The Far East Flora Centre sells 1,000 types of flowers and more than 500 plants, a suite of gardening products and home decor items. - ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
SINGAPORE: Nature and gardening enthusiasts now have a new attraction to visit, with the opening of an 11-storey floral-themed shopping mall by well-known florist chain Far East Flora.
The Far East Flora Centre – located in Clementi next to the Singapore University of Social Sciences – sells 1,000 types of flowers and more than 500 plants, a suite of gardening products and home decor items. The garden centre also houses a cold warehouse selling fresh flowers, fruits and vegetables at wholesale prices.
The building’s facade has lush greenery spilling out of the balconies, and other features include a rooftop garden selling larger plants and edibles, a studio for workshops, a gourmet grocery store and an 80-seater eatery.
The centre, which officially opened on Friday, will also serve as the 58-year-old retailer’s headquarters, with its corporate office taking up three floors.
Far East Flora has six existing nursery outlets in places including Thomson, Queensway and Bedok.
The 11-storey building was a vision 30 years in the making for Far East Flora founder Danny Cheok. - ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
In setting up the first-of-its-kind centre, Far East Flora seeks to transform the gardening sector here and break the mould of a typical plant nursery, known by its distinctive sprawling layout crowded with potted plants.
“We aim to transform the way people view a plant nursery. It should offer more than just a selection of potted plants or gardening merchandise but instead, a space for our guests to engage with nature, find inspiration for their green spaces and discover the joy of plant care,” said Mr Danny Cheok, managing director and founder of Far East Flora Group.
The garden centre’s launch on Friday was also attended by Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Sim Ann.
The 11-storey building was a vision 30 years in the making for the founder. Far East Flora’s six stores sit on leased land plots, which have to be renewed every few years, and this made Mr Cheok uncertain about business continuity and making heavy investments.
In the 1990s, he planned to build the centre on an industrial property, but he felt the location and size was not good enough. He continued his hunt for a permanent home for his company, and, in 2017, chanced upon a parcel of freehold land on 435 Clementi Road.
The garden centre houses a cold warehouse, kept between 8 and 12 deg C, that sells exotic flowers, fruits and vegetables at wholesale prices. - ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
“It was a good location and big enough for us. For a really big project like this, only on freehold land – our own land – can we do this,” added Mr Cheok.
Visits to similar garden centres in the United States, Australia and Holland also inspired him to build one in Singapore, to cater to nature and gardening lovers. The garden centre took about three years to build.
The building is also designed to be more water and energy-efficient. Since the plants and flowers need lots of water, the centre harvests rainwater, and uses an automated rainwater recycling and self-irrigation system.
On several floors, giant high-volume, low speed fans are used to minimise use of air conditioning.
At its opening weekend on Saturday and Sunday, the centre will host small workshops on mini succulents and flower arrangement. Visitors can also visit booths offering free balloon sculpting, face painting and carnival snacks between 10am and 6pm on both days.
Shoppers can also look forward to some promotions and deals for plants and flowers between Sept 30 and Oct 31. The centre will be open between 8am and 9pm every day. - The Straits Times/ANN
