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SINGAPORE: More than 40 heartland retailers have tapped into Enterprise Singapore grants in the past year to reinvent their businesses through store makeovers and community events.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While some\u00a0have reported a 20 per cent revenue boost, others remain hesitant, held back by the costs of temporary closures and manpower constraints.<\/p>\n
For those who have taken the leap, however, the goal is simple: Stand out in an increasingly crowded market.<\/p>\n
After taking over its Tampines premises in 2022, bicycle shop UCIG Enterprise quickly realised it needed to do more to put itself on the neighbourhood map.<\/p>\n
“In Tampines, quite a number of people (don\u2019t) know that there is a bicycle shop around this area,” said director Yap Siew Ha.<\/p>\n
To solve this, the shop tapped into the Heartland Enterprise Placemaking Grant to move its bike fleet onto a nearby hard-court for a roadshow.<\/p>\n
During the June school holidays last year, the event drew hundreds of residents\u00a0with demonstrations of BMX bikes and “fixies”, or fixed-gear bicycles –\u00a0an effort that Mdm Yap says paid off.<\/p>\n
“Our sales, revenue, there\u00a0was an increase thereafter,” she said, adding the distribution of CDC (Community Development Council) vouchers around the same time gave the business an additional fillip.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n