'They must be very brave': Holland Drive hawkers baulk at record-high $7,000 bid for stall

Amid relatively fierce competition for a vacant food stall in Holland Drive, one bidder who made an offer of $7,012 came out on top.

If successful, the tenderer will set a record for the highest monthly rental rate at Holland Drive Market & Food Centre, reported 8world.

The particular stall received at least four other bids ranging from $4,150 to $4,880 in the August tender exercise, according to a report published by the National Environment Agency (NEA).

The space is popular as the stallholder is allowed to sell cooked food, halal cooked food, Indian cuisine, drinks or cut fruits.

In comparison, another vacant stall at the same food centre — which can only sell Indian cuisine — also received at least five bids, with the highest offer being $688.

NEA says that it reserves the right to not accept any bid, including the highest bid received on the tender notice. The final results of the August exercise has not been released.

Chen Yizheng (transliteration), chairman of the Holland Drive Shopkeepers & Stallholders Association, said in an interview with 8world that the first vacant stall was previously occupied by a young hawker selling noodles.

He had reportedly bidded $4,600 for the stall but shuttered his business after less than a year.

"Honestly speaking, $7,000 [rent] is not easy. There's still the table-cleaning fee, service & conservancy charges, gas and electricity [to pay for]," said Chen.

Another hawker Serene Tan, who co-founded bakery stall Butter Town with her sister, said: "I think the person who placed the bid is very brave."

Speaking to AsiaOne on Thursday (Sept 5), the 32-year-old said she was "very surprised" to hear of the high offer amount.

Elaborating that the food centre caters to the office crowd and sees high footfall for a period of two to three hours during the day, Tan feels it might be difficult for the tenderer to cover their rent if they are successful in their bid.

Both sisters had participated in NEA's Incubation Stall Programme last year, which allowed them to enjoy subsided rental rates for 15 months.

Tan told AsiaOne that they are currently paying the full monthly market rental rate of about $1,600.

Similarly, other hawkers at the food centre whom AsiaOne spoke to also said they were surprised at the $7,000 bid. They revealed that their monthly stall rentals are between $1,000 to $2,000.

Seri Rahayu, who runs a Malay food stall, said the centre becomes "quiet" after 2pm and suggested that the hawker may need to extend their hours of operation.

Chen, who has been operating her fresh fruit juice stall for 20-odd years, added that most stalls close for the day in the afternoon.

"Even for us drink stalls, it's hard to sustain business," she said.

ALSO READ: Chinatown Complex Food Centre hawkers respond to $1 bid for stall in September

lim.kewei@asiaone.com