SINGAPORE — Funan DigitaLife Mall —the shopping centre best known for computers and other electronic gadgets — will be closed for three years from the third quarter of next year to be redeveloped into a “creative hub”, CapitaLand Mall Trust Management said today (Dec 10).

The mall has utilised only about 3.86 of its allowable gross plot ratio of 7, and therefore has an untapped gross floor area of about 388,000sqf, said the trust manager. 

The redevelopment will maximise the full potential of the site and its excellent location on North Bridge Road in the heart of the Civic District, it said.

Mr Wilson Tan, CEO of Capita­Land Mall Trust Management, said: “The new building on the Funan site will be an aspirational lifestyle destination that will enthrall shoppers and retailers. It will be an experiential creative hub within the city that ­... enables shoppers to enjoy retail in a technology-enabled environment.”

More details on the new development will be announced at a later date, said the trust manager. Challenger, the largest IT products and services provider in Singapore, said yesterday it would not be replacing its 53,000 sq ft flagship megastore in ­Funan ­Digita­Life Mall, but added that the impact of the closure would be significantly reduced because of extensive planning over the years.

Challenger CEO Loo Leong Thye noted that the redevelopment had been in CapitaLand Mall Trust’s plans more than seven years ago, and that the retail IT giant’s planning ­also ­began then. 

“We relocated our ­entire back office operations from ­Funan to our Ubi Link corporate building in 2009,” he said. This was followed by rapid ­retail expansion, with a total store count of 47 as of this month and three new leases confirmed for the first half of 2016. AGENCIES