Outside of school, parents control the dress of their children up to the age of about 15, when everyone (and I mean everyone) seems to start wearing tops with jeans. However, the tightness of the jeans matters; if they are very tight and high waisted, we call the Chinese “ah-beng or ah-lian” (uneducated Chinese gangster), and the Malays “mat-rock or minah-rock” (Malay rockers). Very baggy jeans belong to the “ang mo pai” (“red-haired gang” meaning an English educated person) for the Chinese, and “hip-hop” (into black culture and music) for the Malays.
Not everyone falls into these categories though, there are regular kids who buy correctly sized clothing, but it is strange how these groups form in relation to their attire and style. Since Singaporeans teenagers (and many adults) are so influenced by overseas styles and icons, fashion trends are inevitable and come and go so fast that, to the teenagers, it is essential to keep up with the trends and shop for new clothes every time a new fashion fad comes along.
In the work place, if there is no uniform or suggested attire, men and women of both races dress up in their usual manner; normally a shirt, tie, and pants for the men, and for the women, sometimes a blouse and skirt or pants, or even a dress. The weather is ideal for dressing up in less, but you will find that most people in the work force will bring a jacket to combat the cold air-conditioning systems in their respective offices.
Race or community group does not dictate how a Singaporean dresses for work and play. There are so many styles and shops to choose from, it is often comfort and practicality that puts an outfit together in Singapore.
In the home, often a tee shirt and a pair of short will suffice, but often the males (all ages) opt not to wear a top at home. Pyjamas are also a popular outfit for lazing around, and it is absolutely normal to be seen outside your home buying food from the hawker centre or browsing in the neighbourhood shops or shopping centres in your pyjamas. This continues throughout a Singaporean’s lifetime.
At the moment, the older generation do tend to lean toward traditional-styled dress when going out. Mature Chinese women can often be seen either in the regular tee shirt and long-shorts when going out, or for special occasions, a printed blouse (usually with small Chinese floral decorations) and pants. The men will have a pair of shorts on in the home, with a shirt thrown on occasionally if they want to go outside, and maybe a Chinese design shirt with black pants for evenings out.
Older Malay men tend to sport only a sarong at home, and the ladies are normally seen in their pyjamas (in this case, a long, loose dress normally with batik print. The local nickname for it is the “air-con baju”). Either comfortable western-styled clothing or their even more comfortable baju kurong is worn when they go out.
Dress According to Education
Education doesn’t play that big a part in the way Singaporeans dress. Casual clothes are casual clothes and when special occasions call for locals to be more dressed up, they will do so.
With a literacy rate of 92.5% (taken from the Singapore Department of Statistics: Census 2000) and growing, the real difference is seen in age rather than educational standards. Singapore makes education compulsory from the age of six (6) when all children are meant to start primary school, until the age of fifteen (15). Failure to do so could result in a fine not exceeding $5000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or both. Since all primary and secondary schools in Singapore (with the exception of a few international schools) enforce a strict uniform or dress code, the influence of dress comes from either an individual’s family or peers.
But with education comes the inevitable questioning of proper Muslim attire. The younger generation of Malay people, especially the ladies, question why they have to cover up all the time, and use the hot climate to their defence. Muslims, both male and female, who do not don their proper attire when seen outside the home are called “mod-Muslims” which means modern Muslim. Many of these mod-Muslims drink alcohol, wear the clothes that they like, and eat pork or non-Halal food. (I will explain this later in the diet section.)
To create a harmonious multi-racial society, the Singapore government has imposed a ban on the traditional Muslim head scarf in local schools. The long and tedious debate is now over, and students who continue to wear the head scarf will be suspended from school. I don’t know if this was a good thing or a bad thing, but within the workforce, even if there is a uniform or dress code to adhere to, every Muslim lady has the choice to wear her “selendang”, and uniform lengths can be altered if necessary. (See Appendix B, Article 1 for more details.)
Dress According to Social Class
According to most Singaporeans, social class distinction is not evident in the country. It is not that the issues are not there though; it is a taboo that has been avoided by so many Singaporeans for many years now.
The majority of the population believe themselves to be middle class; that is, by Singapore standards: owning their own home and car, and holding a steady job.
And rightfully so, but some still aren’t happy with that, and want to hide their status. Like when a high-rolling executive parks his car in the company parking lot; he carefully peels off the season parking ticket from his front windscreen so that none of his colleagues will know that he lives in a Housing Development Board (HDB) flat.
Both Chinese and Malay people of a higher social class or who hold high positions in big companies do dress differently from the average Joe. With designer labels and up to minute electronic accessories, a portrayal of a higher social standing can be judged by the way an individual dresses. It is because of this that both Chinese and Malay Singaporeans from a lot of families try to hide their heartlander roots, and try to use dress as a portrayal of their preferred social status.
