Sub-tenant sues Hao Mart over early termination of Taste Orchard lease

It maintained that Belovie remained obliged to pay rent until Dec 31, 2025, and breached the sublease by failing to pay.

Under the sublease, Hao Mart said it was entitled to set off unpaid rent against Belovie’s deposit.

Hao Mart described the unjust enrichment argument as “misconceived”, as it was not the owner of the building and was not “enriched” at Belovie’s expense.

Any benefit from Belovie’s expenditure was retained by OG, which took over the premises, Hao Mart stated.

Hao Mart further argued that losses from cancelled memberships or additional rent from a replacement location were “too remote, speculative, and not foreseeable”.

In its counterclaim, Hao Mart is seeking unpaid monthly rent of S$28,700.10 from October to December 2025, which amounts to S$86,100, excluding goods and services tax.

It is also claiming damages for Belovie’s alleged failure to reinstate its unit.

UPDATES TO THE LAWSUIT

On Feb 9, 2026, Hao Mart filed a notice to include OG as a third party in the suit, alleging an “oral agreement” under which OG would share the costs of terminating the sub-tenancies. OG has responded that it intends to contest the third-party action.

Hao Mart has also applied to court to consolidate its four related lawsuits so they may be heard consecutively.

Belovie objected to the consolidation, calling its case a “standalone subtenancy dispute” independent of the outcomes of the other lawsuits.

It added that consolidation risked delaying the resolution of Belovie’s case, and could increase legal costs by requiring the firm to participate in broader case management processes unrelated to its claim.

Belovie’s lawyers noted that OG also objected to consolidation.

Belovie’s case is fixed for a case conference on Mar 12 at the High Court.