Long known as a sanctuary for Singapore’s legion of musicians (especially during its famous yearly sale) Swee Lee Music Company went through a flashy revamp after it was bought over in 2012 by the son of billionaire palm-oil tycoon Kuok Khoon Hong of Wilmar International.
Five years since then, the sprucing up of the now 71-year-old brand proved to be a success — Swee Lee is now the biggest distributor of musical instruments and audio equipment in the region, with sales doubling since Kuok Meng Ru bought over the business. Aside from being Swee Lee’s managing director, the 29-year-old scion of one of Asia’s richest families also launched cloud-based music recording platform BandLab Technologies — a start-up that now owns a 49 percent stake in Rolling Stone magazine.
Today marks another achievement for Kuok. This morning, Swee Lee officially unveiled its new flagship store in Singapore — a 5,000 sq ft space located on the ground floor of The Star Vista. Aside from offering the latest instruments, gear, audio equipment, and accessories the retailer is known for, the new store also has a lifestyle section that offers fashion and apparel products.
As you can imagine, with rows upon rows of gear, it’s pure musician porn.
Expanding on its vision to be a one-stop-shop for musicians both veterans and aspiring, the space also hosts a bigger Swee Lee Music Academy, with five teaching rooms for classes led by renowned instructor-musicians. The brand also plans to host in-store performances and collaborate with The Star Vista to present a series of live music performances at the mall’s 200-seat amphitheater soon.
On top of all that, there’s also a communal gathering space in the form of the Swee Lee Social Club — an in-store cafe serving proper coffee (with beans provided by Common Man Coffee Roasters), snacks, desserts, and Island Creamery ice cream.
“The new flagship store will offer Singaporeans a music lifestyle experience, focused on bringing people together around a shared love of music,” said Kuok.
“Whether they’re learning their first song, exchanging creative ideas in our cafe, or a seasoned pro looking for cutting-edge gear — there’s something here for everyone.”
Swee Lee Star Vista Lifestyle Store is at The Star Vista, 1 Vista Exchange Green, #1-07/08/09/10. Daily 10am-10pm.
