Home-Fix Moves Online Amid Retail Crunch In Physical Stores
Sasa‘s not the only iconic fixture you’ll be missing in our heartland malls in 2020. Home-Fix is now the next brand to pull out of the physical retail race in Singapore.
Local hardware giant Home-Fix – an iconic D-I-Y home improvement, gadgets & paint store – will be shutting down all of its outlets in Singapore by the end of the week, with the closure of its final 2 stores in Tampines One & Tanglin Mall, reports The Business Times.
You probably already know the drill, but do consider paying the remaining stores a visit for clearance sales & a final walk around the shelves if you feel nostalgic.
Home-Fix closes all 23 stores & moves online in 2020
2019 marks Home-Fix’s 26th year of leading Singapore’s D-I-Y scene, but also the brand’s last year in retail.
Sadly, the actual physical experience of walking into a store will be no more, as the brand moves entirely online.
From just 1 humble flagship outlet in 1993, to a massive 23-store local chain at its peak in 2014, Home-Fix established dominance over its competitors until financial woes set in.
Trouble with finances & debts
Back in 2018, Home-Fix attempted to stem their losses by reducing their store count from 23 to 16, but to no avail.
With the shuttering of their physical stores, the brand now hopes to regroup and create a “new formula” for a more sustainable business model.
Maintaining traditional brick and mortar outlets for the past 26 years has reportedly allowed Home-Fix to rack up debts, with up to $19.8 million owed to credit companies.
The fall of yet another local brand & hardware giant
Home-Fix’s journey to becoming a hardware giant in Singapore is an impressive one led by founder Low Cheong Kee.
Inspired by his grandfather’s charcoal & firewood stall, Chop Tian Seng, along Geylang Road in the 1960s, Low was the brains behind the first Home-Fix store at Siglap Centre in the early 90s.
The idea was revolutionary, as Home-Fix became the go-to place for “power tool and gadgets”, “gardening and home appliances”.
Farewell Home-Fix, thanks for the memories
If you would still like to visit Home-Fix in person, 9 outlets in Malaysia will remain open for now, reports AsiaOne.
As for Singapore’s final 2 Home-Fix stores in Tanglin Mall & Tampines One, we’ve reached out to the brand for more information on their exact closing dates. In the meantime, here are their addresses and opening times:
Home-Fix Tanglin Mall
Address:Â 163 Tanglin Rd, #B1-16 Tanglin Mall, Singapore 247933
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun, 9am-9pm
Contact No: +65 6738 6086
Home-Fix Tampines One
Address: Tampines One, #B1-20, 10 Tampines Central 1, Singapore 529536
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun, 10am-10pm
Contact No: +65 6544 2736
We recommend that fans head down soon to check for final sales & discounts. Best to call in advance before you visit, to make sure they’re still open.
Will you be mourning Home-Fix’s retail demise? Or is the market for home-fix solutions simply too niche now? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Also read:
Sasa Suddenly Closes All 22 Stores In S’pore, Expect Sales On Perfume & Beauty Products Soon
Featured image adapted from TallyPress.
