Ready-to-use pop-up spaces to be built on Orchard Road’s pedestrian mall

SINGAPORE – Visitors to the Orchard Road pedestrian mall will have more opportunities to shop by the end of 2026 as part of broader plans to upgrade the shopping precinct.

Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations Grace Fu said on May 8 that ready-to-use pop-up spaces will be introduced to Orchard Road, and the plan is to feature a “rotation of quality brands”.

Apart from these spaces, two tenders for developments that blend hospitality and heritage are set to be launched in 2026 for sites in Tanglin and Somerset.

Speaking at the Tourism Industry Conference 2026 at the Resorts World Convention Centre, Ms Fu said pop-up spaces could house new-to-market brands, novel concepts and promising local brands.

Ms Fu, who is also Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, added that these businesses can “plug and play” in the pop-up spaces, making them a “cost-effective platform to test the market or build their brand presence on Orchard Road”.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said it will launch a tender in May for the design, building and management of up to three such spaces to be located at the pedestrian mall between Wisma Atria and Ngee Ann City.

Pop-up spaces are not new to the road, which has had previous ones curated by the Orchard Road Business Association (ORBA) since April 2019.

Thus far, businesses have generally had to build and tear down their set-ups – something tenants of the ready-to-use pop-up spaces are expected to save money on.

STB’s assistant chief executive for experience development, Ms Jean Ng, said the ready-to-use spaces will complement ORBA’s existing work on pop-ups. She added that the association will continue to curate such spaces and can join the tender to be the managing agent for the ready-to-use spaces if it wishes.

The board said the first ready-to-use spaces are slated to open by the end of 2026, and they will operate until the end of 2028.

Spaces will be available for rent by local and foreign brands for a period of one to six months for each brand.

STB, which hopes the tenants can bring differentiated retail as well as food and beverage offerings to Orchard Road, added that it will work with an appointed managing agent to identify and curate the rotation of brands that will fill the spaces.

Before those are completed, said Ms Ng, more developments are in the pipeline, such as a tender for 37 Emerald Hill, the site that previously housed Singapore Chinese Girls’ School. Three conserved buildings are on the site.

STB said the site will be developed into a mixed-use development featuring a hotel, distinctive lifestyle products and experiences, and public spaces that honour the site’s rich heritage.

STB chief executive Melissa Ow said a new hotel site is also in the works for Tanglin.

“Seton Close features four heritage bungalows set within 1.9ha of land which has now been rezoned for hotel use,” she noted, adding that this presents an opportunity for the site to be used for a low-density hotel.

Ms Ng said the board is looking to launch a tender in 2026 for a hospitality concept to be developed at the site, adding that it will add to the diversity of hotel types in Orchard Road.

She said the low-intensity nature of the planned development “gives a hospitality player a lot of options to develop a different experience from what one would get on main Orchard Road”, especially when compared with high-rise hotels.

How the century-old heritage bungalows will be used on the site depends on the experience that the successful tenderer wants to convey, said Ms Ng.

Meanwhile, those with a stake in the shopping belt, such as mall owners, may be given funding to execute ideas that bring more footfall to the area. This will come under a new Orchard Road Rejuvenation Initiative, which will support improvements to building facades, new experiential concepts and art installations, and night-time programming, said Ms Fu.

She cited Ion Orchard’s recently installed 3D facade screen as an example of what mall owners could propose.

Ms Ng said potential funding is being offered as STB recognises that some of these initiatives may not be revenue-generating for the malls, but can add to the vibrancy of the shopping belt.

STB said the initiative will start around mid-2026, with mall and hotel operators, event organisers, associations and other parties given two years to submit proposals on increasing the area’s vibrancy.

“Shortlisted proposals may receive funding support through the initiative,” added the board.

Ms Ng said funding parameters are still being worked out, and that proposals will primarily be assessed on their ability to bring more footfall to Orchard Road, their ability to keep visitors in the area for longer periods, and whether they encourage visitors to spend.

Ms Ow also said new precinct markers and street benches will soon be added to Orchard Road, showcasing the area’s unique identity and enhancing its appeal.

The slew of changes is part of ongoing efforts to refresh the precinct, which began with the Orchard Road Rejuvenation Plan launched in 2019.

Since then, various new offerings have sprung up or been refreshed, such as Design Orchard, sports and wellness enclave Trifecta, and Temasek Shophouse.

Ms Ng said that when the plan was launched in 2019, it was envisaged as a 15-year one that would culminate in the redevelopment of Istana Park around the mid-2030s.

Plans for the new park include pedestrianising a 500m stretch of Orchard Road.

“We would like this park to be a differentiator for Orchard Road because you probably won’t find such a big park in a lot of high streets around the world,” she added.

Other upcoming developments include Hilton’s NoMad hotel and an event space in Grange Road – both slated for completion in 2026 – and a mixed-use development to be built on the site of the former Tanglin Shopping Centre that will include retail, office, wellness and cultural spaces.

NoMad hotel

Somerset Belt

Redevelopment of Istana Park

Pop-up spaces

Tanglin Shopping Centre redevelopment

Seton Close hotel site

37 Emerald Hill

Grange Road events venue