Parkway Parade Explained

1.3019°N 103.9047°W

Parkway Parade
Address:80 Marine Parade Road
Opening Date: (Soft opening)
(Official opening)
Owner:Mixed-use development with sub-divided strata ownership, owned by Parkway Parade Partnership Limited fund managed by Lend Lease
Number Of Stores:270
Floor Area:565697square feet[1]
Floors:7
Mapframe-Zoom:15
Parking:1,184 (incl. 16 family, 12 handicap and 3 green lots)[2]

Parkway Parade is a suburban shopping centre in Marine Parade, Singapore.[3] Officially opened in March 1984, it has a 22-floor office tower and a seven-storey shopping mall with a basement. Developed by Parkway Holdings, the company sold the building to Asia Pacific Investment Company in 2000. The mall is managed by Lendlease.

History

The development of Parkway Parade began in March 1981. Developed by Parkway Holdings on a 31536sqm plot along Marine Parade Road, the complex comprised a 15-storey office building and a six-storey shopping podium, and was expected to cost .[4] The mall was designed after American suburban shopping centres, and Parkway Holdings sought advice from American and Australian consultants for its design.[5] In order to meet an Urban Redevelopment Authority deadline, the building contractor, Kajima Corporation, used a proprietary flat-slab construction technique to construct the complex.[6]

The complex opened in December 1983, and was well-patronised by shoppers, according to The Straits Times.[7] Having cost to build, Parkway Parade had over 120000sqm of shop space, and featured several department stores catering to the middle class.[8] It also has a medical centre situated on the fourth and fifth floor of the building.

At the time of completion, Parkway Parade was one of the first suburban shopping malls in Singapore. It featured many major tenants setting up their stores in the suburbs for the first time, such as Isetan, Marks & Spencer, Best Denki (then known as Yaohan Best), children's department store Small World and MPH Bookstore. It also featured a wide array of food choices, including a Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theater that was open from December 1983 to 1984-1986 (located inside Small World), Hardee's and Petite Park, and also had an mini theme park occupying Levels 3 and 4 (Funland), and a playground at Level 7, which was the first and largest mall playground in Singapore at that time. The mall was also home to the second Singapore outlet of Border's bookstore in 2007, together with Dôme Cafe sharing a portion of its floor space.

In 1992, Weekend East claimed that Parkway Parade was one of the most successful malls in Singapore, with 12 million visitors annually.[9]

In 2000, the property was sold to Asia Pacific Insurance Company, and subsequently Lendlease was appointed to manage the mall.

Further facelifts were done to mall's exterior featuring an expanded alfresco-dining to the first floor in 2011, with the removal of the 'Waterfall' leisure feature and repositioning of the mall's entrance area. Completed in end 2012, the new alfresco-dining area houses around 10 new tenants to the expansion, which includes Din Tai Fung, Papparich and Twelve Cupcakes.

A seven-screen Cathay Cineplex once opened back in September 2017, taking over the former True Fitness space at Level 7, and ceased operations in August 2023.[10] [11]

Giant ceased operations after an 18-year tenancy at Parkway Parade in February 2020, with FairPrice Xtra coming in as an anchor tenant that opened thereafter in 2021.[12] Isetan has ceased operations in late January 2022 after 38 years in operation.[13]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About | Parkway Parade. www.parkwayparade.com.sg.
  2. Web site: Parking Services . Parkway Parade.
  3. News: It's a MALL world after all . Cheong Suk-Wai . . Singapore . 2 April 2006 . en .
  4. News: Tay . Alvin . 11 March 1981 . Parkway to build $250m complex . . Singapore . 19 November 2022 . NewspaperSG . 5 .
  5. News: . 2 March 1984 . Design and good planning make all the difference . The Straits Times . Singapore . 19 November 2022 . NewspaperSG . 13.
  6. News: . 1 September 1981 . Kajima awarded $150 m Parkway Parade project . The Straits Times . Singapore . 19 November 2022 . NewspaperSG . 1 .
  7. News: Pow-Chung . Gillian . 11 December 1983 . A parade of shoppers on opening day . The Straits Times . Singapore . 19 November 2022 . NewspaperSG . 11 .
  8. News: Peng . Ailian . 9 December 1983 . Parkway Parade set to make an impact . Business Times . Singapore . 19 November 2022 . NewspaperSG . 3 .
  9. News: . 12 March 1992 . What makes Parkway Parade the top shopping centre in the East . Weekend East . Singapore . 12 December 2022 . NewspaperSG . 15.
  10. Web site: Cathay cinema to open in Parkway Parade. Yip Wai YeeTaiwan. Correspondent. 19 August 2017. The Straits Times.
  11. Web site: Cathay Cineplex at Parkway Parade to cease operations after Aug 27 . The Straits Times.
  12. Web site: Iconic Giant Supermarket in Parkway Parade Will be Closing; Last Day on 29 Feb. Shawn. Ambrose. 24 February 2020. Goody Feed.
  13. Web site: hermesauto. 2021-08-13. Isetan Singapore closing Parkway Parade store by March 2022. 2021-08-30. The Straits Times. en.