The Chinese and Malay Diet
An Overview
Unfortunately, I cannot distinguish differences in diet in terms of age, education and social class for diet, but I can differentiate them in other ways. The simple table below shows some of the key differences between them:
(Where Blocks █ represent food that can be consumed by that group.)
Muslims are allowed to consume meat which is Halal. This mean the animal has to be killed in the most painless way to prevent suffering before death, and prayers must be said before the slaughter. Everyone else can buy and eat Halal food too, but often it is marginally more expensive in both the supermarkets and hawker centres.
There are many Singaporean dishes that have become popular among both locals and visitors, but where traditionally Chinese “Hainanese Chicken Rice” is sold, you can also find Malay Chicken Rice, which is served in the same way, but the chicken is cooked slightly differently. So, in Singapore, the Chinese and Malay food have crossed and mixed so much that it just becomes Singaporean food.
Traditional Chinese food like Shark’s Fin Soup and Peking Duck can be found in the Chinese restaurants, but this is not what most Singaporeans eat daily; As is the same with traditional Nasi Padang and other Malaysian food. These aren’t Singaporean Chinese and Singaporean Malay eats.
Hawker centres (we call them “kopitiam” which means coffee-time or “coffeeshops”) and food courts are the most popular places to dine in or to take-away food. They are all over the island in both residential and business areas.
Recently, there was a 6 week ban on Malaysian poultry and eggs due to the discovery of a new bird virus that was present in Malaysia. Kopitiam business went down by 40% as the usual daily import of 120000 chickens and 2 million eggs from Malaysia was stopped. Malaysian ducks and duck eggs were also banned in Singapore.
Diets (not nutrition) in Singapore
With so much choice and variety of food, it’s no wonder Singaporeans are starting to gain weight as a country.
To counter this, the government introduced a TAF club (Trim And Fit Club) programme in primary and secondary schools. Pupils forgo their usual 20 minute recess break and, instead, congregate in the school gym or hall for some exercises. Parents are advised of their child’s condition, and are told to keep an eye on the food they eat. After school activities and special dietary schemes keep these kids from gaining even more weight and helps to motivate them to get into shape.
Regardless of race, children have to complete this programme until they have achieved their desired weight. With 121 MacDonald’s outlets and so many eateries in tiny Singapore, it is no surprise that the younger generation is facing steadily increasing weight problems.
But if you think the kids have it tough, adulthood is not much better. In Appendix A of this report, you will find some magazine pages from the local “HerWorld” (Singapore April 2004 Issue). A fashion magazine which is read by females of all ages (I remember I started reading my mom’s at 11 years of age, and she still sends me copies when she’s done with them), I have included 3 pages on food, 5 pages on local fashion and style, and 18 pages on fitness and slimming programmes.
Many women in Singapore, regardless of race, love eating, but long to have a slender figure. Beauty salons offer “Slimming Treatments” and I was surprised to find so many advertisements in just the one issue of HerWorld.
Slimming pills are also another popular way of trying to lose weight, and these are taken by both men and women in Singapore. With reference to Article 2 in Appendix B at the end of this report, you can see how dangerous it has become for a nation obsessed with losing weight the easy way.
Already slim people still take pills and go for treatments in the hopes of losing even more weight and being the envy of all their friends. Peer pressure to be a petite figure for ladies is immense; no matter what race you are.
Singaporean men have the same problem. Because national service is compulsory, and lasts from two to two-and-a-half years, (if you’re overweight, you get to start 2 weeks early in the fat-club to lose some weight) many young men start feeling body-conscious around their peers. Hence, they start working out a lot more, but they also start taking “supplements” like weight-gainers or mass-gainers, pills with keratine or fat-burning substances. Men are expected to stay in shape as they have a required reservist period once a year until they are 40 (officers continue till they are 50). But many are out of shape by then.
Because the Chinese and Malay population are spoilt for choice when it comes to food, the main differences (as I highlighted in the first table) are just the presence of pork, beef, or if the food is Halal. Other than that, Malay food uses more coconut milk, but both have their own deep-fried morsels and healthier options, like clear soups, too.
Even the pork issue has become somewhat died down as some Chinese food stalls now sell “chicken char siew” (originally a dish of pork with a sweet red dye on the surface) to cater to their Malay customers.
In terms of social status though, some families employ maids from Malaysia, Indonesia or the Philippines to help clean the house, look after the children or elderly, and of course to cook. You don’t have to be “rich” to have a maid. (“Maid” is not politically incorrect to say in Singapore.) but since most of the time the domestic help comes from a Muslim country, Singapore Chinese families have to be content with eating dishes without pork. Many often joke that the only time they do get to eat pork is on the maid’s day off.
