Marina Square says rodent issue is under control

SINGAPORE — The rodent situation at Marina Square — which has faced struggles of late, including at least two lawsuits with ex-tenants — is under control and no rat nests have been detected in the mall’s common areas, the mall operator said yesterday.

Since last January, the mall has implemented a series of measures to keep rats at bay, including daily pest control inspections and the installation of electronic sensors in the ceilings to detect rodent movement. There are plans to increase the number of sensors from 300 to about 600 by June.

In an interview with the media yesterday addressing the challenges the mall is facing, Marina Centre Holdings general manager Chan Yien Mei said the pest control measures are paying off, although she did not reveal details of the extent of the improvement.

Last January, a rat was found in a tray of vegetables at Hotpot Culture, a restaurant in the mall. The National Environment Agency had subsequently detected rodent activity in the false ceilings of 14 of the mall’s food and beverage establishments, and at a bin centre.

Asked whether the rat problem could have originated from construction work on the mall’s new wing — as an ex-tenant had suggested — Ms Chan said the mall cannot pinpoint the source of the problem.

She pointed out that the rats that were caught in some of the mall’s units were roof rats, which differ from Norwegian rats, the breed typically found in construction sites. “We do have pest control operators telling us that it is not likely (that the rats originated from the construction site), because they are a different species altogether.”

Suggesting there was a rat infestation at the mall was also an exaggeration. “It’s not like an epidemic,” she said. While Marina Square was still catching rats, Ms Chan said no mall operator can claim that their premises are completely rat-free. “Actually I would be worried if we’re not catching any. It means they’re getting away.”

TODAY had earlier reported that the mall sued two former tenants for breaching their lease terms, leading the two to countersue, claiming they faced problems with rats at the mall. A third tenant, Saigon Times, filed papers to sue the mall operator and eight tenants, including Mouth Restaurant and Han’s, claiming damages totalling S$249,000, also blaming the rats.

At the briefing, Ms Chan said the mall had not received Saigon Times’ writ of summons and did not have any details of the lawsuit.

TODAY understands that Saigon Times has not completed the formalities because it decided to drop one of the tenants as a co-defendant, and will serve the papers once they are amended.

On the slow footfall at the mall, Ms Chan said there was a paradigm shift in the way people consume, and Marina Square was not the only mall hit by the trend towards e-commerce. “Retail isn’t what it used to be in (its) heyday, (when) you really need to go to the mall to get what you want,” she said.

To woo crowds, the mall holds regular advertising and promotional activities. It will also bring in a new anchor tenant this year, to be housed in the zone where former major tenants Golden Village and SuperBowl once stood, Ms Chan said, without giving more details.

Ms Chan said the mall is placing a greater focus on anchor and entertainment-based attractions, instead of purely “straightforward retail”.