SINGAPORE - The Singapore Cocktail Bar Association (SCBA) has raised a further $142,500 to assist member bars that continue to be hit by the pandemic.
Announcing two new funds on Thursday (March 25), it said $75,000 was raised for a Rental Relief Fund, which will provide one month's rent for eligible bars. Another $67,500 was raised for a Marketing Support Fund at a lump sum of $1,000 per bar, to aid them in their marketing efforts. Applications for both funds are now open.
The funds were raised by contributions from corporate sponsors, with Enterprise Singapore (ESG) matching 50 per cent of the raised amount under its SG Together Enhancing Enterprise Resilience (Steer) programme. The programme aims to help businesses tide over the challenges from Covid-19, and push for transformation efforts in preparation for economic recovery.
Applications for the Rental Relief Fund - which is valid for one month's rent per the bar's tenancy agreement, and capped at $20,000 - are open till April 30 next year.
Only independently-owned member bars are eligible to apply for the fund, with priority given to bars that have been operating for 12 months or less prior to Apr 1, 2020.
Bars that have been operating beyond 12 months have to prove a minimum 35 per cent negative impact on their revenue in phase 2, as compared to the previous year.
Meanwhile, applications to the Marketing Support Fund are open till Jan 31 next year.
Aimed at providing support for their use of marketing services such as photography, videography, and public relations, bars are automatically eligible to receive $1,000 each for such services.
However, they will be required to submit a request for approval prior to appointing a vendor, and proof of payment for the service rendered before the fund can be disbursed.
Formed in May last year during the circuit breaker period, the SCBA now has close to 60 member bars across the categories of cocktail bars, restaurant bars and spirit bars.
Last August, $120,000 was raised to help up to 240 affected bar staff via the SCBA-SBF(Singapore Business Federation) Foundation Compassion Fund.
The SCBA said it has so far provided support to 40 individual bar staff at $500 per successful applicant.. Applications for this fund have now been extended until Dec 31.
Eligible applicants are those who have lost their job, transitioning between employers within the cocktail industry, have had their salary cut by 20 per cent or more after July 31 2020, as well as those experiencing sudden hardships due to unexpected crisis at a personal or family level, such as distress resulting from long periods of separation from their family because of Covid-19.
The various funds have been welcome by members of the cocktail bar industry, which continue to be impacted by pandemic measures such as reduced operating hours and smaller capacities due to safe distancing measures.
Bar operators like Mr Dave Koh, 40, founder of Bar Stories on Haji Lane, will be applying for the SCBA Marketing Support Fund. It will be the first time he has applied for SCBA aid.
He hopes to use it to bring more people to the bar, especially since patronage and spending have increased domestically due to the lack of travel. He says it will also allow him to tap into resources like higher end, creative photographers who have been out of their budget range.
"It has become even more important now to emphasise marketing to capture customer mind share," notes Mr Koh.
"People want to go out, and bars and restaurants are a perfect place to 'escape' for a few hours.With marketing or even great pictures, we hope to trigger a response that puts Bar Stories at the top of their to-go list."
It is a sentiment mirrored by Ms Juan Yi Jun, 36, co-owner of No Sleep Club on Keong Saik Road.
"With the 10.30pm curfew and our peak hours taken away from us, any effort to let people know who we are and what we do is essential to keep us going," says Ms Juan, adding that this will be the first time her bar is applying for assistance from the SCBA.
While marketing "might seem like gamble when there are other priorities like rent and salaries", she feels it is a tool to help set a venue apart from the rest.
"In our daily chats with customers we've realised there is a need for new concepts, events and activities. People have been stuck here and will eventually be bored of the things they can find here especially being used to easy travel," she says.
"A marketing fund would alleviate the costs of creating new content in-house, and would allow us to reach out to like-minded partners and bring customers fresh new partnerships and experiences."
Ms Yeoh Mei Ling, director of food services at ESG notes the SCBA's contribution, "stepping forward to galvanise support for the industry in various ways since the start of the pandemic".
"The cocktail bar industry adds vibrancy to Singapore's F&B and lifestyle scene, and we hope that our support through the Steer programme will offer relief to the businesses and tide them through this period as we move forward with recovery efforts," added Ms Yeoh.
Applications can be made via this website.
