Commentary: JCube closure

SINGAPORE: This year alone, Singapore will bid farewell to Jurong East shopping mall JCube, "Little Thailand" Golden Mile Complex and the Turf City site.

Considering its short lifespan of slightly over 10 years, the news in February that JCube would cease operations from Aug 7 was puzzling to many. Why did this relatively new mall not withstand the test of time or the demanding consumer?

JCube will be making way for redevelopment into a new 40-storey residential tower J鈥橠en, with retail space on the first two storeys.

Though its closure may have caught the public by surprise, an early indication of JCube's redevelopment dated back to July 2022 when the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) rezoned the subject site from commercial use to primarily residential use.

Does JCube's demise mean there is such a thing as too many shopping malls in Singapore, or at least in Jurong East?

The retail landscape in Jurong East is certainly hotly contested.

While most heartland neighbourhoods are generally served by one or two main shopping malls, JCube is surrounded by several large malls. Built in 2012 on the site of the old Jurong Entertainment Centre, JCube quickly faced stiff competition when Jem and Westgate entered the mall race in 2013 and IMM mall rebranded itself as the largest outlet mall in Singapore that same year.