It has been a yearly event since 1994, continuing even during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the return of the Great Singapore Sale (GSS) this year appears to be up in the air.
The annual sale extravaganza – typically held in the middle of the year, except in 2020 and 2022 when it was pushed to September – is not listed on the Singapore Retailers Association’s (SRA) calendar of events for 2023.
The trade association, which has been organising the national shopping event for the past 29 years, did not respond to questions from CNA.
CNA also contacted the Singapore Tourism Board but was directed to approach SRA for queries related to the GSS. The tourism board was a joint organiser of the GSS when it began, and has been a key supporting partner of the event over the years.
Several retailers that CNA spoke to said they have not heard any news about whether the shopping extravaganza would be held this year.
GSS OVER THE YEARS
The GSS first began as a month-long event, with hopes that it would become “as popular in the region as the London and Paris sales are in Europe and the New York sales are in the United States”, the tourism board said in a 1994 press release.
It saw a record 664,000 visitors, and the success prompted organisers to make it an annual fixture on the local retail calendar, media reports said.
At its peak in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the GSS was a hotly anticipated affair. At one point, it was extended to as long as 10 weeks between June and August. Tourists planned their trips to Singapore during the event and locals deferred their purchases to take advantage of huge savings.
A barrage of banners and posters screaming about bargains was a common sight at shopping malls along Orchard Road.
But the GSS began losing its lustre in the early 2010s amid a seismic shift in the retail landscape brought by e-commerce.
Organisers tried various ways to breathe new life into the event, such as introducing the GoSpree mobile app in 2017 with e-coupons and lucky draws. The app appears to be no longer available for download.
The following year, they tried to entice shoppers with two GST-free days – where retailers absorbed the Goods and Services Tax, which was 7 percent then. Then in 2019, GSS underwent a revamp where its duration was cut by half and expanded to include fashion shows and film screenings.
For Malaysians traveling to Singapore, the anticipation of the sale will be reconsidered this year as the currency depreciation is a big downer with the ringgit hitting a low of 3.45 against the Singapore dollar.
