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It’s time to start giving the staff of John Little department store a big hug.
Singapore’s oldest homegrown department store chain is closing two outlets this year: Marina Square on April 26 and Tiong Bahru Plaza in the last quarter of the year.
That leaves the heritage store with two branches, at Jurong Point and Plaza Singapura.
John Little was established in 1845 at Raffles Place by businessman John M. Little.
It is now owned by Dubai-based Al-Futtaim Group which also has Marks & Spencer and Robinsons Group of Stores in its portfolio.
Meanwhile, “retail sales in Singapore fell 5 per cent in January compared with the previous year, with the Food and Beverage sector leading the decline,” reports Channel News Asia. “The total retail sales value in January was estimated at $3.7 billion, down from $3.9 billion a year ago.”