Part 1B
A Description of Stores and Shops were Singaporeans buy clothes and foodstuffs
There are over 300 registered supermarkets and mini-markets (called mini-marts) in Singapore. The Cold Storage Group owns about 79 of these (excluding the 7-11 chain which they also own) and the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) owns about 127 including their chain of 24 hour service mini-marts called “Cheers”.
The 2 hyper-market companies are “Giant” (from Malaysia) with 3 stores, and “Carrefour” (from France) with 2 stores. On the other end if the scale, there are hundreds of small provision shops in neighbourhoods and in the city area.
The same goes for shops selling clothes. We have everything from major department stores to small one-unit shops that sell clothes. Since it only takes 2 hours to drive from one end of the country to another, nothing is out of reach. A superb public transport system and an abundance of metered taxis make it even easier to get around if you can’t find what you want in your own neighbourhood.
Each area or neighbourhood has at least 1 big shopping mall, with multi-story or underground parking. I have previously mentioned the scarcity of land, so many shops and supermarkets are found either in a big shopping centre, or on the ground floor of HDB flats (the latest of which are 40 stories high).
Also found on the ground floor or basement of some older estate blocks, you can find “wet markets”. Wet markets sell everything from live chickens to baby clothes. You won’t find food pre-packaged here, as you get to pick how much of whichever item you wish to purchase. Vendors usually open their stalls in the early mornings and close after lunch, but a few of the stalls may stay open till the evening time.
It is normally the older generation who frequent these old markets, and there are only a handful left as people are leaning towards the convenience and hygiene of supermarkets. A wet market is noisy and smelly, and of course, wet; while the supermarkets provide a more pleasant shopping experience, and offer products that you cannot find in the regular wet market.
Most of the population frequents the shops or shopping centres in their respective neighbourhoods. But a trip to town to go shopping is a favourite past-time of a lot of Singaporeans. (And I’m not just talking about the women.)
Along Orchard Road (the main shopping district in Singapore), there are rows and rows of shopping centres that will take you days to filter through. You can find anything and everything there, from hand-made jewellery to thick winter coats; bags and shoes and fitness shops; antiques and designer goods (and knock-offs). The list is endless. The only things you may not be able to find are certain limited edition items, but shops will gladly order them for you if you’re willing to wait and pay the price.
The shops are the same all over the island. Each neighbourhood is a self-sustained community. In Singapore, there is no need to worry that of you change jobs, you might have to move. Everything is so near. In some countries, people who live near (for example) an airport would most likely work there too; Singapore is not one of those places.
Singaporeans work hard and most shops stay open until 10pm every night. They also have late night shopping on some evenings where customers are welcome to browse until mid-night. The shops don’t close for Christmas or New Year, but some do close during Chinese New Year celebrations for 1 or 2 days (Nobody wants to work during the Chinese New Year).
The main shopping district is nearer the central and south of the island, but all other areas have major shopping complexes and their own shops.
Part 1C
Benefits and Problems that the Influence of Overseas Cultures Brings to Singapore in Terms of Selling and Marketing of Foodstuffs and Clothes.
Overseas influence, both western and eastern, can be seen all over the country. So much so that Singaporean designers of clothes are finding it so difficult to keep up with the lower-priced or high-end fashion from abroad. But they are slowly picking up as the country has realised that creativity and expression is very lacking in Singapore; mainly due to the fact that these qualities are not nurtured in school.
Clothes are brought in from all over the world. Advertising and marketing of clothes is done in a similar way as in London. Not-so on television, but mostly in magazines and posters for brand names. Local clothes stores don’t really advertise, but the larger international chains will have 4 page spreads in the newspapers.
Many of the international television advertisements for brands can be seen on our local television network; some dubbed in Mandarin or Malay and even Tamil for the other language channels.
Marketing in Singapore is simple and difficult at the same time. Our own culture and values still exist and are very Asian, but our lifestyles are very much westernized. In fact, if it was not for overseas influences, Singapore would not be what it is today.
Almost our whole population are descendants of migrants into Singapore. With them, they brought their cooking and clothes, cultures and religions, and shaped our country into the multi-national society that we have become. However, as I have said earlier, with many of these western influences, many Singaporeans cannot speak their native languages fluently, which angers some of the older generation. In fact, a Singaporean youth will not be allowed a place in a junior college unless he or she passes their second language at Ordinary Level (O’level). This is the reason why so many of our youths travel overseas (especially to Australia as it is relatively close to “home”, and has a big Singaporean community) to furthur their education.
