Singapore Night Festival<\/a>; and<\/p>\nGiving greater flexibility in foreign manpower policies.<\/p>\n
SRA president Ernie Koh said: \u201cWe are not asking for a long-term easing of this because as the country progresses, naturally, rentals go up, manpower (needs) go up. But it\u2019s this transition where we pivot. We are requesting to see what can be done on relaxing foreign talent, changing the requirement a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the issues facing the retail and F&B industries are not new, the RTS Link acts as a catalyst for businesses to hone their strengths and move forward.<\/p>\n
Another focus of the SRA is nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit of local retailers, Koh added.<\/p>\n
\u201cYoung consumers pivot towards what is unique, and what we can do as an association is to help these SMEs so that they can grow accordingly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a suite of activities we are doing even before the RTS Link opens. RTS is something we have to consider on top of the current difficulties retail is facing in terms of cost structure and retail outflow.\u201d<\/p>\n
SBF said the study\u2019s findings and recommendations have been shared with the Ministry of Trade and Information.<\/p>\n
The study underscored the need for stronger collaboration among trade associations, landlords, tourism stakeholders and government agencies to help businesses respond to changing consumer trends and increased cross-border connectivity.<\/p>\n
SBF chief executive Kok Ping Soon said the RTS Link will create opportunities for Singapore businesses to attract more visitors, but noted that it also raises competitive pressure, particularly for the retail and F&B sectors.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis impact will not be limited just to businesses near the border or in northern Singapore. Retail and F&B businesses operate across the island, and these shifts will be felt much more broadly,\u201d he said at the press conference held at the Singapore Business Federation Center in Robinson Road.<\/p>\n
He added that local businesses \u201ccannot and should not\u201d try to compete in terms of price, but should build on their strengths.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are quality, service, trust, convenience, innovation and experience. But businesses need the right conditions to compete on this trend. Many are already under pressure from manpower constraints, rental costs and operating costs, and RTS Link adds another layer of competitive pressure, which is structural.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is why we see RTS as an inflexion point for the retail and F&B sectors. It\u2019s not something to fear, but something to prepare for. The goal is to help Singapore businesses adapt, compete and capture opportunities in a more connected Singapore-Johor Bahru market.\u201d<\/p>\n
Koh said SRA anticipates a \u201cmeasurable shift in consumer behaviour\u201d once the RTS Link opens, and is exploring ways to support its members.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He pointed to helping retailers understand that their value proposition matters as much as price, and to creating platforms that boost brand visibility \u2013 citing the ongoing Singapore Retail Festival, now in its second year, as one example.<\/p>\n
Koh said trade associations could work more closely with the Government to help businesses stay competitive and relevant, framing the RTS Link as an opportunity rather than a threat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe treat it as \u2018what opportunities can we have\u2019, not a fear of \u2018something is going to happen\u2019. If we play it correctly, it will benefit us.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that more foreigners visiting would add to Singapore\u2019s vibrancy.<\/p>\n
![\"(From](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1dcfa2c98cdb030aa53d6644c36a1adf61c7fd004639555f7a2903b3ff680822.webp\")
<\/p>\n
(From left) RAS president Benjamin Boh, SBF chief executive Kok Ping Soon, SRA president Ernie Koh and SBF chief policy and operating officer Musa Fazal at the SBF Center on July 16.<\/p>\n
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY<\/p>\n
Benjamin Boh, president of RAS, said Singapore\u2019s F&B sector, while resilient, operates in a cost-sensitive climate that strains manpower.<\/p>\n
This has knock-on effects on service quality that give locals yet another reason to spend where their Singdollar stretches further.<\/p>\n
\u201cConsumers are changing the way they move around Singapore, the way their lifestyles are lived. We all have to deal with that. The RTS just adds another dimension \u2013 it\u2019s more direct because consumers have more choice and more access to those choices moving forward. The study helps us understand where the pressures will fall, and also where opportunities will emerge,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Boh added that to capture both local and tourist spending, businesses need manpower agility and operational flexibility to consistently deliver compelling dining experiences \u2013 giving local consumers more reason to spend in Singapore while drawing more visitors.<\/p>\n
Study methodology<\/p>\n
Mastercard conducted the surveys, with support from Frasers Property and CapitaLand, to gauge consumer sentiment and how behaviour may shift once the RTS Link opens.<\/p>\n
Mastercard transaction data from Singapore and JB between 2023 and 2025 was used to identify traveller behaviour and project post-RTS spending. About 1,700 respondents in Singapore and 400 respondents in Johor were surveyed.<\/p>\n
The policy recommendations from SBF, RAS and SRA were drawn from focus group discussions held between March and April 2026, involving more than 50 participants from 42 companies and organisations across Singapore\u2019s retail, F&B and broader business ecosystem, including mall operators, landlords and thought leadership entities.<\/p>\n
Downsides of strong Singdollar<\/p>\n
As at 5pm on July 16, one Singdollar traded at RM3.16 against the ringgit.<\/p>\n
The Straits Times had earlier reported<\/a> that the strong Singdollar\u2019s impact on local companies was uneven, with consumer-facing businesses feeling the effects more directly than manufacturers, which say the currency\u2019s strength has had little bearing on their operations.<\/p>\nThe Monetary Authority of Singapore tightened monetary policy in April, allowing the Singdollar to appreciate more quickly against a basket of currencies. The central bank is expected to hold this stance at its next meeting later in July.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SINGAPORE \u2013 When the Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link begins passenger service in January 2027, Singaporeans are projected to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":803796,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[64,63,99,164],"class_list":["post-803795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-business","tag-economy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=803795"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803795\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/803796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=803795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=803795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=803795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}