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21-05-13, 09:33
Orchard Road of the suburbs
http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest+N...10-421524.html

By Atalia Chua
My Paper
Friday, May 10, 2013



SINGAPORE - In a matter of weeks, residents in the west of Singapore will get a swanky new mall.

Connected to Jurong East MRT station, Jem will open to the public officially on May 29.

The 818,000 sq ft worth of retail space will host a plethora of retail and food stores - 241 to be exact. Most of them sport names commonly found in the Orchard Road shopping belt.

The anchor tenants are Robinsons and Swedish fashion brand H&M, which are spread over four and three storeys respectively.

Both are setting up an outlet in a suburban mall for the first time.

Lingerie brand Victoria's Secret, Japanese bookshop chain Books Kinokuniya - which is opening a new store in Singapore after 14 years - and beauty and cosmetics shop Sephora are also setting up their first suburban outlet here.

Japanese lifestyle store Muji and fashion retail stores Mango and Topshop will also be opening their first outlet in the west of Singapore. Making their debut in the area as well are department store Marks & Spencer and Japanese fashion retail store Uniqlo, each boasting two-storey premises.

As for food, shoppers' appetites will be whetted by gourmet offerings from Marché Bar & Bistro, Imperial Treasure Seafood Restaurant, Sushi Tei, Din Tai Fung and popular South Korean bakery Paris Baguette.

Cathay Cineplexes will be running 10 screens in the mall, while the FairPrice Xtra supermarket will cater to shoppers' grocery needs.

Jem is set to be the third-largest suburban mall here, after Jurong Point and nex mall in Serangoon Central.

According to the development director of Jem, Mr Chris Brown, the mall is 100 per cent leased.

Referring to the mall's positioning as the "Orchard Road" of Singapore's suburbs, he said: "We aim to offer a unique shopping experience comparable to shopping in the city. (To achieve that) Jem's retailer mix (has to) consist of brands usually found in the city."

To further bolster a "downtown shopping experience", Jem Street, a two-storey lifestyle zone in the mall, will offer streetside shopping, similar to that of Discovery Walk at 313@somerset, and al fresco dining, he said.