With these influences, especially in fashion, like I have said before, paved the way for young Muslims to rebel against their own dress code. Following fashions from other countries, they no longer respect the same attire that their parents and grandparents did.
Bringing a franchise into Singapore is a great opportunity to exploit a buoyant market and establish a platform for the rest of the Asian market; Equally so when other Asian markets bring their goods to Singapore to be sold. It has a high volume of tourists every year (with the exception of the SARS virus period), and Singapore has been in trade with the rest of the world since 1819, when the British took over. It is also part of the ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations) and allows free trade with other ASEAN countries.
Because of its diversity, Singaporeans are always open to new challenges and influences. It is a trading nation that recognises a good business and knows how to adapt it to ensure that it thrives in Singapore. Though Singapore itself is a small market, many foreign traders use it as a gateway into Asia, which instead, is a new and untapped market.
All of this means that any franchisor considering international expansion into Asia should ensure that Singapore is at the top of its list. If, however, you are planning on breaking into the Singapore Market alone, because of its current saturation, you really have to watch your step. Just because it is a food-lover’s and shopper’s paradise does not mean that all businesses in these sectors succeed.
Part 2
What Mr. Francis can Bring to Singapore
Unless you are planning on opening a hyper-market, Singaporeans don’t usually associate food with clothes and are unlikely to shop for both at the same place. Since you already have a prominent chain in the UK, bringing the same brand over would be a good start.
Separating the two, I shall first advise you on food, followed by clothing:
FOOD
The main supermarket chains in Singapore are controlled by the Cold Storage Group and the NTUC. Competing with them for a position in the supermarket industry would be suicide. These two giants have bought over many smaller companies and franchises to become what they are today.
However, instead of concentrating on selling in a supermarket type setting, you should instead look towards bringing ready-to eat food for people on the go.
At the moment, there is no real sandwich shop chain or places that sell salad-bar-like products. I would suggest more office-oriented locations to serve the lunch-time crowds in these areas. Singaporeans are spoilt for choice when it comes to food, yes, but it is quite difficult to get a decent salad without going to a restaurant. Local cuisine is served in coffeeshops and food courts in these areas, but sandwiches and salads are often purchased from 7-11 stores or supermarkets.
Introducing a shop with a good salad bar with prepackaged food for people on the go will definitely be a good idea. Focus on this as your main selling point, and you will draw in the crowds. Be forewarned though, you must serve food that is suited to the Singaporean palate and it as to be of good quality while being reasonably priced, otherwise a bad reputation may precede you and you will find yourself packing up shop sooner than you’d like.
Healthier living is catching on in Singapore, as hawker stalls now have to bend to requests for less salt or more vegetables in their dishes. My aunt owns a fresh fruit stall in the Central Business District, and her 4m x 6m stall has a turnover averaging $1800 per day. That’s a lot considering the average price for a piece of fruit is about $0.80.
I’m not saying that I can guarantee success in this, but it is the only profitable food-type business that has not yet been introduced in Singapore. With the already recognised British name that you will bring, there will be interest, and hopefully you’ll soon be hearing people say “I wish I had one of those near my office”.
Clothing
Because you are bringing a British brand into Singapore, I would advise a more central location along Orchard Road, where almost all the international brands can be found.
At the moment, there is only one name synonymous with winter-wear in Singapore, and that is “John Little” (JL). John Little’s winter-wear section is in the basement of Specialist Shopping Centre. It is small and stocks are limited and unvaried.
However, it is where the majority of Singaporeans who are traveling overseas go to buy their coats and accessories. Their line is practical, and they serve all ages. I would advise opening a winter-wear outlet to rival John Little. Many Singaporeans who study overseas do return once or twice a year. However, after being exposed to the winter fashions overseas, next to none return to JL’s to browse or shop.
It doesn’t matter that Singapore does not have cold winters; it doesn’t mean there are no well-travelled people. Going abroad to study in a new and different place is bad enough without getting there and realizing that you’re wearing a grandmother-style coat.
Bring in the boots, the hats and scarves, the coats and jackets. Let people know you’re bringing in all this great winter fashion from Britain, let everyone know that it’s now affordable, and I’m sure you’ll make money. There are no shops that sell fashionable coats and jackets cheaply. Mainly because they feel that there is no demand, but trust me, all my friends and relatives who have gone abroad to temperate climates have stopped at John Little along the way.
I know it may sound like a risk, but all the other clothes stores sell singlets and tee shirts and jeans. There is too much choice. Sneak in and give JL a run for their money in their specialist department. After all, who knows better that the English about bad weather?
Marketing Intelligence Vickie Langton
Page of
