Singapore – Singapore’s largest multi-experiential retail and lifestyle destination – VivoCity – held its Grand Opening today. The ceremony, which was officiated by Mr S Dhanabalan, Chairman of Temasek Holdings, culminated in a dazzling fireworks display and performances by leading local singer, Stefanie Sun and American music performance ensemble, String Theory at VivoCity’s third storey Sky Park.
In their first ever appearance in Singapore, String Theory, which played to critical acclaim during the recent 48th GRAMMY Awards, enthralled the guests and spectators by transforming VivoCity into a giant musical instrument. With brass-wire strings attached to the walls and spanning over 300 metres, the ensemble created its own distinctive blend of music. This enormous harp will remain installed at VivoCity and open to the public to create their own music. Performances from String Theory will continue daily until 10 December at 6pm and 8pm.
In his speech to officially open the centre, Mr Dhanabalan highlighted VivoCity’s impact on the economy, including providing 7,000 new jobs for Singaporeans and creating value for the tourism sector with a new selling point to add to its overseas promotion efforts for the Singapore Tourism Board. He also attributed VivoCity’s current success to its design, tenant mix and entertainment offerings.
“VivoCity has lived up to its positioning as a destination providing not just retail but also refreshing lifestyle and leisure options for everyone,” said Mr Dhanabalan, “Large recreation zones have been included in VivoCity’s design for families, tourists and the young and young at heart like the sky park, play court and seafront promenade. These facilities are already popular with visitors providing large and interesting areas for leisure and play.”
In less than two months since its soft launch in October 2006, VivoCity has attracted over 7.28 million local and overseas visitors. Currently, more than 240 of the over 300 shops are open, attracting an average of 184,000 visitors per day on weekends and 114,000 visitors per day on weekdays.
Mr Edmund Cheng, Chairman of Mapletree, the developer of VivoCity, paid tribute to the consultants, partners and tenants of VivoCity which had worked alongside Mapletree to conceive and bring VivoCity to life: “Without doubt, VivoCity has been our most challenging and ambitious project in our master plan for the HarbourFront Precinct. Because of the scale of the development, and our location, which was not known for shopping, we had our fair share of detractors who were convinced that this project would not take off, much less succeed.” He added that during the short time that VivoCity has been open, it has become the definitive retail and lifestyle destination in Singapore.
The Grand Opening will continue with a month long celebration. As part of the Grand Opening celebrations, shoppers can participate in a VivoCity Grand Lucky Draw featuring attractive prizes, including a brand-new SAAB 9-3 Sport Sedan. Shops will also stay open till midnight on every Saturday in December, starting from 9 December. Special handicraft workshops featuring face painting, costume jewellery making, Christmas ornaments crafting and photo frame painting activities will also be held this month for both children and adults.
Beyond the celebratory promotions and activities, VivoCity offers a vibrant and diverse mix of retail, food and beverage and entertainment outlets spread out over 1.04 million square feet of net lettable floor space. The development, designed by renowned Japanese architect Toyo Ito, features three anchor tenants – Golden Village (GV), Tangs VivoCity and VivoMart. In addition, 20 percent of VivoCity’s retailers are new-to-the-market brands or concepts. Among them are the Adidas Original Store, GAP, Ted Baker, Pull and Bear and the Spanish retail enclave, Spain2Dream. It is also the permanent home of an international collection of 13 pieces of artwork that has been specially commissioned as part of the Singapore Biennale 2006.
Going forward, VivoCity will feature an exciting year-round calendar of events, including fashion, cultural and music performances, themed festivals, international bazaars, and many other stimulating programs that will cater to people of all age groups and nationalities.
