Joo Chiat and Haji Lane: Singapore retailers weigh foot traffic against sustainable costs

A comparison of Joo Chiat and Haji Lane shows independent retailers grappling with rising rents and footfall that doesn't always convert to sales. While Haji Lane offers visibility, Joo Chiat provides room for customers to linger, but both enclaves face the same question of whether the numbers work.

For independent retailers in Singapore, a busy street can be a double-edged sword. More foot traffic means more potential customers, but not everyone who walks through the door intends to buy, and high rents make that gap costly. That tension runs through two of the city-state's best-known independent retail enclaves: Joo Chiat and Haji Lane.

Joo Chiat is becoming a neighbourhood for lingering, with brands building spaces that invite people to stay. Local home and lifestyle brand Sojao has operated its 1,400 sq ft flagship at 251 Joo Chiat Road since November 2021, drawn by the area's residential character, historic shophouses and independent spirit. Co-founder Jan Tan said the brand wanted the store to feel part of a neighbourhood rather than another shop in a mall. Homegrown fashion label In Good Company opened a three-storey, 3,000 sq ft Joo Chiat flagship in July, retaining the shophouse's original brick walls and timber flooring while combining fashion with hospitality, including a Japanese tea and wagashi space.

Haji Lane offers a different proposition: scale. Its tourist crowds can put retailers in front of people who would never otherwise find them. That was the appeal for vintage thrift business Woofie, which opened a two-storey outlet on North Bridge Road near one of the Haji Lane entrances in 2024. Founder Desiree Chang said the exposure was real, with more spontaneous walk-ins, including tourists. But high foot traffic did not always translate into high sales. Rent, including utilities, was about S$10,500 to S$10,600 a month, around S$2,000 more than the previous tenant had paid. The older shophouse also suffered frequent leaks and flooding. Woofie's North Bridge Road outlet will close on 7 Nov.

Costs are rising in Joo Chiat too. Neither Sojao nor In Good Company would disclose their rent, but Tan said the cost of running a physical store has risen considerably over the years across rent, manpower and general operating expenses. Footfall has softened: Tan said pedestrian traffic outside Sojao fell by about 15 per cent in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, though more people came inside, which she credits to pop-ups and an expanded product range.

Photobooth chain Solace Studios founder Keith Kok has watched Haji Lane shift towards photobooths, food and beverage and other experience-led concepts since opening his first outlet there in 2022. Solace closed its original outlet at 30 Haji Lane in December 2025 and is looking to close the one at 76 Haji Lane when its lease ends. Kok recently opened Yogeek, a frozen yoghurt concept, on the street, partly out of sentiment and a wish to help revive its local business scene. He believes fashion, food and beverage, and photobooths can coexist, but worries about who can afford to stay as larger operators, including a growing number of overseas concepts, are better able to absorb rising rents.

For both neighbourhoods, the challenge is not simply attracting more visitors but sustaining the mix of independent businesses that makes people want to visit in the first place. Chang said her experience has taught her that a good location on paper does not necessarily translate into a financially sustainable business. For now, her focus is on Woofie's outlet at Golden Landmark Shopping Complex, where lower costs give her more room on pricing and inventory without relying on walk-ins to cover fixed costs.