Grocers are spread throughout the island and range from small family shops to large supermarkets. Every neighborhood includes at least one or two large supermarkets from which to choose, from very local chains to those that carry a wide selection of international fare. Furthermore, provisioners providing home delivery service offer a convenient alternative to normal grocery shopping.
Several notable chains and services bear particular distinction:
Cold Storage – Cold Storage is a supermarket widely popular with the international community that focuses on freshness and quality of food, as well as availability of Western products. Hence, prices are usually more expensive than the other supermarket chains. While outlets are scattered all over the island, several stores in heavily expat-populated neighborhoods carry a wider selection of Western foods, including the shops at Great World City, Jelita, Holland Village, and Guthrie Hou se.
Their gourmet supermarkets, including The Marketplace and Jason’s, are also popular with expats, as they offer gourmet groceries and international foods, though they are generally more expensive. Cold Storage also offers an online shopping and home delivery service, though selection is sometimes limited.
- CS Great World City, 1 Kim Seng Promenade, #B1-18/19 Great World City, open daily, 9 am – 10 pm
- CS Guthrie House, 1 Fifth Ave Guthrie House #01-05, open daily, 9 am – 10 pm
- CS Holland Village, 223 Holland Avenue, #01-05 Holland Shopping Centre, open daily, 24 hours
- CS Jelita, 293 Holland Road, #01-01 Jelita Shopping Centre, open daily, 8.30 am – 10 pm
- CS United Square, 101 Thomson Road #B1-52, open daily 9am – 10pm
- Jasons Market Place, 252 North Bridge Road, #B1-01 Raffles City Shopping Centre , open daily 24 hours
- Jasons, The Gourmet Grocer, 1 Claymore Drive, #01-01 Orchard Towers S(229594), open daily, 8 am – 10 pm
- Paragon Market Place, 290 Orchard Road, #B1-21/22 Paragon, open daily 9 am – 10 pm
- Tanglin Market Place, 163 Tanglin Road, #B1-02/03 Tanglin Mall, open daily 9 am – 10 pm
A complete list of stores can be found on the Cold Storage website.
NTUC Fairprice – This supermarket is closely linked to Singapore’s development, as it was started by the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC), in an effort to curb profiteering. Today, it offers the most competitive prices aside from the low-cost Asian chains Sheng Siong and Prime. Fairprice’s flagship stores, dubbed Fairprice Finest, are also very popular with expatriates, as they offer low prices but a wide selection of international foods as well as natural, organic, and gourmet lines. Fairprice Finest is also known for its excellent produce.
NTUC supermarkets are the most numerous around the island, varying in size and goods sold. For a complete list of store location visit the Fairprice website.
- FairPrice Finest, Bukit Timah Plaza, #B1-01 & #B2-01, No.1 Jalan Anak Bukit, open Mon-Fri, 9 am – 10 pm, Sat/Sun, 8 am – 10 pm
- FairPrice Finest, Thomson Plaza, 301 Upper Thomson Road, #03-37/38 Thomson Plaza, open daily, 8:30 am – 10 pm
- Fairprice Finest, 3155 , Commonwealth Avenue West , #B1-12/13/14, The Clementi Mall , SINGAPORE 129588, open daily, 8:00 am – 10 pm
- Fairprice Finest, 6 , Marine Parade Central , SINGAPORE 449411, open daily, 8:00 am – 11 pm
- Fairprice Finest, 491, River Valley Road, #01-14, Valley Point, SINGAPORE 248371
Giant – Giant is another hypermart chain comparable in size and variety to Carrefour but caters primarily to the local market, as it stocks very few international products. Many locals favor this chain, as it is very Asian, and prices here are quite competitive. For complete list of store locations visit the Giant website.
Sheng Siong Supermarket – Sheng Siong is the newest player to enter the groceries business and competes primarily on price, offering the best prices on most products in Singapore, though sometimes the products themselves leave a bit to be desired. Still, Sheng Siong is popular with many Singaporeans and is challenging NTUC as the “people’s supermarket”.
Marketplace – Marketplace supermarkets are targeted to westerners and they provide a large number of products from abroad. They are actually part of the Cold Storage group but as they are premium a premium brand, you can expect prices to be higher. Marketplace stores are available in Tanglin Mall, Paragon Mall and Raffles city mall. They are open daily, 8 am – 10 pm.
Provisioners
“Provisioners” who provide personal shopping and home delivery service are a convenient option for busy families. While their prices are slightly higher and do not allow for price comparison, they are still cost-competitive (especially considering time saved and transportation cost) and offer added convenience — attractive for many expatriates. One must simply call or fax with a grocery list to request delivery, often with same-day service. Buyers are typically billed monthly for their purchases. One must, however, plan for someone to be home during delivery, as food left outside can spoil quickly.
- Bestway Grocery Supplier, Tel: 6773 1566, Fax: 6773 1266
- Kenny Grocery, Tel: 6469 8689/8726/8203/8512/2308, Fax: 6469 8923
- Ultra Grocery, Tel: 6468 – 9623/9625/9535/5989/5159, Fax: 6467-5159
