SINGAPORE — Two months ago, errant retailers at Sim Lim Square and People’s Park Complex were in the limelight for all the wrong reasons.

Both malls have since implemented measures to improve their retail service. These include providing training to retailers and adding new regulations to rental agreements to ensure retailers adhere to fair business practices.

Since the start of the year, Sim Lim Square has not received a single complaint. This is a stark contrast to the month of October last year when the mall received 14 complaints — the highest number for 2014.

To boost the number of customers in the vicinity, Albert Walk Street that sits in between the mall and Burlington Square is in the works to be converted into a multi-purpose trade fair and lifestyle area.

This proposal will be submitted to the Ministry of Trade and Industry for approval next week. If it gets the nod, renovation works are expected to be completed by the end of this year, and the area will be called Albert Art & Trade Space.

Meanwhile, People’s Park Complex is also seeing a decrease in its consumer complaints. The mall is planning to set up a complaint kiosk.

Mr Seah Seng Choon, executive director of CASE, said: “Retailers are more conscious, or rather more cautious, in dealing with the consumers. Hopefully they’ll continue to adopt fair trading practices in view of the bad publicity that is generated.

“Most consumers have probably read somewhere about the practices in Sim Lim Square or People’s Park Complex. So some of them reacted by avoiding the mall, and some reacted by going to more reputable shops in the mall. Some do their research before they go. So there is awareness and conscious effort to protect their rights.” CHANNEL NEWSASIA