispose of their rubbish in the basement, she said, pointing out that many of their workers are older.
Fellow hawker Mdm Chan also hoped the new operator could improve the air circulation. She said One Punggol Hawker Centre was less well-ventilated than Punggol Coast Hawker Centre and customers had complained about the heat.
She and all the stall owners CNA spoke to said they would remain at One Punggol even after the change of hands.
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