This is Jurong West Hawker Centre.
When it first opened back in 2017, people in Pioneer be like:
It was supposed to be a fun and vibrant place with community programmes, self-payment kiosks and incubation stalls for aspiring hawkers.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to last.
Everything About the Closure of Jurong West Hawker Centre & How It Affects Stallholders
On 5 May 2020, it was reported that the vaunted Jurong West Hawker Centre will be closed from 6 Aug 2020.
Its operator, Hawker Management by Koufu, has decided not to renew the lease.
They have decided to waive rental for the stall owners until 6 Aug 2020 when their 3-year lease is up.
Eligible stallholders, they add, will be given a $1,000 relocation fee as well.
Sudden But Not Surprising
A 25-year-old owner of a stall selling handmade fries told reporters that the announcement “was very sudden”.
She had expected the contract to be taken over by someone else but didn’t expect to be asked to move out.
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But she wasn’t too surprised as there were no crowds at the place, with many stores having been closed since last year.
Covid-19 Outbreak Wasn’t A Factor
If you’re thinking they did this because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Koufu said it wasn’t.
Hawker Management had pumped in all the necessary resources into the hawker centre but the results were “not ideal”.
If you’re staying near the area, you’d noticed that even before the outbreak, business at the hawker centre has been slow.
Some blamed the layout of the place, pointing out that putting the market and hawker centre on the second floor instead of the first has discouraged many people from visiting, even though there are escalators and lifts there.
Ms Andrea Han, the senior brand and marketing manager of Koufu, also said that the location of the hawker centre was not “ideal”, located far from the MRT station.
They also have a lot of (cheaper) competition around them.
Hawker Centre Was A “Novelty” Success
Another stall owner told TODAY that the hawker centre was only a success for the “first two months”.
“When it first opened, there was some excitement. All the stalls were taken up and people were looking forward to trying the new food. But it all quickly died down due to bad management, starting off with the selection of stalls.” – TODAY
She added that food was expensive and not up to standard, hawkers were young and inexperienced, and the entire tray saga just put people off the place.
It does not help that just beside the hawker centre is Pioneer Mall where there’s a comfortable, air-conditioned Koufu ready to be patronised.
Existing Stall Owners Will Be Helped
For stall owners in Jurong West Hawker Centre, they won’t be left in the lurch.
Hawker Management says they’ll continue operating the hawker centre up to the last day.
They will also be working with the National Environment Agency (NEA) to relocate stallholders to other NEA hawker centres and markets, or Koufu’s food courts or coffee shops.
For stallholders who wish to change jobs, NEA has also promised to assist them.
The hawker centre will be closed temporarily from 6 Aug 2020 and will undergo “enhancements”.
It will reopen in the second half of 2021 and existing stallholders will be invited back to the hawker centre when it reopens.
NEA will also be seeking a new operator for the hawker centre.
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So yes, it’s not a permanent goodbye. For those of you still wishing that 651 wouldn’t remain the only powerhouse in Pioneer, Jurong West Hawker Centre will (hopefully) be back bigger and better next time.
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