Specialists' Shopping Centre
Encyclopedia
The Specialists' Shopping Centre was the oldest shopping centre on Orchard Road
, a shopping area of Singapore
. It was constructed in the early to mid 1970s. The largest tenant was the Hotel Phoenix Singapore. The John Little
, a large tenant, has closed in anticipation of redevelopment. The Visitor's Guide of Singapore described the shopping centre as "revered". However, the Specialists' Shopping Centre along with the Hotel Phoenix Singapore had been demolished to make way for Orchard Central
.
store was Singapore's oldest department store. The store opened in 1845 in Raffles Place
. The main store was in the Specialists' Shopping Centre although there were four branch stores. The store is no longer in Raffles Place. Guidebooks refer to the prices as "very up-to-date" or reasonable. The John Little store displayed bargain goods in the outdoor sections of the ground floor.
Specialty goods including, but not limited to Famous Amos
cookies, winter clothing, and golf equipment are available. Leather goods, tools, household items, and a Korean restaurant are also located in the shopping centre. A Starbucks
cafe was located in the shopping centre. A branch of the OCBC Bank
was also located in the shopping centre.
Above the shopping centre was the Hotel Phoenix Singapore, a "superior 4-star hotel" with 392 rooms. The hotel was unique among hotels in that it offers an Intelligent Keycard which allows prepaid access to the bus and MRT
system equivalent to the EZ-Link
card. As such, patrons were given the same EZ-link discount fares. The Intelligent Keycard also acted as one's hotel room key. No other hotel was participating in this scheme though it may change in the future.
On 9 July 2007, John Little closed its branch at the Specialists' Shopping Centre, after operating for more than 20 years. In 2008, the shopping centre was demolished to make way for the part of Orchard Central
, a new development also replacing the carpark at Orchard Road.. Part of Specialists' Shopping Centre is used for Orchard Gateway redevelopment.
where vehicles can enter the carpark directly from Orchard Road. Somerset MRT Station
is located next the shopping centre and is connected by a covered walkway. This connection made the hotel conveniently located as most hotels, while they may be close to an MRT station, are rarely connected by walkways.
Orchard Road
Orchard Road is a road in Singapore that is the retail and entertainment hub of the city-state. It is regularly frequented by the local population as well as being a major tourist attraction...
, a shopping area of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. It was constructed in the early to mid 1970s. The largest tenant was the Hotel Phoenix Singapore. The John Little
John Little (department store)
John Little is a chain of department stores in Singapore. Established in 1845, John Little is the oldest department store in Singapore. The John Little chain is owned by Robinson & Co. Limited....
, a large tenant, has closed in anticipation of redevelopment. The Visitor's Guide of Singapore described the shopping centre as "revered". However, the Specialists' Shopping Centre along with the Hotel Phoenix Singapore had been demolished to make way for Orchard Central
Orchard Central
Orchard Central is a shopping centre which is Singapore's tallest vertical mall. Shops have started opening since the end of May and its soft opening was on the July 2, 2009...
.
Stores
The John LittleJohn Little (department store)
John Little is a chain of department stores in Singapore. Established in 1845, John Little is the oldest department store in Singapore. The John Little chain is owned by Robinson & Co. Limited....
store was Singapore's oldest department store. The store opened in 1845 in Raffles Place
Raffles Place
Raffles Place is a geographical location in Singapore, south of the mouth of the Singapore River. Located in the Downtown Core and the Central Area, it features some of the tallest buildings and landmarks of the country.-History:...
. The main store was in the Specialists' Shopping Centre although there were four branch stores. The store is no longer in Raffles Place. Guidebooks refer to the prices as "very up-to-date" or reasonable. The John Little store displayed bargain goods in the outdoor sections of the ground floor.
Specialty goods including, but not limited to Famous Amos
Famous Amos
-History:Wally Amos, an Air Force veteran who worked as a talent agent with the William Morris Agency, would send home-baked chocolate chip cookies to celebrities to entice them to meet with him and maybe sign a deal to be represented by the William Morris Agency...
cookies, winter clothing, and golf equipment are available. Leather goods, tools, household items, and a Korean restaurant are also located in the shopping centre. A Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
cafe was located in the shopping centre. A branch of the OCBC Bank
Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation
The Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited , abbreviated as OCBC Bank , is a publicly listed financial services organisation with its head office in Singapore. OCBC Bank is one of Singapore's leading local banks, with group assets of more than 224 billion SGD. It has one of the highest bank...
was also located in the shopping centre.
Above the shopping centre was the Hotel Phoenix Singapore, a "superior 4-star hotel" with 392 rooms. The hotel was unique among hotels in that it offers an Intelligent Keycard which allows prepaid access to the bus and MRT
Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)
The Mass Rapid Transit or MRT is a rapid transit system that forms the backbone of the railway system in Singapore, spanning the entire city-state. The initial section of the MRT, between Yio Chu Kang Station and Toa Payoh Station, opened in 1987 establishing itself as the second-oldest metro...
system equivalent to the EZ-Link
EZ-Link
The EZ-Link card is a contactless smart card based on the Sony FeliCa smartcard technology and used for the payment of public transportation fares in Singapore, with limited use in the small payments retail sector...
card. As such, patrons were given the same EZ-link discount fares. The Intelligent Keycard also acted as one's hotel room key. No other hotel was participating in this scheme though it may change in the future.
Redevelopment
As one of the smaller shopping centres in Orchard Road and located adjacent to vacant land used for a car park, the property was slated for redevelopment. It was reported that the shopping centre may be vacated by the middle of 2007. One of the requirements that must be overcome by receiving an exemption was the height limitation of 16 storeys for the site. The OCBC Bank, as one of the owners of the property, had restrictions in development. The Banking Amendment Regulations (2004) restricted demolition and rebuilding of structures to more than 20% larger Redevlopment plans had to include a hotel as hotel use was safeguarded by the authorities. Speculation regarding the site's redevelopment had been ongoing for several years and included connecting a redeveloped site with The Centrepoint, a shopping centre across the road and owned by the same owners as the Specialists' Shopping Centre.On 9 July 2007, John Little closed its branch at the Specialists' Shopping Centre, after operating for more than 20 years. In 2008, the shopping centre was demolished to make way for the part of Orchard Central
Orchard Central
Orchard Central is a shopping centre which is Singapore's tallest vertical mall. Shops have started opening since the end of May and its soft opening was on the July 2, 2009...
, a new development also replacing the carpark at Orchard Road.. Part of Specialists' Shopping Centre is used for Orchard Gateway redevelopment.
Location and accessibility
Centrepoint can be accessible from Orchard RoadOrchard Road
Orchard Road is a road in Singapore that is the retail and entertainment hub of the city-state. It is regularly frequented by the local population as well as being a major tourist attraction...
where vehicles can enter the carpark directly from Orchard Road. Somerset MRT Station
Somerset MRT Station
Somerset MRT Station ' is an underground station on the North South Line of the Mass Rapid Transit in Singapore, located under 313@Somerset Shopping Centre between Orchard Road and Somerset Road. It was upgraded in 2002, the first phase of station upgrading works on the system...
is located next the shopping centre and is connected by a covered walkway. This connection made the hotel conveniently located as most hotels, while they may be close to an MRT station, are rarely connected by walkways.