Speech by SMS Sim Ann at the Heartlands Festival Closing Ceremony
Feb 26, 2023
Mr Yeo Hiang Meng, President of the Federation of Merchants’ Associations (Singapore),Merchants and hawkers’ association representatives and leaders, partners and friends, very happy to see all you of here today, and I’m glad to be able to join you today to mark the closing ceremony of Heartlands Festival 2022.
Value of our heartlands and success of the festival
Our heartland shops connect generations by creating shared memories and providing affordable and accessible goods and services in various neighbourhoods. These shops give the locality a certain character and reflect its heritage. Their unique role in our social fabric is recognised by Singaporeans and visitors alike.
The Heartlands Festival celebrates this, enabling us to rediscover our neighbourhoods through a series of interesting and vibrant activities.
a. Over the past 3 months, over 120 online and offline activities were conducted across our island, with close to $3 million spent in the heartlands as part of the Festival’s Lucky Draw campaign.
b. 51 merchants’ and hawkers’ associations also actively supported the event with various complementary hyperlocal activities, such as the Crafters’ Fair by the People’s Park Traders Association.
c. I hope that the festival has inspired our local merchants and hawkers to create even more exciting and unique activities in our neighbourhood and local precincts.
Adapting to change
It can be a challenge keeping up with the rapid changes to our operating environment. At the opening ceremony of the Heartlands Festival, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee shared his observations on how the pandemic has impacted businesses, and how trends such as online shopping have now become part of everyday life. The recent increase in prices, particularly for food and energy, have also been a cause of concern for many Singaporeans.
Our merchants and eating house operators have played an important role in cushioning the impact, such as by providing discounts for vulnerable groups, or through providing budget meals at coffeeshops.
a. We are looking to do more to expand affordable options for our residents in neighbourhoods.
At the same time, we are committed to provide stronger support to help our merchants navigate the changes and challenges they are facing. The Heartland Digitalisation and Revitalisation Committee (HDRC), which I co-chair with MOS Low Yen Ling, is focused on supporting heartland merchants in their efforts to digitalise and expand revenue streams.
We worked with agencies to introduce initiatives such as Heartlands Go Digital to accelerate the adoption of digital solutions, and have achieved good progress.
a. Today, 9 in 10 heartland enterprises across Singapore offer at least one e-payment solution.
b. Additionally, two-thirds have onboarded onto digital platforms such as Google Business Profile, Carousell and Fave to serve their customers, and implemented productivity solutions such as inventory management system and integrated Point-of-Sale system to automate existing processes.
c. HDB and Enterprise Singapore have also worked together to set aside up to $50 million under the Our Heartlands 2025 programme to
(i) deepen digitalisation and manpower capabilities among heartland shops;
(ii) revitalise the heartlands and heartland shops to attract more customers;
(iii) upgrade the capabilities of Trades Associations and Chambers.
d. I encourage more of our merchants to embrace digitalisation and make use of these initiatives to upgrade their capabilities to stay competitive. And here I would like to say a special thank you to CEO of HDB, Mr Tan Meng Dui and his team, as well as MD of Enterprise Singapore, Mr Jeffrey Siow and his team, because they have been giving our heartland shops and our merchant associations so much support. Thank you very much.
Our recently concluded Heartland Shops Study revealed that Singaporeans hope for a more vibrant heartland retail landscape. Besides upgrading our software, another way to inject vibrancy into the heartlands is to refresh shopfronts through various government-supported programmes:
a. The Heartlands Visual Merchandising Programme, launched in August 2021, aims to help heartland enterprises build proficiency in areas such as content development, product placement and space optimisation. We are happy to hear that participating heartland enterprises have since experienced 10 to 20% increase in sales and footfall.
b. As I announced in Parliament in January, we have adjusted the HDB Revitalisation of Shops (ROS) scheme to make it easier for merchants to undertake upgrading works within their shops and in the common areas.
We hear your concerns on the rising costs of business, and will share more on the co-payment structure for rejuvenation under the scheme at the Committee of Supply 2023. So this will happen in a few days’ time, and I encourage everyone to track the announcements that we will be making.
Bridging role of the FMAS and HECS
While there are currently many programmes and solutions available to support heartland enterprises to grow and transform, it can be a challenge for merchants to find the ones that meet their needs, based on their aspirations and business growth strategies.
This is where organisations such as The Federation of Merchants’ Association, Singapore (FMAS) and the Heartland Enterprise Centre, Singapore (HECS) play an important role. They offer invaluable assistance to help merchants access the right resources and optimise growth potential.
a. Being familiar with the unique ground challenges facing merchants and hawkers, FMAS and HECS help to bridge the gap, connecting heartland enterprises to the relevant resources, government agencies and other strategic partners that will support their transformation efforts.
b. HECS has also been instrumental in providing ground support to businesses, and channelling feedback to the government on merchants' needs. The feedback is critical, as it enables us to design programmes, such as the Heartlands Go Digital, Visual Merchandising programme and Service Excellence diagnostic toolkit for enterprises, and tailor solutions based on the needs of our enterprises. Since 2019, more than 6,000 heartland enterprises have benefited from HECS’ business advisory on their business transformation journey.
c. I am grateful to have their continued partnership with us on this journey. So thank you Mr Kwek, who chairs HECS, as well as your team.
Now, please let me to say a few words in Mandarin:
大家早上好，也感谢各位邀请我参加今天的庆祝活动。
邻里商店在本地扮演着重要的角色，是好几代人的情感联络站，也为我们的居民提供价廉物美的商品与服务。近期，国人都在担忧物价上涨，我很欣慰看到商家与饮食业者们挺身而出，提供折扣与廉价餐饮给弱势群体，缓冲通货膨胀对居民带来的冲击。对此，政府也会探讨更多援助方案，协助商家与居民应对物价上涨。
随着人民生活方式的变化，网上购物等趋势已经成为我们生活不可或缺的一部分。我们应该把握这个时机，与时并进，重新定义与振兴邻里商店。
为期三个月的邻里节共举办了超过120场线上与实体活动，让我们重新发现我们的社区。我们也看到各种有趣的活动， 如芽笼东商协会每周举办的歌唱表演, 为社区注入不少活力，带来人流。
与此同时，政府也推出具体方案，如 "邻里视觉营销计划"，帮助商家提高其内容开发和视觉营销方面的能力； 还有 "商店提升计划 (ROS)”，为商店和公共场所的整修工程提供资助。 我和贸工部政务次长刘燕玲女士联合主席的邻里商店数字化和振兴委员会（HDRC）会专注于支持邻里商店推进数字化工作，为商家们扩大收入来源。
在此我也想感谢新加坡全国商联总会与新加坡邻里企业中心， 协助邻里商家在转型的道路上获得相关的资源， 并及时地向政府机构提供反馈。
通过我们共同的努力，相信可以改善居民的消费体验，并同时保留邻里商店的独特个性和魅力。我期待继续与各位共同创造色彩缤纷、充满活力的邻里社区。
To everyone here today, congratulations for the good work done. And I look forward to future editions of the Heartland’s Festival.
Thank you very much.