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A vegetable night market operating out of an open-air carpark in Ubi called it a day in August 2023, joining the fate of a the Toa Payoh vegetable market which will also shutter that month.
Ubi Vegetable Market Address
The Ubi vegetable market was located at the open air carpark along Ubi Avenue 3 and 3017A Ubi Road 1, Singapore 408709. Opening hours were from 8:30pm to 12am.
Address: 3017A Ubi Road 1, Singapore 408709
Opening Hours: 11pm to 7am
Closing Date: 31 August 2023
JTC Corporation – which oversees the Kampong Ubi Industrial Estate, where the market is based – said the site’s three vendors are operating under a temporary occupation licence, which is due to expire at the end of March.
Temporary license ended 31 August 2023
“JTC is facilitating an extension of the (temporary occupation licence) from March 31, 2023, to Aug 31, 2023, to allow the vendors more time for relocation,” said a JTC spokesman, describing the market as a “distribution site”.
The industrial developer said it is working with the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) to identify “suitable relocation sites with shelter and proper facilities” where the vendors can continue their businesses.
The vegetable wholesale market in Ubi Avenue in June 2013.
Stalls may be relocated to Pasir Panjang
These sites include the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre, market stalls in centres managed by the National Environment Agency or stalls in single-operator markets, it added.
JTC did not say why the vendors’ licences are not being renewed.
The market, which is open from around 11pm to 7am, has been operating at the location since around 2010.
Toa Payoh night vegetable market to close in August 2023 as area looks forward to development.
Toa Payoh Vegetable Night Market Closing Too
Last month, SFA said a wholesale vegetable night market, which had been operating along Toa Payoh East for more than five decades, would shutter on August 19, due to higher expected road traffic amid upcoming housing developments in the area.
Read More: Toa Payoh Vegetable Night Market Closing August 2023
When The Straits Times visited the site at Ubi Avenue 3 on Thursday night, sellers said they have no idea why their licences are not being renewed.
The Ubi open-air vegetable market differs from the one in Toa Payoh East in that vendors are licensed and pay rent for the use of the site.
Ubi Vegetable Night Market: Vendors have licenses
One seller, Mr Derrick Tan, told ST he pays about $3,000 monthly to set up shop there, which includes paying JTC for the rental of the carpark spaces as well as contractors for cleaning services and the use of a small portable toilet.
The 48-year-old, who took over the business from his uncle about eight years ago, said the market sees fewer customers now. When it started, there were more than 15 vendors hawking their produce at the site.
Most have either retired or quit, he said.
Though walk-in customers were previously more common, sellers now largely use the site for packing and distribution. “You wait for half an hour, you won’t see any customers here,” Mr Tan said.
A news report in 2013 showed that vendors occupied more than 30 parking spaces at the Ubi carpark at the time.
JTC said it is working with SFA to identify “suitable relocation sites with shelter and proper facilities” where the vendors can continue their businesses.
Customers are hawkers & restaurant owners
Mr Tan said his customers – who are mostly hawkers and restaurateurs – pay less for produce at the open-air market. For example, 1kg of chye sim is priced at 80 cents, while a 10kg bag of potatoes costs just $8 – a fraction of what people would pay at regular markets.
Mr Tan said he is now bidding for a unit at a nearby building. He said the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre would be inconvenient for his customers – most of whom are located in the east – while a typical market stall would be too small.
Another vendor, Mr Richard Poh, said he has been selling vegetables in various locations for 30 years and began operating at the Ubi site about four years ago.
Vendors consider online vegetable delivery
The 53-year-old said he is considering switching to a delivery model of business, without operating a physical stall.
One of Mr Poh’s customers, 64-year-old Zheng Qiurong, said she turns up every other day at the open-air carpark to buy vegetables because of the convenient location and competitive prices.
Ms Zheng, who runs a ban mian stall at the Old Airport Road Food Centre with her husband, said she will continue buying from Mr Poh via delivery once the Ubi site closes.
This story first appeared on The Straits Times.