Angela Ng, Head of Retail Design Management at Frasers Property Singapore
With 400 retail and dining outlets, a rooftop garden, a community club, a public library and direct links to the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station and bus interchange, the bustling Northpoint City is a sprawling landmark at the heart of Yishun.
The formerly named Northpoint Shopping Centre was the first suburban mall of its size to be built in Singapore in the early 1990s. Northpoint City has since continued to evolve, becoming a vibrant lifestyle hub amidst changing needs and trends.
Part of that evolution was its refurbishment in 2017, which Angela Ng and her retail design team undertook with the development team.
The town’s rich history provided significant inspiration, leading them to engage local artist Francis Theo to produce artworks depicting early-1900s Yishun when the area was peppered with pineapple plantations.
“Art is a powerful source of inspiration and connection. It reflects the rich tapestry of culture and identity that is meaningful and engaging for shoppers and the community,” said Angela, Head of Retail Design Management at Frasers Property Singapore.
Displayed between first and second basements along the escalator of the mall’s South Wing, these artworks illustrate the transformation Yishun has seen from those early days.
For Angela, aesthetics alone do not create a welcoming space. Instead, designing for retail spaces calls for a nuanced understanding and balancing act of diverse elements – tenants’ needs, shopper demands and factors such as sustainability and heritage.
Northpoint City, Yishun
Malls give her a ‘bigger playground’
Trained in interior design, Angela started her career focusing on designing home spaces more than two decades ago. However, it did not take long before she craved a “bigger playground” where she could exercise her creativity and hone her artistic skills.
“The opportunity came knocking on my door,” said Angela, whose first foray in retail design was to help revamp a customer service counter and introduce standalone shop-lets in a mall.
Angela joined Frasers Property in 2016 and has since contributed to the openings of numerous malls in the Group’s retail portfolio in Singapore – with her team having reviewed and approved tenant fit-outs that accompany the mall’s opening. With 12 shopping malls, the Group is also the largest suburban retail mall owner and operator in the island-nation.
Beyond strong technical skills and knowledge in areas such as spatial dynamics, colour blending and materials, flair is also vital to a good designer. “Creativity is the heartbeat of retail design,” she said.
Unlike home designers, whose work is largely shaped by individual preferences, retail designers serve a far larger clientele. “Our approach is holistic, weaving together diverse perspectives to create designs that harmonise with the desires and practical considerations of everyone involved,” Angela noted.
Retail designers have to take into account the expectations of landlords, priorities of retailers and most importantly, the ever-evolving demands and preferences of shoppers. This calls for creative approaches to developing viable solutions on the ground, driven by engagement, consultation, research and more.
This is why Angela’s team of six creative professionals – each trained in interior design and armed with over a decade of experience – is adept at research too.
This can take many forms. From attending design-related talks, speaking with tenants and shoppers, to monitoring the news, all insights big and small help them stay abreast of trends and inform their design approaches.
Angela has observed an increasing focus on sustainability across customers, tenants and other stakeholders. In the last two years, the team has updated its retail design guidelines, appending a new section titled “Sustainability Tenancy Design”.
This update aligns with the Group’s decarbonisation efforts, which involve partnering a broader range of stakeholders – including suppliers and tenants. It further improves sustainable practices in reducing emissions as well as managing energy, water and waste.
The section encourages designers to work with tenants to integrate sustainable practices into store design. These include incorporating Green Label materials, which are verified to be environmentally friendly by the Singapore Environment Council, and biophilic design principles.
Making such decisions not only serves tenants and shoppers in the present. It is about “creating environments that become a gift for generations to come.” Angela remarked. “For many of us from the creative field, this is not just a job; it's our way of leaving a mark on the world – one thoughtful design at a time.”
Partnerships for success
Successful retail design goes beyond delivering visual impact and a rich sensory experience. An emotional connection also keeps customers coming back to a mall or its stores.
That is precisely why Angela and her team created a layered storytelling canvas (next to the art wall) for the mall to organise regular community engagement events. This adds vibrancy to the space while also providing a platform for the community to actively participate in the unfolding narrative.
Art mural located at Northpoint City
For instance, the Yishun community is invited to create art pieces in Northpoint City with selected pieces displayed on a mural wall that is refreshed regularly. The intention is to make shoppers feel at home and proud every time they visit the mall.
No two partnerships are the same. Creating store designs that authentically capture each tenant's unique identity, while aligning with the mall's branding can at times be challenging.
“Some established brands have a clear vision and strong principles, so broadly enforcing our guidelines may not be appropriate at times,” said Angela.
Nevertheless, it remains a journey of mutual learning for both tenants and the retail design team. Engaging tenants in discussions around sustainable fit-out materials and energy-efficient practices is part of the collaborative process.
“One of our main goals is to learn about the benefits of implementing greener practices together to embark on a more sustainable journey,” Angela explained.
This is becoming increasingly important with more people caring about the planet, she noted. “They are voting with their wallets,” Angela revealed. “Sustainable design isn't just a trend; it's a response to what people genuinely want.”
Some sustainable design ideas have come from unlikely sources. Through the approaches of upcycling and repurposing, the team worked with Singapore’s public transport service providers to give decommissioned train parts – specifically MRT seats – a new lease of life at Northpoint City, Tiong Bahru Plaza and Frasers Tower.
Creating spaces for a dynamic tomorrow
Growing calls for inclusivity across our markets is also reshaping the Frasers Property retail experience. The Group continues to monitor these trends and apply design solutions to accommodate inclusivity. Looking ahead, the future of retail design is unpredictable. Whether the focus is on sustainability, inclusivity or heritage, Angela explained: “Human behaviours are continuously changing, so coming up with five-year plans is futile.”
This means the team has to work harder on a more iterative, progressive approach to ensure their malls’ success. “We are consistently adopting a forward-looking approach, actively scouting for the next major trend,” Angela noted. “Whatever changes the retail landscape throws at us, we’ll be ready.”
The dynamic environment inspires Angela and her team to be on their toes, always listening intently to consumer demands and adapting accordingly. Indeed, it takes a strong retail design vision to create a mall that is more than it seems.