Robinsons announced last Friday (Oct 30) that it will be closing its two remaining stores at The Heeren and Raffles City Shopping Centre, as well as its outlets in Malaysia. As the shutters fall on the 162-year-old company, let’s take a look at some interesting facts about the retailer.
It was founded in 1858 by an English merchant and Australian jailkeeper
In 1857, English merchant Philip Robinson, arrived in Singapore from Melbourne, Australia to work as a bookkeeper. The following year, he partnered with James Gaborian Spicer, a former keeper at the Singapore jail, to establish a new firm called Spicer & Robinson.
Two years later, Spicer pulled out of the partnership, and Robinson brought in a new business partner, George Rappa, and continued the business under the name Robinson and Company.
The first store was at Raffles Place
According to NLB, Robinson and his partner opened their first store, a family warehouse at Number 9 and 10 Commercial Square (present-day Raffles Place). It briefly moved to North Bridge Road and Coleman Street before returning to its original location in Raffles Place.
They sold groceries & hats
In today’s times, if someone were to tell you that they’re going to Robinsons to stock up on their groceries for the week, it would definitely make you raise an eyebrow. But back in 1859, this was a perfectly normal thing to say.
The family warehouse started off by selling food items such as tea, rice, sugar, oatmeal, biscuits, crackers, cheese, preserved meats and women’s hats. Over the next few years, it would expand to dressmaking as well.
Some of its customers were royalty
Business quickly began to thrive as the store gained popularity, and by 1881, Robinsons had become a popular haunt for the European community. It even drew many well-heeled customers including rulers of the Malay Archipelago and King Mongkut of Siam (present-day Thailand).
It was the first air-conditioned store in the Far East
In 1941, Robinsons was moved to larger premises at Raffles Chambers on the opposite side of Raffles Place. The opening of this store provided a whole new retail experience for shoppers, with hairdressing salons, vast array of merchandise, leather goods, confectionery, and silverware.
Most importantly, it was air-conditioned.
And this was important in 1940s Singapore, when air-conditioners weren’t exactly easy to come by. In fact, in 1955, Robinsons became the first department store in the Far East to be fully air-conditioned (The Far East referring to the Russian Far East, East and Southeast Asia).
It was bombed twice by the Japanese
The Robinsons’ store was hit by Japanese bombs on 8 Dec 1941. One would imagine that a store would take quite some time to recover from that, but they managed to resume operations the very next day.
But a mere two months later, on 13 Feb 1942, the store was bombed yet again two days before the Japanese Occupation began.
It was closed for three years and looted
The firm had to close during the Japanese Occupation, from 1942 to 1945. In the final days of war, Robinsons’ stores were looted and unfortunately, the company’s $5,000 worth of silver and other valuables could not be retrieved.
The Raffles Place store was destroyed by a fire
It wasn’t always smooth sailing after that, however.
On 21 Nov 1972, a fire broke out in the department store at Raffles Place, destroying $21 million worth of property, and nine people who were trapped in the fire died. The fire was caused by a short circuit on the ground floor of the building.
A new store opened in Specialists’ Shopping Centre on Orchard Road less than a month later, on Dec 11, where it remained for 11 years. All 350 employees were re-absorbed into the company.
Its outlet at Heeren cost S$40 million
By June 1983, the company moved its main store to Centrepoint, where it remained for 31 years until May 2014. It also had three other outlets, the most notable of which was the flagship store at The Heeren, which cost S$40 million.
The mega outlet spanned five floors and a basement, and included more luxury brands and elegant interior in a bid to attract a high-end market.
It Was Sold For S$600 Million in 2008
In 2008, Robinsons sold its retail operations to the Al-Futtaim Group, which is based in the United Arab Emirates. The group bought 88% of the shares of Robinsons & Co. at S$7.20 per share.
The new management tried to go upmarket with a stylish new store at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands in 2011, but was unsuccessful and closed just two years later.
In 2017, Robinsons expanded to the Middle East with a store in Dubai, and another store in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia the following year.
It’s been forced to shutter due to Covid-19
In May, Robinsons announced that it would be closing its JEM store, which opened in 2013.
Just five months later, the retail chain announced it would be shuttering its last two stores in Singapore, meaning it would completely exit our physical retail scene after 162 years. A shift to online shopping over the years has already greatly impacted the store’s sales, but it was Covid-19 that put the nail in their coffin.
Danny Lim, Robinsons’ senior general manager explained to ST:
“We regret this outcome today. Despite recent challenges in the industry, the Robinsons team continued to pursue the success of the brand. However, the changing consumer landscape makes it difficult for us to succeed over the long term and the Covid-19 pandemic has further exacerbated our challenges.
“We have enjoyed success over the years, and it has been an honour for Robinsons to serve the Singapore market. I am grateful for the dedication of our team, and for the support shown by our customers over the years,” he said.