Magazines Archives - 2011 May

Inaugural award lauds family-friendly malls and retail stores in Singapore
Story 11 - Property Update

SINGAPORE’S Businesses for Families Council has launched an award for malls and other businesses with outstanding family-friendly practices.

The inaugural ‘We Welcome Families’ Award was presented to 37 businesses for implementing strategies, facilities and services that welcome families as customers. The first of its kind in Singapore, the biennial award was introduced to honour businesses that have demonstrated innovative and exemplary family-friendly practices to meet the needs of different generations of family customers. The businesses span five main sectors namely: Shopping Malls, Retail, F&B, Leisure & Lifestyle, and Services.

“Singaporeans are continuously seeking family-friendly activities so that they can bond as a family and build strong relationships. This is where businesses can come in to provide an environment that not only welcomes families, but also caters to their specific needs. Businesses are well placed to make it convenient and fun for [multigenerational] families to eat, shop and play as a family,” said Senior Minister Professor S Jayakumar, who was the guest-of-honour at the awards ceremony in mid-March.

Nine businesses received the exclusive ‘Excellence’ Awards. They included three shopping centres (IMM, Plaza Singapura and City Square Mall); two retail outlets (Metro in Sengkang and Tangs in Orchard); and one F&B outlet (Fish & Co at Great World City). The other winners were family club eXplorerkid, the Singapore Zoo, and OCBC Bank at Ang Mo Kio Central.

IMM’s family-friendly practices and service touchpoints include free monthly kids’ workshops; a 7m-tall tree house where families can come together; arts and craft corners; and family-centric activities such as line dance, aerobics and stretching.

Plaza Singapura offers a family lounge along with free baby pram and wheelchair services. Events such as Kids Blog Book and edutainment such as X-ploring Dino and science buskers are featured to connect with shoppers.

City Square Mall is dubbed Singapore’s first eco-mall. It offers a complimentary shuttle service; an eco playground; nursery rooms with hotwater dispensers; toilets furbished with child-friendly basins and taps, urinals for little boys, and baby seats; and an Eco Learning Experience, with every floor promoting an eco-theme.

Metro Sengkang’s winning ways include story-telling sessions; outings for senior citizens; interactive toy demonstrations for families; kids’ fitting rooms; and wide walkways for the elderly and children in prams. Metro was also commended for its Greeter Training and Service Standards Handbook.

Tangs Orchard trains its staff to offer help to families with children in prams and the elderly, while programmes for family customers include The Kitchen, cooking lessons held in the mall, as well as a personal shopper service. The store is designed with seats and lounge areas, along with child-safe features such as non-slip flooring, display furniture without sharp edges and products for children placed at lower height levels.

Fish & Co’s strategies include a menu that offers meals for kids, the health-conscious and the elderly; training service staff members to assist kids and the elderly to seat; and featuring infrastructure such as a play area, and wide aisles for easy movement of handicapped customers and mothers with prams. ra

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